East Hampton - Legendary East Hampton basketball coach Ed Petrie had won a state title in 1989 and led the Bonackers to back-to-back appearances in the state final four. The second wave of stars from those squads graduated last month. On top of that, 50 years at the helm - 10 at Pierson and the last 40 in East Hampton - just seemed like a nice round number.

Ed Petrie of East Hampton has indicated he plans on returning to the bench but won't definitively commit until September.

This week, Petrie at least temporarily ended speculation that he would step down following a second straight county and Long Island championship, stating that he's verbally committed to coming back for a 51st season.

"As of right now, I'm coming back," Petrie said.

Petrie made his intentions known last month when East Hampton Athletic Director Joe Vasile-Cozzo inquired about his plans for the upcoming school year. Vasile-Cozzo indicated that the longtime coach signed a "letter of intent" to coach the 2009-2010 season. Even though he indicated that he's leaning toward returning to the bench, the 77-year-old will wait until September, as he customarily does, to officially commit.

The East Hampton boys have been under Petrie's guidance since the beginning of the Nixon administration. He has coached his sons (Mike and Ed) as well as his grandson (Mikey). Petrie amassed 745 victories during his tenure, including 23 apiece in the last two seasons. Last year, the trio of Jerome Russell, Hayden Ward and Jarred Bowe lifted Bonac to the Class A, overall county and Long Island championships, beating Harborfields, North Babylon and Roslyn, respectively. Four of the Bonackers' five starters - Sam Hyman joining the aforementioned three - bid adieu to the maroon and silver with a loss to Peekskill in the state semifinals, leaving East Hampton with an inexperienced group of players for this winter.

Ed Petrie guided the Bonackers to back-to-back county and Long Island championships and, as a result, consecutive trips to the state final four.

Vasile-Cozzo stated that he's excited about the prospect of Petrie returning to East Hampton.

"I think he's tremendous for the basketball program, a great leader for the program, and a tremendous teacher of the game," Vasile-Cozzo said. "It's really a pleasure working with him."