James Paleno Steps Down as Basketball Coach at Palisades High after 22 Years

James Paleno resigned as head coach of the Palisades High boys basketball team, citing a lack of administrative support. Paleno was one of only two head coaches in school history, taking over for Jerry Marvin in 1991 and coaching for 22 seasons.
After a highly successful run that included a 416-172 record and three Western League titles, Paleno, who will remain at PaliHi as a special education teacher and as the golf coach, said that his decision was not a spur-of-the-moment one.
“It’s something that’s been brewing for a while,” Paleno told the Palisadian-Post. “It’s a compilation of what I perceive is a lack of administrative support and disgust at the way they treat people around here. It’s not the same place I used to work. It’s not just any one thing, either.”
Paleno cited the fact that none of his assistants had any interest in taking over as head coach, and alluded to the number of coaches at Palisades High who have resigned this past year, including Perry Jones (football), Ray Marsden (softball) and Randy Stoklos (boys volleyball).
Whatever the reasons, the boys basketball team, which is already losing eight seniors to graduation, will now have another major hole to fill with the departure of Paleno, who began his career at PaliHi at a special education assistant in 1981 before joining Marvin’s staff as an assistant coach in 1983. He remained a part of the Dolphins’ staff for all but one season, joining Santa Monica College for the 1989-90 season while still teaching at PaliHi.
“We’re disappointed to lose James,” assistant principal Russ Howard told the Post. “He’s an icon and a stalwart as a coach and whenever he’s in charge we’re always able to count on things being run properly, but there have been a lot of changes and different administrations and change isn’t always smooth.”
This past season, Paleno’s team finished third in the tough Western League and lost its City semifinal game to Westchester, but still advanced to the State playoffs. The Dolphins upset Mission Viejo on the road before falling to Santa Monica, an eventual finalist.
The program’s success reflected a highly successful year for the school’s athletics, as seven teams spanning six sports won City Section championships.
Meanwhile, Paleno’s other pursuit, the golf team, capped off an undefeated season with a City Section title by edging Granada Hills, 388-410, but fell to seventh out of 12 teams at the regional tournament as the Dolphins shot a 403. Senior Kornelijus Baliukonis was the team’s top shooter with a 2-over 74, missing the cut for State finals by two strokes.