EVERETT — After a historic run to the Northwest Athletic Conference championship game this past season, big changes are in store for the Everett Community College men’s basketball team.
After seven successful seasons in charge, Mike Trautman is stepping down as head coach the school announced Tuesday.
“I have decided to step away and give somebody else an opportunity to lead our program,” Trautman said in a story on the school’s website. “The long days and demands this job requires to lead a successful program have taken a toll on me over the past seven years as the head coach, and I just feel this is a great time for me to take a step back and focus on my main career as a teacher in the community.”
After taking over for Hall of Fame coach Larry Walker in the 2016-17 season, Trautman led the Trojans to four North Region titles, the winningest season in program history (26 wins in 2017-2018), a perfect 14-0 North Region record (2018-2019), and amassed an overall record of 142-52, a .732 winning percentage. Trautman won at least 22 games in four of the seven seasons, never had a losing season and was named North Region Coach of the Year in three consecutive seasons from 2018-20.
“Mike’s accomplishments on the floor speak for themselves, but what people don’t see every day is the amount of time and effort he has put into this program for 12 months out of the year for the past 12 years,” Athletic Director Garet Studer said in a statement.” It’s hard to win games in the NWAC, so to come out on top of an always competitive north region four consecutive seasons, and advance all the way to the championship game tells you how good of a basketball coach Mike is.
“What’s even more impressive is the way he’s gone about doing it the right way. Our men’s basketball team routinely had team GPA’s above 3.0, their culture became the standard of the Everett Way, and above all else his teams and assistant coaches were just good people, fun to be around, love the game, and represented Everett Community College in a way that made us all proud.”
In addition to team success, a number of individuals thrived in Trautman’s program moving on to play at the four-year level and gaining postseason accolades. During his tenure, five players were named to the All-North-Region First Team, including Glacier Peak graduate Bobby Martin, who was also the Freshman of the Year and named to the All-North-Region Defensive team, and four players earned All-North-Region Second-Team honors.
“This program has meant so much to me first as a player and 20 years later as a coach,” Trautman added. “I care deeply about the program and I hope the next coach continues to take this program to new heights. Larry Walker built an unbelievable foundation that (assistant coach) Daniel (Thompson), (assistant coach) Nick (Fantini) and I have continued to build, and this program is in a great position to take that next step.
“I want to thank all the student athletes that I have had the pleasure to work with over the past 12 years, along with my coaching staff and college administration. Garet Studer and Sue Snow run a top notch program here at Everett CC across the board, building strong athletic programs and successful student athletes in all facets of the Trojan Nation.”
The search for the 14th coach in the program’s 76-year history will begin immediately, according to the school.
“Mike has meant so much to this program, first as a player, then as an assistant, and finally as a head coach,” Studer said. “It will be difficult to find someone with as much passion for this program as Mike, but I am confident in the foundation that has been built and where the program is now after Mike’s tenure.”
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