‘‘We’re very fortunate to have two people like that in varsity basketball positions, because it’s more than just basketball for both of them,” said Paint Branch Athletics Director Jeff Sullivan, also the girls junior varsity coach under Podosek from 1998-2003. ‘‘Heather’s also my assistant AD for me, and Walter coaches boys and JV girls volleyball.
‘‘Of course they’ve won a lot of games, but what gets lost in the shuffle are the things they do behind the scenes, whether it’s the phenomenal job they do getting their players into college, taking them bowling or out for pizza, just the involvement they have. They bleed burgundy and gold; both true Panthers.”
Different paths led Podosek and Hardy to Paint Branch, with the latter’s more direct. Hardy is homegrown, a 1985 Paint Branch alum who came back to teach at the school in 1992. He coached the JV boys for six years before taking over the varsity squad in 1998.
Podosek, conversely, is well-traveled. After going from Charles Blake (N.J.) High to George Mason University as a player, she became a graduate assistant at Texas Woman’s University, where she was named the Women’s Sports Foundation Graduate Assistant of the Year in 1991. She coached at Eastern Hills (Tex.) High, started the boys basketball program at the Lab School (D.C.) and led Rockville for two years before taking over at Paint Branch in 1997.
Both have won Class 3A state championships at Paint Branch, Hardy in 2000 and Podosek in ’01. Both have had consistently good teams, Hardy winning 66 percent of his games and Podosek an astronomical 83 percent. And both have sent multiple players to Division I college programs, including Jamaal Wise (Rhode Island), Jason McAlpin (Maryland), Rochelle Coleman (Syracuse) and Ashley Alexander (Loyola).
‘‘Obviously there’s a lot of success there for our programs; and really we work together a great deal,” said Hardy. ‘‘I just have a great relationship with Heather, really. Never any problems with scheduling practices, her kids are always at our games, ours always at hers. ... It’s nice to be able to bounce ideas off each other and we’re both excited for one another. I’ve even dressed up as a panther at one of her playoff games.”
Podosek and Hardy are also part of a small fraternity of just five Montgomery County Public School head coaches to have been with their current teams for 10 years or more. The others are Dan Harwood of the Magruder boys, Dennis Drown of the Quince Orchard girls and Steve Pisarski of the Damascus girls.
‘‘In her state championship year, they beat us in the final 10 seconds of the game; I remember it well,” said Pisarski, who started at Damascus the same year Podosek started at Paint Branch. ‘‘I’ve known Heather for a long time and her record speaks for itself. ... You can’t win without players, but it doesn’t seem to matter if their players are O.K., really good or great, they’re still winning, no matter what.”
She and Hardy have the respect of their peers, but they also have it from one another. Amidst the wins and losses, it’s their mutual commitment to their school that commands respect.
‘‘I don’t think people realize how great a coach Walter is,” said Podosek. ‘‘It’s not always Jamaal Wises that they’re winning with. He does a hell of a job to get the absolute most out of his players.”
