Rachel Matakas has been coaching in the State of Arizona for 20 years. She is currently coaching at Valley Vista High School where her current record is 326-106 for an 87% winning average. Coach Matakas’s teams have had the opportunity to attend the state playoffs the last 13 out of 15 years. Her teams have gone on to win five state titles in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022, as well as seven Region Championships. Coach Matakas was named Arizona Coach of the Year in 2021; Conference Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2020; Region Coach of the Year in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021; NHS/ACA Region 8 Coach of the Year in 2018, West Valley Coach of the Year in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021. Coach Matakas had the honor of coaching the West Team All-Star Team on two different occasions in 2014 and 2017. Coach Matakas has high expectations of her teams on the court and in the classroom where her teams have earned AIA-All Academic Team Banners by maintaining a 3.5 or higher GPA on several occasions. Coach Matakas began her coaching career at Peoria High School where she coached freshmen, Junior Varsity and ultimately the Head coach for five years. Matakas coached a total of nine years at Peoria and built a State qualifying program. In addition to building championship programs, Coach Matakas has kept herself busy in the basketball arena by being part of the Arizona Basketball Coaches Association. For the last several years she has served on the Executive Board and on the AIA SAC Basketball Committee. While Coach Matakas is most known for her outstanding basketball expertise, she has coached cross-country and track during her coaching career as well. Coach Matakas was inducted into the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in July of 2023 in Lincoln, Nebraska.