Wildcats get new coach

Published 10:31 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

Mount Si High School has a new head boys’ basketball coach and he is no stranger to the Kingco 3A Conference.

Sloan Strohl, a former assistant coach with the Bellevue Wolverines, was hired by Mount Si to fill the post vacated by the resignation of longtime coach Garrick Phillips. Phillips resigned his post to take a coaching position at University High in Spokane, where his family lives.

“I am excited for the opportunity, especially at a school like Mount Si,” Strohl said.

He was equally thrilled about what lies ahead.

“The future looks good,” Strohl said.

Strohl will inherit a program that will be in rebuilding mode coming off of a strong 23-7 season and a sixth place finish at state. Eight seniors – led by Kevin Englund and Kyle Clearman, who both will be playing this fall as freshmen at Pacific Lutheran University, – are leaving the program in the hands of senior-to-be Tommy Abbott, among others.

Strohl’s goals are simple.

“My goals are to help to develop a program that makes the community proud and helps players become their best on and off the court,” he said.

Strohl beat out several other candidates for the position. In addition to his time with the Bellevue High program, Strohl has coached a number of other youth basketball programs in the Seattle and Bellevue areas over the past several years. His most recent stop was at Seattle’s Lakeside School, where he was the coach of two separate middle school-age teams this past season. He also has had coaching stops at the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Bellevue Youth Basketball Organization.