E-W needs girls basketball coach

The Edmonds-Woodway High School girls basketball team needs a new head coach.

Following two seasons as Edmonds-Woodway’s interim coach, Wayne Edwards has stepped down. This past season, Edwards guided the Warriors to a 16-4 regular-season record. E-W won a share of the Western Conference South Division title, went 1-2 in the Class 4A District 1 tournament and finished 17-6.

“I had a fabulous time. Working with girls is just a great time – great athletes,” Edwards said. “It was certainly a pleasure to work with those girls and it’s a great school.”

A late-season cluster of sickness and injuries ultimately derailed E-W, said Edwards, whose team was at times ranked among the 4A top 10.

Shortly before the 2007-08 season began, Edwards took the E-W head coaching position on an interim basis, with the understanding he would guide the program for one season. Edwards stepped in after a different coach who was offered the job backed out at the last minute because of family reasons, Edmonds-Woodway athletic director Julie Stroncek said.

Edwards returned for a second and final season when asked by Stroncek. The district hopes to hire a new coach by mid-May, said Stroncek.

“Wayne was a blessing to have, really,” she said. “I cannot say enough about him.” Edwards is a class act who always makes time for others and finds something positive to say about everyone, Stroncek added.

Looking ahead to next winter, Edwards said he is excited to have more time to watch his grandsons play basketball for Edmonds-Woodway and Everett. As for the E-W girls, Edwards predicts more success. “They’ve got a great team coming back,” he said. “Whoever they get as a coach, they are going to have a great team intact to make a run at the end of the season.”

The Warriors are expected to return important contributors like Angela Woods (a sophomore forward who earned All-Wesco South first team recognition), sophomore point guard Alex Kenney and sophomore post Sydney Donaldson (all-league honorable mention).