Oswald Returns As Cheney Coach

Somebody in, somebody out and somebody on the way back.

That’s a quick way to sum up a flurry of area coaching activity as Cheney and Shadle Park filled positions and Mead had one open up.

Tom Oswald, who retired as Cheney’s football coach in November, is replacing himself.

Chad Dezellem, an assistant girls basketball coach at Shadle Park the last seven years, is replacing Linda Sheridan, coach of the Highlanders for 23 seasons.

Jim Preston, who has coached boys basketball in the Greater Spokane League for 15 years, is resigning after 12 years at Mead to pursue an administrative job.

Back without leaving

Even though Oswald is a “new” coach in the 90s, he’s not going to get carried away. Oswald, who stepped down after 20 seasons last fall, was selected as his own replacement.

“Probably the best line came from my wife,” Oswald said. “She looked at me, laughed and said, ‘Maybe you should go get your ear pierced.’ It’s not going to happen.”

He is, however, going to return to the sidelines for a 23rd year, 21 at his alma mater.

“I guess I was retired long enough,” Oswald said. “I probably should have taken longer. You’ve always got to let the dust clear.”

Cheney athletic director Joe Richer said, “We’re real happy to have him back… . It’s hard to turn the best coach in the state down.”

Oswald’s Blackhawks won their seventh Frontier League title last fall but lost in the first round of the State 3A playoffs. His record at Cheney is 131-55-7 with nine playoff appearances and two trips to the championship game.

Dream realized too soon

Dezellem has the job he wants, he just didn’t want it so soon.

Dezellem replaces Sheridan, who coached the Highlanders 23 of the last 24 years and won 366 games, six Greater Spokane League championships and state titles in 1988 and 1989.

“That’s exactly my thoughts, some big shoes to fill,” said Dezellem. “I’ve enjoyed working in the program so long under Linda. I’ve learned so much from Linda.”

Sheridan, who is also Shadle Park’s volleyball coach, announced her resignation before the end of the basketball season, citing health reasons. She plans to coach volleyball one more season.

Dezellem has been at Shadle Park since 1990, when he was student teaching before graduating from Washington State. He was North Central’s junior varsity boys coach as a student teacher and joined Sheridan’s staff the next year.

Dezellem played on State B championship teams at Brewster in 1984 and ‘85. He played football and ran track for Community Colleges of Spokane before going to WSU on a football scholarship.

The time was right

Preston wasn’t really ready to give up coaching but since the time had come, things couldn’t have worked out better.

“I’ve left coaching for my reasons, not somebody else’s,” Preston said. “I’ve had a lot of great, enjoyable times here. That’s the good thing about getting out on your terms, you always remember the good things.”

Preston resigned because he has begun taking classes to earn his administrative credentials. Next year, he will do an administrative internship.

“It’s a situation where I’m not getting any younger,” Preston, 44, said. “If I’m going to make that move, I had to do it sometime. For me, it wouldn’t be possible to coach, take the classes and fulfill my responsibilities with my family. There’s no way I would neglect my family. Often times in basketball, you feel you are (neglecting family) anyway.”

The Prestons have a daughter who will turn 6 years old next month and a son who will be 2 next month.

In 12 years at Mead, Preston’s teams won two league titles and finished in the top three eight times, including the last five years.

His record with the Panthers is 164-124. They placed at state twice - eighth in 1988 and seventh in 1989. Prior to that, he spent three years at Rogers, going 18-24.

He plans to continue to play rec basketball and run the summer league at Mead. He also stepped in as the Panthers girls golf coach.

A native of California, Preston moved to Spokane after one year as an assistant and one year as a head coach in California. He has been in coaching 22 years.