Ken Shaw’s run at is done, but his storied coaching career might not be.
The school announced the end of Shaw’s 19-year tenure as the Raiders’ boys basketball coach on Friday. But Shaw, who has won 873 games over 52 seasons coaching in Colorado, is leaving the door open on a return to the sidelines.
“I still enjoy the game and maybe even think that I’ve got a year or two left, which is kind of ridiculous when you’ve already coached for 52 years,” Shaw said. “To be perfectly honest, some of (my stepping down) was that Regis wanted to move on.
“And I get that. I mean, holy smokes, you can’t do it forever. And in my visiting with the AD and the principal, we thought it was maybe just a good time. It was a mutual parting of the ways, to put it tactfully.”
Regis Jesuit went 15-10 this year and lost in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs to Ralston Valley. Shaw called it a “frustrating year” considering the Raiders had some high-end talent. That included 6-foot-8 senior forward and CSU signee Eric Fiedler, who finished as the program’s all-time leading scorer.
Over Shaw’s 19 years at Regis Jesuit, the Raiders were a perennial playoff contender. They won three consecutive Class 5A championships from 2009-11, giving Shaw five state titles in his career to go along with an undefeated AA team at Yuma in 1981 and an undefeated 3A team at Sterling in ’84.
Shaw’s win total ranks third , three wins behind Denver Christian’s Dick Katte and also trailing the all-time leader Manual/Denver East’s Rudy Carey’s 929 victories. Shaw, who was awarded the John Wooden Legacy Award from the National High School Basketball Coaches Association in 2021, began his career as an assistant coach at Merino in 1974 under another Hall of Fame coach, Ron Vlasin, whom Shaw played for at the school on undefeated title teams in ’69 and ’70.
Over 52 seasons, Shaw’s coached 62 college players, 40 all-state players and six players of the year.
“Coach Shaw’s impact on Regis Jesuit and on Colorado high school basketball overall is nothing short of remarkable,” Regis Jesuit athletic director Ryan West said in a statement. “His commitment to excellence, his love for the game and his genuine care for developing well-rounded young men have shaped generations of student-athletes both on and off the court.”
The 74-year-old’s head coaching stops included Yuma, Sterling, Rocky Mountain, Smoky Hill and most recently Regis Jesuit. He is one of many notable names stemming from Vlasin’s coaching tree that is also highlighted by longtime ThunderRidge boys boss Joe Ortiz. In total, he’s made a dozen Final Fours, 31 Great 8s and won 25 league titles.
Shaw says “it’d have to be an ideal situation for me” to return to coaching in 2026-27.
“If the right opportunity presents itself, I would certainly give it some consideration,” Shaw said.
Regis Jesuit says it will now begin a nationwide search for its next head coach.
