Boys basketball: Febach steps down as Flathead coach

After 12 seasons as the boys basketball coach at Flathead High School, Fred Febach has stepped down.

The veteran coach submitted his resignation to Activities Director Bryce Wilson Thursday morning, less than two months before the first official day of practice for the 2015-16 season.

“Yeah, it’s a shock,” Wilson said. “It’s obviously not the greatest timing, but as Fred put it, ‘it’s time for a change.’ He thought it was in the best interest of the program.”

“I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while off and on,” Febach said. “It’s just really difficult because it’s such a part of you.

“It took me a really, really long time to pull the trigger. I had to say ‘it’s time do this — it’s time for a change for the kids, for myself and for the program’.”

Febach met earlier this week with Wilson and Flathead Principal Peter Fusaro and had what he called a “frank discussion” with them about the future of the program. Febach said the decision to resign was his alone.

“I told them I was thinking about nearing the end of my tenure,” Febach said of the meeting. “(The administration) has been very supportive of me all along and they were more than happy to go with whatever I decided to do.”

Febach took the Braves to five state tournaments and the Class AA state championship game in 2012, a run that included a memorable semifinal defeat of top-seeded rival Glacier. But the Braves have scuffled to a 22-41 record in the three years since, missing the state tournament each season.

Alex Croymans, a 2015 Flathead graduate and one of the captains for the Braves last season, was surprised by the timing of the move if not the news itself.

“I kind of had a feeling that it was going to happen in the near future but I was pretty shocked to hear it two months before the season,” Croymans said.

“What I’ve heard is people are not used to seeing Flathead basketball lose games,” he added. “It’s kind of hard putting it all on the coach and I think that’s what a lot of the parents and players did.”

“We all cherish what Fred did,” Wilson said. “He bled black and orange and was a true professional, but with that said, now we have to move forward. I fully support the fact that he recognizes it’s time for somebody else to move our program forward.”

Croymans repeatedly described his former coach as “intense” and said there had been some discontent surrounding the program during recent seasons.

“Coaches aren’t allowed to get on players like they used to,” Croymans said. “Parents are a lot more concerned about how the players are being treated. He had a different style and a lot of people don’t understand that. I’ve been hearing it for a couple years now around parents and players.”

“Over time, you deal with all kind of different personalities,” Febach said. “Overall parents have been really good to me and the program; I can’t say a bad thing about them. Sometimes you have to have some difficult conversations but that’s part of the job.”

For his part, Croymans said he was among Febach’s biggest supporters and had nothing but praise for his former mentor.

“I thought he was a great coach and a great man,” Croymans added. “He’s definitely a yeller and he’s very discipline-oriented, but I learned how to be a better man from him.

“His intensity is unmatched,” he continued. “I never had a coach that had the intensity he has for the sport. He’ll take a bullet for any of his players. He loves his players and he loves basketball.”

Febach used Thursday as a day to reflect on his tenure as Flathead’s head coach.

“There’s a lot of emotion behind (the decision to resign) because you’re giving up something that’s been part of you for a long time,” he said. “You think about all the good things, all the great kids and all of the special moments."

“I’ve been thinking of so many different (moments) it’s getting hard to pick just a few of them,” Febach said. “I’ll miss a lot and it’s not just the games themselves. It’s the time spent on the bus and the time in the restaurants with the kids.”

The longtime Braves coach was also effusive in his praise for his former bosses.

“I really want to extend my appreciation to Bryce (Wilson) and Peter (Fusaro) and the things they’ve done for me and my program,” Febach said. “My hat’s off to them.”

“And I also have to mention (activities director assistant) Marsha Wilson, I love to call her the hub of the wheel. She’s one of the unsung heroes.”

Wilson and Febach each separately had a chance to address the Braves’ players Thursday.

“I think shock and surprise were the main feelings I noticed,” Wilson said of the players’ reaction to the news. “You get mixed messages from kids. Some are very disappointed and there are probably some kids that are going to get a fresh start.”

Wilson said the Braves will be accepting applications for the vacant coaching position through Oct. 15 and plan to fill the position by the last week of October. Wilson said the new head coach will not be given an interim title.

“We are going to say that (the new head coach) is our coach for this year,” Wilson said. “And we’ll review their performance like we review every coach’s performance. Any coaching position we have is year-to-year. To put an interim tag on it is disingenuous.”

Because of the unusual timing of the resignation, no full-time teaching position is available, but the Braves still expect to hear from a number of qualified applicants.

“Not having a teaching position obviously limits your pool,” Wilson said. “But within the Flathead Valley there are a lot of people that are very, very gifted.”

The Braves officially begin practice Nov. 19.

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Reporter Andy Viano may be reached at 758-4446 or by email at aviano@dailyinterlake.com.