Girls basketball coach Jim Bartok retires from Vista PEAK with more than 400 wins

Longtime girls basketball coach Jim Bartok is retiring following a highly-successful 27-year career.

Bartok has coached at four different schools, including the final three at Vista PEAK. He also spent three years at Cherokee Trail, seven at Columbine, and 15 at Ponderosa.

In his career, Bartok won 416 games, which are the sixth-most in state history.

When he arrived at Vista PEAK, the Bison’s girls basketball program had never had a winning season. He led them to a school-record 18 wins in 2015-16, and they went 14-10 this season, leading them to the Class 4A state tournament each year.

“In three years at Vista PEAK, the culture of girls basketball has completely changed under Jim’s guidance,” Bison athletic director Mike Hughes said on Saturday. “The program has qualified for the state tournament the last two seasons and secured the school’s first-ever league championship in 2016.

“Jim has won over 400 games in his coaching career and was an excellent leader for our program. His dedication to our kids and his wealth of knowledge is extraordinary. He will be sorely missed.”