SAN JOSE — Valley Christian boys basketball coach Mark DeLuca, who last season led Berkeley to the Northern California Division I championship, has been released from a hospital after suffering a heart attack this week.

In a Tweet the coach sent out Thursday, DeLuca said, “Leaving Kaiser. The doctors and nurses were incredible. Thank you to everyone who showed love. Off the sidelines for a bit.”

Drew Snelgrove will lead the Valley Christian program while DeLuca is away.

DeLuca, who is in his late 40s, suffered the heart attack Monday night, two days after his team beat Archbishop Riordan to improve to 9-3 overall and 1-1 in the West Catholic Athletic League.

Valley Christian had won just nine of its previous 140 games against WCAL opponents entering this season.

In a letter Valley Christian sent to parents Wednesday, the school said, “As many of you have already heard, our Head Men’s Basketball coach, Mark DeLuca, experienced a heart attack this Monday evening. We are thankful for the quick work of a great friend to get him to the hospital and especially thankful for the doctors, nurses and staff at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center for their care.

“Coach DeLuca has been resting at the hospital since Monday evening and the reports since Monday have been very positive. He was released to go home on Wednesday afternoon. Coach DeLuca is, of course, eager to return to the basketball program but will be following all of his doctor’s instructions regarding next steps and will be taking a leave from his position as he rests and recovers. The amount of time that coach is away will depend on his doctor’s advice and his progress but will not be less than six weeks.

“We are thankful that Drew Snelgrove has agreed to assume the leadership of the program on an interim basis until Coach DeLuca is able to return. Among many other coaching assignments over the years, Coach Snelgrove is the former head men’s coach at Bethany University and Capital Christian High School. He also served for two years as the head women’s coach at Valley Christian.”

In three seasons at Berkeley, DeLuca led the Yellowjackets to a 67-25 record. Before that, he took over a program at De Anza High in Richmond that went 2-21 the season before his arrival. In two years at De Anza, DeLuca went 33-22. He also coached at Pinole Valley, where his teams went 145-94.

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