Elliot takes over Flathead girls basketball program

Kim Elliot was named head girls basketball coach at Flathead High School Monday, replacing the coach who hired him seven years ago.

Dennis Latimer coached Flathead for the last 10 seasons, but his contract wasn't renewed for next season despite his successful record.

The Bravettes won state championships under Latimer in 2000 and 2002 and finished last season with a 17-7 record and berth in the state tournament.

Elliot coached one of Flathead's two freshmen girls teams last season and says he was shocked and humbled when he heard he got the head varsity position. Elliot called his wife when he learned he was named head coach, but couldn't leave a message on her voicemail because he was too excited to speak.

"It's such a positive task to take on because it's the (best) girls basketball program in the state," Elliot said.

Elliot respects his predecessor's accomplishments at Flathead and says Latimer taught him a lot about basketball.

The main adjustment for Elliot will be working with juniors and seniors who have relatively developed skills rather than the freshmen, who are learning the fundamentals of basketball. The transition should allow him more time to install strategies for specific opponents than he's has in the past, but Elliot says his coaching philosophy won't change just because he's moving to a higher level of competition.

"The bottom line is why I'm doing it, which is for the girls," Elliot said. "If we take care of ourselves and each other, they're going to meet their goals they have as a team."

Elliot says his biggest challenge will be making sure his players communicate their individual and team needs and goals with him so he can put them in position to win.

"My job is to challenge them to challenge themselves to get there," Elliot said.

It shouldn't take long for Elliot to become familiar with his new players; he's either coached or taught every one of them at some point in his career.

His familiarity with Flathead's student-athletes and basketball program made Elliot a logical choice for Flathead Activities Director Mark Dennehy.

"Kim brings a wealth of coaching experiences and has a solid understanding of various nuances within the program," Dennehy said.

A native of Canada, Elliot has coached numerous sports for over 30 years. He's lived in the Flathead Valley for 15 years, spending five years at Fair-Mont-Egan before being named a Flathead assistant coach in 1999.

Elliot has coached with Northwest Basketball Camps for six years. He says the highlight of his coaching career came in 2002 when he took a team of 24 girls from the Pacific Northwest to compete in a European tournament.

Ryan Wakefield and Jerad Avery will be among Elliot's new assistants. Wakefield coached the Flathead sophomores last season, while Avery coached the junior varsity Bravettes.

Flathead will feature two junior varsity teams next season. Multiple junior varsity teams will be a first at Flathead, and one that Elliot says will prepare Kalispell for two girls varsity programs once Glacier High School begins play in 2007-08.

Elliot wants every woman who has ever worn a Flathead jersey to be proud of his players and says he's honored to be entrusted with the tradition-rich Flathead program.

"This is a girls basketball community and I'm very respectful of that fact," Elliot said.