New Lake City basketball coach shows endurance

I am and always will be a company guy.

I believe if you have a job opening and somebody on your payroll is qualified and expresses an interest, that person deserves a shot at the position.

But, if there’s not a credible applicant inside, open up the position to all comers.

As one friend in the high school coaching business put it recently, loyal assistant coaches deserve opportunities to erase the word assistant and scribble in the word ‘head’ just left of the word ‘coach’ – especially at the schools they’ve served faithfully in under-varsity jobs. Especially, too, at the schools they once attended.

If John Wooden were to apply for a position, though, the search would end there, as my friend pointed out. I agree.

I’m not saying that Jim Thacker or Dale Poffenroth is John Wooden, but they’re close enough. What Poffenroth was to Coeur d’Alene girls basketball last year Thacker will be to Lake City boys basketball – if not next year, then soon.I talked with Thacker for about 30 minutes Tuesday afternoon after the interview committee made its decision. I learned that even a basketball coach who will garner his 500th career victory next year isn’t immune to parental harassment.

That was a topical subject in light of the issues that the previous coach, Kris Knowles, endured in two brief seasons.

Knowles will be back, perhaps as a head coach again some day, and he will be better prepared to conquer his next opportunity.

All wasn’t bliss for Thacker in 29 years at Walla Walla, though. Parents there tried to run him out of the sweet onion capital of the world not once, not twice, but thrice.

Eight years ago, Thacker survived the most vigorous attempt to force him out.

“It brings up some real bad memories,” said Thacker. “I brought up a freshman (to varsity) just briefly because I had some kids hurt and needed to have him step in. So he played, but he never got any better. I made the mistake of letting this parent run my AAU and fall leagues and stuff like that. The parents just decided that I needed to go.

“So they started to go around to all the parents. One of the parents of the kids was the middle school principal. They used the old: ‘He’s abusive, he’s swearing too much.’ I’m a little fiery and I get after people. And it ended up that there were (private investigators) following my family around. They went back to Gooding and Omak (previous coaching stops). They were trying to dig up any dirt they could.

“This was an all-out assault. Although the administration backed me, they did not back me. I eventually had to get my own lawyer. They drew up a list of things I had to abide by during the season and the off-season – steps I needed to take to keep my job. I had to sign it. It was awful.”

Two years later, Walla Walla won the State 4A title behind former Gonzaga University player Kyle Bankhead and Thomas Kelati, who just finished his career at Washington State University.

“That got everybody off my back and gave me some vindication,” Thacker said.

A coaching friend told me recently that a group of parents was planning a similar assault to try to run him out if he tried to fight for his job. He decided life’s too short to go through untold torment just to coach.

The high school coaching profession has lost too many quality coaches because they’ve counted the cost, deciding that dealing with parents isn’t worth it.

Thankfully, some coaches such as Thacker refuse to retire, and they’re looking for opportunities in neighboring states.