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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

I might be wrong, but what the heck

Greg Lee The Spokesman-Review

From time to time, I’m going to offer something I call “I may be wrong, but …”

So here we go.

“The next Idaho High School Activities Association executive director will be Post Falls High principal John Billetz.

Billetz will be hired to replace retiring IHSAA chief Bill Young despite the fact that the other finalists – Middleton athletic director Gerry Nutt and Bob Ranells, superintendent of the Grand Coulee (Wash.) School District – have far-reaching roots in District III (Boise and the surrounding area). The IHSAA headquarters is in District III.

I say that despite the fact the last time the director’s position opened up in 1988, retiring IHSAA chief Bill Young and Jim Wilund were the finalists. Young’s roots were in District III while Wilund, the principal at Lewiston High, was a Region I native.

Billetz, 54, who has experience in two of the three regions that comprise the state, and Nutt, 52, are current board members. Ranells, 57, a Mountain Home native, has been a superintendent in eastern and southern Idaho. Before climbing to the top of the administrative ladder, Ranells was principal at Nampa for 13 years.

Sources in the Boise area tell me that Nutt isn’t embraced by all the District III administrators. That might explain why Ranells, with his District III background, is a finalist. If neither Billetz nor Nutt impresses during their interviews, then the board would have an insurance policy in Ranells, who has the most administrative experience.

Just a hunch.

“Lake City football coach Van Troxel will not be the next coach at Ferris.

Sources tell me that Ferris is definitely interested in Troxel, but the LC coach said he doesn’t plan to apply. He said he would be open to talking with Ferris officials if they contact him.

The Ferris job is attractive. The school is building a new weight room/conditioning facility that will be comparable to the new digs at Central Valley and University.

A move to Ferris would be a significant salary increase for Troxel. But I don’t think he has much interest in coaching in the Greater Spokane League. If he’s going to make a final move in his career, it would be for a job in the Big Nine Conference, where his late father, Ed, coached (Kennewick) and where his youngest brother, Andy, is currently coaching (Southridge, located in Kennewick).

I didn’t ask him, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Troxel applies for the job at the second school in the works in Pasco. The new school is expected to be built before the end of the decade. Troxel has experience building programs from the ground up (see LC), and it would be a door into the Big Nine.

For now, Troxel is staying put. He has the makings of his best team in school history next fall.

“I really like what we’ve got going in our program,” Troxel said.

“The Lewiston boys basketball team will lose at least one Inland Empire League game this season.

This could be the best team coach Dave Cornelia has had in Lewiston. In fact, I see the Bengals (4-0) among the top three in the state by season’s end, if not winning a state title. Hey, they’ve been to state four straight years under Cornelia so they’ve seen firsthand what it will take to capture gold.

But back to the league loss. I have a specific team and date in mind. It will be Coeur d’Alene and the defeat will occur Jan. 21 when the Bengals visit Elmer Jordan Court.

Mark my words. Here’s why I think the Vikings have the best shot of any team in the league to pull off an upset: They will provide the worst matchup for Lewiston, which doesn’t start a player shorter than 6 foot.

The small-but-quick Vikings will run all over the court and fire up 3-pointers from all angles. The frenetic pace will cause the Bengals fits.

I may be wrong, but ….