Ex-Lc Hoops Coach In Wv Program

Glenn Williams just couldn’t keep away from coaching high school basketball.

Williams, who teaches English at Lewis and Clark High School, lost his job as LC’s boys varsity coach at the end of last season. This year he joined the West Valley program as coach of the boys C-squad for varsity coach and activities director Joe Feist.

The new assignment comes less than a year after Williams guided the LC Tigers to their first state appearance in 20 years.

“I love the camaraderie, leading the kids,” Williams says. “I think the joy you get out of it is the same, regardless of the level. It’s fun to give kids a vision of what they still can be.”

Williams’ enthusiasm for the game is infectious. A 1976 Pullman High graduate, he played four seasons at Whitworth College, where he also developed an affection for the English language and teaching.

Williams has taught at LC since 1982. He was honored Jan. 22 as one of Spokane School District 81’s Distinguished Teachers for the second quarter.

Last year, LC administrators said they wanted to take the basketball program in a new direction, under new leadership, when they did not renew Williams’ coaching contract. He had been head coach for nine seasons.

Losing the LC coaching job, Williams says, was like losing one of his two great loves.

“I didn’t want to quit coaching,” he says. “I envision myself as a teacher and as a coach.”

Williams and West Valley’s Feist are longtime friends, and their children played for the same AAU basketball team. Last summer, after Feist learned he would have an opening on his staff for coaching the C-squad, which is nearly all sophomores, he quickly asked Williams if he wanted the job.

“Glenn is an excellent coach and an outstanding person,” Feist said. “It’s a win-win situation.

“We get a great coach, and he got to stay involved in the game.”

Not only does Williams coach the C-squad, but he sits next to Feist during varsity games. West Valley is currently in third place in the Frontier League and is contending for a state playoff berth.

Williams admits that he occasionally thinks about head coaching opportunities, but he also welcomes spending extra time with his sons, ages 12 and 13. Still, he won’t rule anything out.

Feist adds: “I’d obviously rather coach with him. But with Glenn’s talents, I’ve got a feeling I may be coaching against him again some day.”