Sloan New Head Basketball Coach At Central Valley

Former Central Valley multi-sport athlete Rick Sloan was approved this week to be the new Bears basketball coach.

This is the first head-coaching position for Sloan, who has been an assistant in basketball and football at CV since 1989.

Sloan replaces Terry Irwin, who resigned after 13 years.

“It’s not just a job, it’s THE job,” said Sloan. “It’s my alma mater and the place I played.”

Sloan was the only applicant for the job. He was selected after interviewing with faculty, parents and team members.

“When we got done, no one felt we could get a person of better quality,” said activities coordinator Jay Rydell.

Sloan has been a teacher in an alternative Contract Based Education program administered by West Valley School District.

For the past three years, he has been offensive coordinator for the varsity football team, a position in which he intends to continue.

A CV graduate in 1981, the same year as Shadle Park’s Mark Rypien, Sloan was the second most-prolific passer, behind Rypien, in Greater Spokane League history.

As a senior, in basketball, he led the league in scoring and rebounding and had the league’s all-time, fifth-best, single-season averages when he injured a knee at season’s end.

He played college football at San Jose State and University of Idaho. As an Idaho senior, he completed 71 percent of his passes, second-best in NCAA Division I-AA, for a team that qualified for the playoffs.

Sloan spent two years in sales before returning to school to complete his education degree.

“He’s very ready to do this,” said Irwin of his successor. “He’s familiar with what’s been done here and has a creative basketball mind.”

Sloan said he will borrow from what Irwin did, stressing defense and adding to the offense.

“They are big shoes to fill. Terry’s done a great job,” he said. “But I’ve always wanted to get into coaching and teaching.”

Sloan and his wife Nancy have a 2-year-old daughter.

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