OMAK _ Veteran assistant coach Lynn
Holder has been picked to replace Gary Smith as Omak High's girls'
basketball coach.
Holder was an assistant under Smith for three years and previously had
coached the C-squad. She is an elementary school counselor in the Omak
school system.
The hiring still must be approved by the Omak school board, which
meets on Aug. 25.
In June, Omak decided not to rehire Smith, a veteran coach in girls'
basketball and girls' track. Last month, Smith filed a lawsuit against
the school district, attempting to be reinstated to both coaching
positions.
A ruling last week in Okanogan County Superior Court cleared the way
for the school district to hire new coaches for each position, pending
final disposition of the lawsuit.
``It's been a long, hard summer on everybody, now it's time to move
on,'' said Jim Brucker, the high school's athletic director.
Omak probably won't fill the track position until school starts,
Brucker said.
Smith was also a longtime football coach at Omak until his resignation
from that position in May. Last week, Omak picked Mark Mansell, 32, to
fill that position. Mansell was a head coach at Athena, Ore. for two
years and assistant at Shadle Park in Spokane for four years.
Omak
Pioneers