Darrell Olson is no longer the head coach of the Everett High School boys basketball team.
Olson, 50, had coached the team for six years and spent 23 seasons with the program but his contract was not renewed. Everett had a 9-11 overall record during the 2004-05 season and finished sixth in the Western Conference South Division.
“We just decided we’re going to try to take the program in a different direction,” Everett School District Athletic Director Robert Polk said Monday.
The job opening has been posted and will be closed on May 4. A new coach will hopefully be hired by mid May, Polk said.
Following a surprising 6-2 start, including a season-opening comeback victory over eventual playoff team Cascade, Everett lost six straight games and nine of its last 12. Still, Olson guided the Seagulls to a better finish than coaches had predicted during preseason polls.
“I was very proud of this (2004-05) group,” said Olson, who was notified of the decision March 17. “With the exception of probably two games, we were in every game. This crew was just awesome. The senior leadership was just (great).”
Asked to pinpoint his favorite moments as Everett’s coach, Olson said, “Every season is a highlight. Sometimes you lost more than you won, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort by the kids.”
In Olson’s first season, 2000, Everett placed seventh at the Class 3A state tournament.
Olson will continue to coach the boys golf team and teach physical education at Everett High. Asked if he might eventually pursue another basketball coaching job, Olson said he needs time to let recent events sink in.
“At this point, my family and I are having a very hard time processing this,” he said. “We’re just trying to get a grip on everything.”
Olson said the decision caught him off guard.
“I was very surprised,” he said. “I’m very proud of my program, and I’m proud of our assistant coaches. We taught our players sportsmanship and to respect the game, to honor the traditions of Everett High basketball … and we treated all of our players with respect.”
Monroe has new football coach: Steve Hannan has been named the new head football coach at Monroe High. It’s the first head coaching job for Hannan, who had been an assistant with the team for four years.
“(Hannan) has lots of experience as an assistant and a lot of enthusiasm for kids,” Monroe High athletic director Matt Ishler said. “We’re excited.”
Hannan, 36, who was an assistant at Sammamish for six seasons, replaces former Monroe coach Andy Haynie, who resigned in January after three seasons. Monroe was 1-9 last season, losing five games by eight or fewer points. Hannan, who teaches at Monroe Middle School, accepted the job on March 28 and will be involved in hiring assistants in the coming weeks.
Hannan said he is excited about the talented players returning and praised Haynie for creating momentum. “(Haynie) did a fantastic job building the foundation,” Hannan said.
Besides a new coach, the Bearcats will also have a new field. Ishler said construction on the school’s stadium begins later this month. Funding for the turf field was approved in the spring of 2003, according to Ishler. Monroe’s football and soccer teams will use the field, which will have around 1,500 covered seats and 500 uncovered seats for visiting fans.
“We’re all excited,” Ishler said. “It will be nice to have a stadium that will be fit to play on regardless of the weather.”
The field will be near the school, a much more convenient location than the previous site: a grass surface in downtown Monroe. The old site had poor drainage and often became a mud pit in the fall, Ishler said.
No wild spring break for Hooks: Cascade High track and field athlete Whitney Hooks, who hopes to win Class 4A state titles in the shot put and the discus this spring, said last week she planned to get down to business during spring break. Hooks will tackle a mountain of college recruiting letters that has grown steadily. “I’ve really been procrastinating.” Hooks said. A junior, Hooks was recently invited to tour Texas Tech and is one of the area’s most sought-after prep athletes. And college is just one step in Hooks’ dream. She also has Olympic aspirations. “I’ve got to keep working hard every day,” Hooks said. “I have such high hopes that…it feels like I have so much further to go. It can get frustrating sometimes but I’m gonna get there eventually. I know I will.”
Injury keeps Stanwood’s Kloke off track: Stanwood sophomore Rachele Kloke will miss the track and field season due to a foot injury she suffered late in the basketball season. Stanwood girls basketball coach Dennis Kloke, Rachele’s father, said his daughter has inflamed bursa sacs in both heels and strained arches. Kloke, who qualified for the Class 4A state meet in the long jump last year, will join Stanwood’s girls golf team and return to track next season.
Volleyball clinic April 22-24 at Kamiak High: The Mukilteo branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Snohomish County is offering volleyball clinics for players and coaches April 22-24 at Kamiak High School. The cost is $50. Coaches meet from 6:30-9:30 p.m. April 22 and players in grades 3-6 meet from 9-11:30 a.m. April 23-24. Guests include three-time Olympic coach Bill Neville and Diane Flick, the coach at Western Washington University. Participating coaches can earn up to 10 Washington Interscholastic Activities Association clock hours for an additional cost of $2 per hour. For registration details and more information call Greg Garka at 425-355-2773.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
