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Priest River Lamanna High School
School Info
Conference: Intermountain Conference
Classification: 3A
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Head Coach: Gary Stewart
Years as Head Coach: 12 (7 Girls 5 Boys)
Previous Experience: 19 Years Basketball/Football
Record Last Year: 16-9
State Titles: 2010
Assistant Coaches:
Melissa Dallenbach
Who do you have coming back this year?
Jill Weimer Post Senior, 5’10”; Amber Trantum Post Senior 5’ 9”; Karly Douglas Wing Senior 5’7”;
Katlyn Summers Post Junior 6’;
Any Returning Players with Honors?
Jill Weimer 2 year all conference; Last Year Intermountain League MVP
Any “Key Players” that you lost from last year?
Steffie Pavey, Point, 4 year starter and 2nd team all state, steal leader, and 2nd leading scorer
Melissa Trost, Post, 4 year starter and all conference last year, Good rebounding and 3rd in scoring
Kelsie Fink, Post, Great shot blocker and rebounder.
Do you have any new incoming “impact” players?
Angel Clark, Point, Junior, 5’ 6”; Elisa Williams Wing Junior 5’4”, Lily Luckey Wing Junior, 5’6”
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Photo By: Jason Duchow - #11 Jill Weimer |
As a team, what are your offensive strengths?
Inside game with Jill Weimer and Katlyn Summers. These two post players can dominate both offensively and defensively, and they are two of my better athletes.
Offensive areas you hope to improve on over last year:
We hope to improve on our perimeter shooting specifically our 3 point percentage. Consistency was an issue with our outside shot, so if we can find a couple players that can give us a presence outside and take some of the pressure off of Jill and Katlyn, we’ll be able to compete in any game.
As a team, what are your defensive strengths?
We should be a little quicker than last year’s team overall, so I can see us pressuring the ball more.
Defensive Areas you hope to improve on over last year:
Our biggest area of improvement on defense is our tendency to foul and put our opponent on the Free throw line.
What are you most excited about in regards to this year’s team?
7 graduated last year, and our JV squad went 17-0 last season. We’ll have a lot of new faces on the team, and it’ll be exciting to see who develops into the roles we need
For the fans, what is the must-see game of the year on your schedule?
December 17th @ Bonners Ferry. We won league last year, but Bonners beat us at districts in the Championship game and at State.
What is the ‘X-Factor’ to having success this season as a team?
I’ve coached girls varsity for 7 years and the biggest x-factor is injuries. It’s a long season, so staying conditioned and injury free is probably the biggest factor in our overall long term success.
If you could change one rule in high school basketball, what would it be?
Let’s get the shot clock in Idaho and catch up with the rest of the country. It makes for a faster and more exciting game.
Besides the pay, the fame and the glory, why do you coach high school basketball?
I love the type of players I get to coach at Priest River, plus being a Spartan graduate adds a little motivation. Basketball is a challenging and fast paced game with many adjustments to make. The competition is addictive. The interactions with the players throughout the season, seeing them develop to their potential and believing in themselves and their teammates is very rewarding. Some of my best and fondest memories have come from coaching from the hardwood. I really think I can make a difference in a student-athletes life.
What makes your school the best place to coach for?
The people! Great staff in regards to helping student-athletes achieve their goals academically. Great parents who support the teams and the role of their child. And of course…the quality of players I get on the team each season. Just a fun bunch of girls that enjoy the process (hard work, competition, pride, and being on the team)
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