Prospero Out as Santa Ana Valley Coach

Rich Prospero, boys’ basketball coach at Santa Ana Valley High School, has asked to be relieved of his coaching duties for personal reasons, the school announced in a release Monday.

Kevin Stipp, the girls’ varsity coach, was named interim boys’ coach. He will coach both teams the remainder of the season.

“I have no comment other than the press release,” Santa Ana Valley Principal Robert Nelson said.

Santa Ana Valley is 10-6 and ranked third in Orange County. The Falcons play at Canyon Wednesday.

Prospero had a 64-29 record during his three-plus seasons. He was hired in 1991, taking over a program that had nine consecutive losing seasons, and he had immediate success.

The Falcons finished 13-11 and were Century League co-champions that season, their first title since 1982. They lost to top-seeded Lynwood in the second round of the Southern Section I-AA playoffs.

Prospero was named The Times Orange County coach of the year.

Santa Ana Valley reached the playoffs all three seasons under Prospero. The Falcons were 26-4 and league co-champions again last season. They reached the Division I-AA semifinals, where they lost to La Crescenta Crescenta Valley.

Prospero, 31, was the interim head coach at Chapman College in 1988-89. He had been a Panther assistant three seasons, but took over after Kevin Wilson was fired. He led the Panthers to a 17-12 record.

But Prospero was not given the Panther head coaching job; school officials hired Bob Boyd after the season. Prospero was retained as an assistant, but left after one season to take care of his ailing father.

His father died in 1991.

Prospero played at Tustin and graduated from Chapman in 1987.