New men’s basketball and baseball coaches hired

By James Sargent

Avid Pima Community College sports fans who enjoy men’s basketball and baseball will soon spot a couple of familiar faces.

Roderick Gary has been named the men’s head basketball coach and Jason Hisey is the new head baseball coach.

Roderick Gary

Gary was a Pima men’s basketball assistant coach in the 1980s and ‘90s and now works full-time as program manager of PCC’s Information Center and the college’s outreach team.

He replaces Karl Pieroway, who spent two seasons at the helm and led the Aztecs to 7th place at nationals. Pieroway resigned in April, was rehired, then resigned again in May.

Gary coached at Pima in 1989-1990 and 1998-99. From 1991-1997, he was an assistant boys’ coach at Sahuaro High School under Tucson coaching legend Dick McConnell.

He played basketball at Cochise College in 1976-1977 and has been an Arizona Interscholastic Association-certified referee. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Northern Arizona University in 1980.

“I appreciate the chance to contribute to one of the up-and-coming programs in the nation, and to make sure the young men succeed in the classroom as well as on the court,” Gary said in a press release.

Gary will continue in his full-time administrative job at Pima while also coaching basketball.

“Rick loves the game and understands the importance of upholding the college’s tradition of academic achievement by its student-athletes,” Executive Director of Athletics Edgar Soto said in a press release.

Soto, who stepped down as head baseball coach in May to concentrate on his athletics director duties, hired a former assistant coach to succeed him.

Hisey was the Aztecs’ pitching coach from 2006-2008. In 2006, Hisey coached USA Baseball’s 18-and-under team to a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Cuba. He is also president of the Southern Arizona Baseball Association.

“Jason’s record speaks for itself. He has been successful at every level,” Soto said in a press release. “He knows the college and appreciates the high scholastic standards we hold our student-athletes to.”

From 1995-2005, Hisey was the head baseball coach at Catalina Foothills High School, where he led the Falcons to three state championship games, eight regional titles and a 256-78 win-loss record.

Hisey pitched for the University of Arizona from 1987-1991 and then played in the minor leagues from 1991-1993 for the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization.

He has a master’s degree in sports administration from the UA and a bachelor’s degree from UA in exercise sport science.

Jason Hisey

During the Soto era, Pima won 105 games, making the playoffs in 2006 and 2007.

The 2006 Aztec pitching staff led the Arizona Community College Athletic Association with a 2.74 ERA.

The Aztecs missed the playoffs in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Pima Coaching Carousel Timeline
April 20: Men’s
basketball head coach Karl Pieroway resigns
May 4: Pieroway is
rehired. Edgar Soto steps down from baseball head coaching job
May 13: Pieroway
resigns again
July 16: Roderick Gary named men’s basketball head coach. Jason Hisey named baseball head coach
Aug. 11: PCC Board of Governors approve hires