Helfer quits basketball coaching job
A member of three halls of fame for her athletic prowess and coaching success, Jeanne Helfer is hanging up her whistle to finish up a role that has always been most important to her.
“There are a lot of factors you consider, but the main reason is it’s time for me to allow my family to have me as a mom and a wife without always dealing with the coaching issues,” the Mt. Spokane girls basketball coach said. “I’ve always said I don’t want to go one day longer or one day shorter than God wants me to and I believe it’s my time.”
Mt. Spokane athletic director John Miller said, “At this point the newness hasn’t quite worn off of Jeanne deciding to step aside. We’ll put together a hiring team and go from there. … Jeanne’s done an outstanding job and she’s left the program in good shape.”
Miller was the A.D. that hired Helfer at Mead 23 years ago after the Washington State graduate spent one year as a ninth-grade coach at Clarkston.
She had a successful 14-year run at Mead that included a 268-93 record and three state championships. She moved to Mt. Spokane when it opened nine years ago because it was closer to home. Her record in 23 years in the Mead School District is 329-213.
She informed her principal in November this would be her last season but didn’t let the word out publicly until the Wildcats’ postseason banquet Tuesday.
Helfer was a standout athlete at Walla Walla, where she lettered in four sports, and WSU, where she is still the all-time leading scorer for the women’s basketball team. She is in the Hall of Fame for both schools.
She was also a national-caliber javelin thrower and just missed qualifying for the Olympic team. She still coaches the javelin for the Mt. Spokane girls track team.
In 1994 Helfer was the first woman from Washington inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame.
“She’s an outstanding role model for female athletes,” Miller said. “She has a great perspective about what high school sports are, what their intent is and what they ought to be. … In the 23 years we’ve worked together, it’s just been a joy to watch her work.”