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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

State 2B girls: Corey Baerlocher continues the tradition at Colfax

Corey Baerlocher is 304-65 as girls coach at Colfax.

The Colfax girls basketball program has enjoyed the most success in its rich history under coach Corey Baerlocher.

Ask him how he’s been able to add to the history in his 13 years as head coach and he steadfastly takes no credit.

And you’ll never hear him refer to it as his program.

“There was a tradition here before I got here,” Baerlocher said. “When I got here I had a manager go through the school annuals and list the history of the program, the teams that had gone to state. I keep that list in my coaching bag to this day. It keeps me grounded, because this isn’t about me. It never has been and never will be. The program belongs to the community.”

Baerlocher arrived a year after Colfax captured its first state title. Under his watch, the Bulldogs won four straight titles in one stretch and seven in 12 years including a title last year.

Colfax (23-3) is very much in the State 2B title conversation this week.

Before Colfax

Baerlocher played basketball and went to school at Prairie in tiny Cottonwood, Idaho. He played basketball for his dad.

“If you talk to my father I was coaching at an early age,” Baerlocher said. “He’d call a timeout and I would interject what I thought we should be doing. I don’t recall that, but that’s the way he says it happened.”

His first coaching job, which included being a junior varsity girls basketball coach, took him to Mountain Home, Idaho – south of Boise.

He moved on to Kellogg where he coached JV girls basketball for two years. He applied for the Lewiston’s girls job but didn’t get an interview.

After Colfax won the state title in 2001-02, coach Ross Thomas resigned. Baerlocher, whose wife is a Colfax graduate, applied for the job.

“I went home and I had a voice message on my phone,” he said. “They were offering me an interview. I must have listened to it 10 times and I was jumping up and down to get an interview.”

He interviewed with the athletic director, two fathers of players – one of whom would later become an assistant – and two returning players.

“I didn’t know who I should try to impress – the parents, the players or the AD,” Baerlocher said.

One of the players on the committee later told him what impressed her.

“She said that they could tell I was passionate and talking straight,” Baerlocher said.

Colfax had success that season, but there were difficulties. After all, Baerlocher was the new coach taking over a team that was defending state champ.

Some questioned his coaching strategy. He called a mentor and asked for advice.

“He told me if I conform to others, I’d probably get run out town,” Baerlocher said. “He said if I do it my way, I might get run out of town.”

So Baerlocher decided to stay with his instincts.

Fast forward to this week and the record speaks for itself. Colfax is 304-65 under Baerlocher.

Vested interest

Baerlocher, 43, has three children. His oldest, a son, is a freshman at Colfax. His middle child, a boy, is in seventh grade. His youngest, a daughter, is in fifth grade.

He and his wife and daughter drove over to Renton on Sunday for the state draw. They got back in Colfax just in time for Hannah’s AAU practice.

Baerlocher doesn’t know if he’ll coach long enough to coach his daughter.

He’s an admitted hoopaholic. Four years ago he started an offseason club program that features an elite team of area small-school players and a team representing Colfax.

He bought two vans out of his own money so he could cut down on costs for his players to go to tournaments in California. Last year, he spent $4,500 of his money to make sure all of the players could afford to play.

When former players bring their kids to the gym to watch practice, it reminds Baerlocher how much he’s sacrificed by being the head coach. He’s lost out on some family time of his own.

Another run?

Colfax had gone through a title drought when the Bulldogs returned to the top of the heap last year.

“Last year was arguably my most enjoyable (title),” Baerlocher said. “I burned the candle at both ends for a long time. I slowed down a little bit. Practices were different. I’ve missed out on a lot of opportunities with my own kids by being in the gym as much as I’ve been.”

So Baerlocher had a midcareer refocus. Not a midlife crisis but a refinement of priorities.

That doesn’t make him any less passionate about what he does.

“This year’s team, including the two seniors on last year’s team, taught me to sit back a little bit and enjoy it more,” Baerlocher said. “I soaked it in and enjoyed the moment. It was a different feeling. It was a better feeling because I truly enjoyed it more. It was more meaningful.”

Baerlocher can’t put a timetable on how much longer he’ll coach.

“I don’t know. I love the game,” he said. “As long as the kids want to work hard, as long as there’s a shared passion, I’m going to keep going. I remember right after the season last year I was already excited about this season.”

Baerlocher works by a simple motto: sustained excellence.

“I guess if my handprint is on the program, it would be my passion,” he said. “I will never ask anybody to do something that I’m not willing to do.”