Paul George's High School Basketball Coach Retires After 20 Years, 500 Wins

Tom Hegre says he's retiring from being a teacher, athletic director and coach at Pete Knight where he coached Paul George many moons ago.

Palmdale Pete Knight coach Tom Hegre announced his retirement after the 2025-26 season and 20 years at the helm. / Kyusung Gong

Basketball in the high desert won't be the same without Tom Hegre.

Hegre told High School On SI that he's officially retiring after 30 years of coaching varsity high school basketball, including the last 20 years at Pete Knight High in Palmdale.

"It’s been a great ride," Hegre said. "I’ve never had any regrets. Knight has been a very special place to me. The parents and community have always been supportive of our program and I’ll always have great memories."

Hegre has notched more than 500 career wins with an overall record of 515-274 after the Hawks lost in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs to Aquinas Wednesday night.

He's most notably known for coaching current NBA superstar Paul George when he was a high schooler. When George was a senior, he helped the Hawks reach the Division 2AA final in 2008, but fell to Rancho Verde 62-51 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Paul George was an All-CIF player at Pete Knight his senior year of the 2007-08 season. / Dave Mills

"I've always felt that we did it the right way at Knight. Our philosophy was always to develop young men on and off the court and get everything we can from our players," Hegre said.

George averaged 23.2 points per game that season and earned All-CIF honors before going on to star at Fresno State and blossoming into a NBA lottery selection in 2010 and eventual 9-time All-Star.

HEGRE LEAVES A LEGACY

Under Hegre, Knight went to three CIF finals in 2008, 2018 and 2025. Hegre broke through last season when he won the CIF Southern Section Division 3AA title with a 64-43 win over Sage Hill at Edison High.

The Hawks won another Golden League title this season, making the program's sixth straight while keeping a 50-game winning streak in league play intact. That's something the next coach will have to deal with next season.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR HEGRE?

Hegre grew up in Minnesota and says he's moving back in the spring. Maybe there are more basketball games to win out there.

"I can't gaurantee I'm done coaching," he said.

Hegre was a teacher and the athletic director at Knight. Now, he intends to spend a lot of time on the lakes with his family

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