Hashley resigns head coaching position
Doug Hashley resigned as the head coach of the Glacier High varsity girls basketball team on Tuesday.
Hashley, who took over the program in its first year in 2007, turned in his resignation following an undisclosed incident.
Hashley will be replaced by Glacier sophomore girls coach Kris Salonen effective immediately, according to Glacier Activities Director Mark Dennehy.
Dennehy confirmed that Hashley was recently put on administrative leave and did not coach the team’s game against Polson on Jan. 9. Dennehy would not elaborate on the details of the incident.
District 5 Superintendent Darlene Schottle told members at the Board of Trustees Meeting at Kalispell Middle School on Tuesday that she had spoken with Hashley and he felt “his relationship with the team has been irreparably damaged.”
Schottle said the district is in the process of investigating the incident and recommended that the board accept his resignation and pay out the remainder of his coaching stipend.
Hashley could not be reached for comment.
“Our coaches are good people as is this individual,” Dennehy said at the board meeting. “Activities can bring out the best in us and they can bring out the worst in us.”
The Glacier girls dropped to 2-4 on the season following a frustrating 54-31 loss to Missoula Sentinel on Jan. 7. The Wolfpack failed to score for the first 14 minutes in that contest and finished with only five points in the first half.
“This particular coach has selected to resign not from pressure from me, but just at this juncture has selected to step back,” Dennehy said.The resignation was officially announced and approved at the school board meeting Tuesday.
After a lengthy discussion about whether or not Hashley’s coaching contract deserved to be paid in full or cut short, the board approved the recommendation with one member voting against while several others voted in favor simply to allow the program to move forward.
“I’ll go along with it but I definitely don’t like it. But it’s in the best interest of the kids,” Board Member Alice Ritzman said.
Glacier has 13 regular-season games left on its schedule. Hashley’s previous head coaching position was as the varsity boys basketball coach at Flathead from 1994-96. Hashley, who graduated from Montana State University in 1982 and is a member of the Bobcat Hall of Fame, leaves Glacier after three seasons with a 13-36 overall record.
“Although making a coaching change in the middle of the season is challenging, Glacier High School is fortunate to have remaining coaches that are experienced, passionate, and hard working,” Dennehy said in a statement released late Tuesday. “Kris (Salonen) has an outstanding background and is a proven winner. She exemplifies the necessary qualities to become an outstanding head coach at the AA level.”
Salonen, a native of Great Falls, has previous head coaching stints in Ronan and Columbia Falls. Ryan Wakefield will remain the Glacier girls JV coach and Grady Bennett will remain the freshman coach, while a replacement is being sought for the sophomore team, Dennehy said.