Super 5 girls basketball: How coach Jim Perinovic helped earn Classen SAS the respect it deserved

Jim Perinovic remembered the disrespect he felt on the bus ride home from Arizona.

Even after the Classen SAS coach guided the Comets to a runner-up finish in the Nike Tournament of Champions title game in Phoenix, he was still reading disregarding tweets from some Oklahomans.

“After beating five nationally-ranked teams,” Perinovic said, “we didn’t even get 24 hours back and we already had social media talking about, ‘well you’re not even the best team in Oklahoma.’ And so we had a lot of fuel. We had a lot of fire to motivate us and kind of put some respect on what these girls have accomplished.”

Three months later, as nationally-ranked Classen SAS raised its gold ball at State Fair Arena, after recording the largest point-differential in a girls Class 4A title game and putting together one of the best seasons in Oklahoma high school basketball history, Perinovic was happy to finally show Oklahoma how good the Comets were.

Class 4A girls basketball: Classen SAS dominates Tuttle, wins school's first state championship in any sport

Respect is all he’s wanted for his girls. And after three years of coming up short, they finally achieved it. But Perinovic has earned some for himself as well. As a result of Classen SAS’ outstanding season, Perinovic is The Oklahoman’s 2021 Super 5 Coach of the Year.

Perinovic knew Classen SAS was going to have big expectations when he took the job four years ago.

He heard there was a talented class entering the program, led by 2022 McDonald’s All-American Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, and Division I prospects Jordan Harrison and Micah Gray.

“I didn’t know them before I showed up,” Perinovic said. “I went and watched them in July and they were talented as freshmen.”

Perinovic, who's the co-founder of the AAU national basketball team Oklahoma Swarm, saw the talent the girls had. All three started in Classen SAS' first game.

“To start three freshmen from day one right off the bat is pretty special,” Perinovic said.

Perinovic took its freshman class to the state tournament where they fell in the first round of 2019, then COVID-19 canceled the 2020 season. Classen SAS had a late injury in the season that caused them to fall to Fort Gibson in the first round of 2021.

Carlson: Darianna Littlepage-Buggs likes her basketball & music the same way: with oomph. And she brings it

But after falling short last season, Perinovic regrouped the Comets one more time and put together one of the greatest seasons in Oklahoma high school basketball history. Perinovic guided the Comets as they took down five nationally-ranked teams, earned a No. 6 national ranking by ESPN and beat the defending state champion for Classen SAS’ first Class 4A state championship.

The 33-point win was the largest point differential in a girls Class 4A title game, surpassing Carl Albert's 60-33 win over Southeast in 1989. It also matched the number of coaches (33) that voted Tuttle over Classen SAS in the Class 4A rankings.

"You walk the walk but you also have to talk the talk," Littlepage-Buggs said. "But just proving it was a big thing to everyone, even though we knew. But it's just amazing."

Classen SAS finished with a 24-1 record, it’s only loss coming from ESPN nationally ranked Etiwanda in the championship game of the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix.

Amidst its tough schedule, Classen SAS was undefeated against Oklahoma teams from all classes. One of its most important wins came in February when Classen SAS went on the road and took down eventual Class 6A state champion Edmond North, giving the Huskies their only loss of the season.

They earned their respect. It’s something Perinovic doesn’t take lightly. “Respect” is even engraved into each of the Classen SAS state championship rings.

James D. Jackson covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for James? He can be reached at jjackson@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @JamesDJackson15. Support James' work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Super 5 girls basketball: Jim Perinovic helped earn Classen SAS respect