Titans Select Ex-Ferris Star Volleyball Coach

Angela Grant Newcomb has been selected as the new volleyball coach for University High School.

“As my husband says, ‘You’re in the big leagues now, kid,”’ said Newcomb, a former Ferris High and Eastern Washington University standout.

For the past four years, Newcomb has coached Lakeside High in Nine Mile Falls.

The Eagles qualified for the Northeast A and Great Northern league playoffs the last three years.

She will be an out-of-building coach while completing her secondary education degree in English.

“We’re absolutely ecstatic,” said U-Hi athletic director Bill Ames. “The players couldn’t keep the smiles off their faces.”

Newcomb lives in the Spokane Valley with her husband Anthony and daughters ages 4 and 11 months. She lives 5 minutes from U-Hi, in contrast to having a 45-minute commute to Lakeside.

A 1989 Ferris graduate, Newcomb played four years at EWU, where she still holds the career record for digs. She currently is employed by Kiemle & Hagood as an account assistant in the residential management department.

“I’m excited just to be back in the GSL,” said Newcomb. “It’s a dream.”

Shuffling in Sandpoint

After one season, Tyler Haynes has resigned as boys basketball coach at Sandpoint High.

Haynes said he resigned because he wasn’t given a full-time teaching job as promised when hired. He served as a long-term substitute this year at Sandpoint Middle School.

Haynes claims three history teaching jobs came open but he was denied a job.

Sandpoint athletic director Jack Dyck said that’s untrue. According to Dyck, one history job at the high school was filled by an in-district transfer to balance staffs districtwide.

The Bulldogs were 6-15 under Haynes and winless (0-8) against North Idaho rivals in the Border League.

Haynes did not return several phone calls this week.

“I’m very disappointed for him,” said Dyck, who held the coaching job for five years before Haynes was hired. “But I understand his position.”

We wanted him to be a teacher on our staff and head coach for a long time. He proved himself at the middle school to be a very qualified teacher. But the teaching job situation was completely out of my hands. I tried to talk him into staying, but this decision is strictly Tyler’s.”

Dyck announced the hiring of head coaches in boys soccer, cross country and wrestling.

Mike Randles, a former assistant under Dan Taylor, is the wrestling coach, replacing Eric Langley, who took over when Taylor resigned last year.

Randy Thoreson, a varsity assistant to Ed Bock, has been named soccer coach.

Mike Flaim, a substitute last year, has been named cross country coach.