Ron VlasinOne of the state’s top basketball coaches, Ron Vlasin built some of Colorado’s top hoops programs over his 30 years as coach, including 5 teams that went unbeaten. Vlasin coached Merino basketball for 12 years, Littleton for nine years and Arapahoe for nine years, before heading to the University of Northern Colorado and its women’s basketball program.
He also coached football for two years (Merino) and baseball for six years (Arapahoe).
His basketball teams were 546-165 over 30 years, while his AHS baseball program went 96-23 in his six seasons. In all, Vlasin coached 19 teams to Final 4 appearances: 16 in basketball, two in football and one in baseball.
His teams won nine state basketball titles, including five straight at Merino, and finished second four times. His MHS football team had two state runners-up finishes.
Vlasin’s basketball teams held several lengthy winning streaks over the years, including streaks of 57, 46 and 40 at Merino.
He was a nine-time Colorado Coach of the Year, including seven at Merino and twice at the AAAA level.
His programs produced many all-state and collegiate players, including the late Brooks Thompson, an NBA 1994 first round draft pick.
He is a member of CHSCA Hall of Fame (2010) and the National High School Coaches Hall of Fame (2014). He held several offices in the CHSCA during his career. He coached the 1976 and 1986 CHSCA All-State Games and the 2001 All-Star game “The Show” at the Pepsi Center.
Many of his players went on to play in college, including Ken Shaw who set numerous Colorado prep scoring marks and now coaches at Regis Jesuit. Legend’s Kevin Boley and ThunderRidge’s Joe Ortiz both are products of Vlasin’s teams.
A graduate of UNC, Vlasin was a basketball and baseball letter winner at the school and went on to play a short stint in professional baseball before taking the Merino teaching and coaching position.
