A legend in Toronto high school basketball, a beloved players’ coach, and a father figure to many, the late John Petrushchak was posthumously inducted into the Ontario Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this summer.
The former Runnymede Collegiate coach and longtime Phys. Ed. department head, known affectionately as “Coach P,” died in 2020 at the age of 83. He left behind a legacy — including 11 OFSAA titles — that many credit with establishing one of the first high school basketball dynasties in Toronto during the 1980s.
The ceremony, held in Oshawa last month, recognized inductees from multiple years — 2020, 2022 and 2024 — as the Ontario Basketball Association made up for delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coach P’s daughter, Debbie Petrushchak, 56, accepted the award on behalf of her father. She was joined by her three sisters — Lisa, 58, Kristi, 55, and Suzie, 52 — at a ceremony that also honoured former NBA player and Eastern Commerce standout Jamal Magloire, among other contributors to the game in Ontario.
Speaking to The Star before the event, Debbie reflected on her father’s legacy, joking that while he may not have had a son, he certainly had plenty of them in spirit.
One of those “sons,” Darren Thomas, attended the ceremony and remembered Coach P as a mentor who had a big impact on his life. A former point guard who helped lead Runnymede to three consecutive OFSAA medals in the 1980s — a silver and two golds — Thomas went on to play at Simon Fraser University and the University of Guelph. He is now a broadcaster and fellow OBA Hall of Famer.
“Coach P seemed to connect with certain guys and he would treat them like sons,” said Thomas. “Some of us had it tough financially.” He recalled Coach P regularly giving players a week’s worth of TTC tickets to ensure they made it to and from school.
Thomas also remembered how Coach P installed a vending machine at Runnymede more than 40 years ago — stocked and managed by players and staff — to help subsidize team trips. “He’s definitely been instrumental in shaping my life, that’s for sure.”
Thomas arrived at Runnymede as a senior transfer from Vaughan Road Collegiate. More of a hockey player than basketball prospect, he didn’t expect to make the team.
“He believed in me, even at five-foot-seven, even when I didn’t believe in myself. Once I started believing in myself, things really started to snowball.”
Thomas eventually went on to further hoops success at Simon Fraser University and the University of Guelph.
Coach P’s Runnymede teams were known for their “stifling full-court press and lightning-quick, fast-break offence,” recalled Paul Melnik, who first served as team manager before becoming Petrushchak’s assistant coach for more than a decade. Melnik now heads the prep basketball program at Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School. Melnik essentially adopted Coach P’s ‘blueprint’ in building FHC Basketball. To date, the program has helped broker U.S. scholarships for approximately fifty players.
Coach P’s coaching achievements still hold up today, he said. “What is impressive about him dominating the ‘80s is that there was a lot of parity at the time.
“There were several other programs at the time that were equally talented, but Runnymede was the most dominant from 1984 to 1990. The difference was the coaching,” he said.
“Without Coach P there would be no Coach Melnik.”
Melnik lost his father at 15, just before starting Grade 11. It was a turning point.
“Like many of us, I lost my father, and I needed support and guidance,” said Melnik. “Coach P assumed that role… and he accepted me in the boys’ athletic association where I became manager of the senior team.”
Wayne “The Fridge” Robertson, another former Redmen all-star and New Hampshire College Hall of Famer, recalled visiting Coach P in the hospital during his final days.
“A lot of us come from homes with no dads; he was the closest to a dad that I had. That’s the truth,” said Robertson.
In her induction speech, Debbie Petrushchak spoke about her father’s lasting influence on young people, describing him as a steady presence during difficult times. She thanked him for the friendships and community that grew through his decades of coaching — many of which have continued long after his passing.
“Thank you all,” speaking to the audience, “on behalf of my dad, the winningest high school basketball coach in Canadian history.”
