Poffenroth, Giles among four finalists to be CdA girls coach

A Coeur d’Alene High School search committee today will interview four candidates to fill the school’s head girls basketball post, athletic director Larry Schwenke announced Monday.

Headlining that list is longtime Central Valley girls coach Dale Poffenroth, a finalist for the just-filled women’s basketball coaching position at North Idaho College.

Schwenke said the committee will interview Poffenroth; in-house candidate Russ Giles; Kevin Sheffler, a coach most recently in Alaska; and former Kellogg girls head coach Wayne Pfeifer. Schwenke said the finalists were picked from a pool of 15 applicants.

Poffenroth has guided CV to three state titles and two runner-up finishes in 17 years as head coach. He has a career record of 384-103. His teams qualified for 13 state tournaments. CV had a 69-game Greater Spokane League winning streak snapped in January.

Giles has spent seven years as a junior varsity assistant under Bill Pratt and most recently under Keri Jaworski, who resigned after three seasons.

Pfeifer has 15 years head coaching experience. He was the head girls coach in Center, N.D., for seven years and was the boys head coach for three years at the same school. Most recently, he was the head girls coach at Kellogg (1991-95). He still teaches at Kellogg.

Sheffler has been a head girls coach the past two years in Barrow, Alaska. He coached one year at Salmon River in Riggins, Idaho, and was the head softball coach from 1991-2000 at Garfield-Palouse.

Pratt, who coached CdA to a state title in 1999-2000, said he considered coming out of retirement before deciding not to apply.

Schwenke hopes to recommend the next coach to the school board by week’s end.

“We have a mix of experience, and that was one of the things the screening committee looked at,” Schwenke said. “We’re excited to get the wheels moving. We want to make a selection as soon as possible because there are a lot of summer commitments. We want to get the coaching staff set prior to the end of school.”

Ferris basketball coach fired

After three years as head basketball coach at Ferris High School, Don Van Lierop will not have his coaching contract renewed. School District 81 personnel were tight-lipped as to the reason why.

“We’re taking the basketball program in another direction,” said district spokesman Terren Roloff.

Ferris school officials were unavailable for comment and a school secretary said that all inquiries were to go to Roloff.

Repeated attempts to reach Van Lierop and activities coordinator Ken Russell were unsuccessful.

East Valley hires boys coach

It was not long ago that Steve Henderson was playing for one of the most successful teams in East Valley school basketball history.

Beginning June 1 the 23-year-old will be head coach at his alma mater.

Henderson was selected to replace Drew Vanderpool, who coached him as a senior and recommended him as replacement after Vanderpool resigned following the 2004 season.