Gary Mills is on the links this week preparing Union’s golfers for next week’s Class 4A boys golf state tournament in Kennewick, but not too far from his mind are preparations for his next head-coaching gig: Union’s girls basketball program.
“If there’s another sport that you can think about basketball,” Mills said, “while coaching another sport, golf would be one. “Kids hit a shot and really have 90 seconds until the next one comes.”
For now, Mills is pulling double duty, of sorts, in preparation for a return to the bench as a head basketball coach, too. Union named Mills its new girls basketball coach Thursday.
Also Thursday, 4A Greater St. Helens League rival Camas named ex-Fort Vancouver boys coach Scott Thompson its next girls basketball coach. Thompson is a Camas resident who returns to high school coaching after recently coaching in Camas’ youth program.
Mills is Union’s head boys and girls golf coach, stints he’s held since the school opened in 2007.
That’s when he arrived to Union from Evergreen where he led the Plainsmen’s boys program to two 4A state tournaments in his four years from 2004-07.
His previous full-time head-coaching absence in basketball might stretch back 11 years, but he’s remained active as a boys and girls assistant at Union in that span. He also served as Union’s interim girls coach midway through the 2015-16 season before rejoining Blake Conley’s coaching staff.
Mills said he figured he’s always make a comeback as a head basketball coach and now that two children are high school age, he said the time is perfect.
Or in his words, “ready to go again” inheriting a team that played in the Tacoma Dome for the 4A state tournament last season.
“There’s a lot of potential there,” he said. “… I want to have good chemistry and have us enjoy the journey and the wins will take care of themselves.”
At Camas, this winter marks the return to high school basketball for Thompson. He coached Fort Vancouver’s boys basketball team for 10 seasons before resigning at the end of the 2013-14 season. Fort reached the 3A bi-district tournament three straight years to close out his Trapper coaching tenure.
As for joining Camas, winners of back-to-back 4A GSHL titles and repeat trips to state, Thompson said in part,. “I am excited to get started and continue to build on the success of an already established program.”
Departures — Prairie tennis coach Chris Lindquist and La Center boys soccer coach Reece Scragg are stepping away from their positions.
Lindquist served as Prairie coach for 34 years. Scragg recently led La Center to the 1A state playoffs in his fifth season.
