After two straight trips to state, Pintler resigns as Edmonds-Woodway’s coach

Published 11:19 pm Thursday, April 10, 2008

Gail Pintler resigned Tuesday as head boys basketball coach at Edmonds-Woodway after leading the Warriors to a seventh-place finish in the state 4A tournament this past season.

Pintler was hired two years ago as an interim coach to replace Rob McMains who stepped down after five seasons. Pintler considered returning for a third season but in the end decided to stick to his original plan to only coach two seasons.

“They need to get the young energetic coach that will continue in the program, not just a couple years,” said Pintler, who is 64. “I think that’s important.”

Pintler also led the Warriors to state in 2007, their first trip since 1998. The team’s seventh-place finish this past season was its best since the school was formed in 1990. The Warriors won the Western Conference South Division for the first time since 1998 with a 14-2 record and finished 21-6 overall.