Anlauf Quits After 5 Years as Alemany Basketball Coach

Joe Anlauf loved coaching the Alemany High basketball team the past five years. But he would also love to be financially secure.

Considering that coaches rarely double as financial giants, and since Anlauf and his wife are expecting their first child within a month, he tendered his resignation Monday in order to concentrate on a more lucrative occupation as a commercial realtor.

“It’s real tough for me to leave, but with a kid coming, I had to do something unselfish,” said Anlauf, who spent the first few months of this summer scurrying from his Westside office to the Mission Hills’ campus before deciding to concentrate his efforts on one job.

“I thought I could swing both but it’s just been real apparent in these few months that I don’t think I could do both jobs well.”

The resignation is ill-timed for Alemany, a private, parochial school of approximately 1,500 students.

Father Michael Nocita, Alemany’s principal who is responsible for hiring staff at the school, doesn’t return from vacation for two weeks. In addition, coaches who might have applied to coach at Alemany are already committed to other schools for the upcoming year, Alemany Athletic Director Dudley Rooney said.

To further complicate matters, Rooney isn’t certain that the school can offer a full-time teaching position to a prospective basketball coach.

Anlauf accepted a demotion to walk-on status earlier this summer when he thought he could balance both jobs. His teaching position has already been filled, Rooney said.

Rooney will hire a walk-on coach unless another teaching position can be found, he said.

“We have to make a decision pretty quick. We would like to fill the coaching position and also fill a teaching role, but I’m not sure what teaching positions are open,” Rooney said.

Nocita will offer a teaching position to the new coach if the school has an opening, Rooney said. “If we have one available then he would definitely try to work that in,” Rooney said. Anlauf had an overall record of 58-52. His best season was two years ago, when the Indians were 18-7 overall and tied for the Del Rey League title with an 11-1 record.

Anlauf, who also vacated his position as golf coach, is the second coach to leave Alemany in six months. Enrique Lopez was fired as football coach Jan. 28 and replaced by Pat Blackburn, formerly of Montclair Prep.