George Haas taught his team how to win on the court and in life. Haas began his career as assistant to fellow Hall of Famer Jim Rebholz. His JV teams won 11 championships in his 14 years as coach. As head basketball coach, he worked to instill in his players the importance of sportsmanship, hard work, discipline, and teamwork. In preparing his players for life, he helped them achieve great success. Under Haas’ guidance, Tosa East was conference champions 12 of the 14 years he served as head coach, won 11 regional titles and two sectional titles, made two appearances in the state tournament semifinals, and had an incredible record of 270 wins and 50 losses. Haas coached many players who went on to play college basketball and two, Tony Smith and Devin Harris, went on to long careers in the NBA. He was honored as Community Magazine’s Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1997 and as State Coach of the Year in 2002. He was also chosen as the Greater Metro Coach of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005 and as WBCA’s All-Star Assistant Coach in 1996 and Head Coach in 2000. For his achievements and contributions, Haas was inducted into the WBCA Hall of Fame in 2008.
