RONAN - An All-State basketball player at Stevensville High

School, Clayton Curley understands what it takes to reach the top

of the mountain in Montana. His high school team reached the state

championship game, falling to Browning for the title.

Curley brings that on-court experience to Lake County as he

enters his first season as head coach of the Ronan Maidens. The

Maidens are coming off of a trying season, but look to turn it

around under Curley.

RONAN - An All-State basketball player at Stevensville High School, Clayton Curley understands what it takes to reach the top of the mountain in Montana. His high school team reached the state championship game, falling to Browning for the title.

Curley brings that on-court experience to Lake County as he enters his first season as head coach of the Ronan Maidens. The Maidens are coming off of a trying season, but look to turn it around under Curley.

"I need to put them in the right spots," Curley said. "I'm a defensive coordinator. They'll do their job if I put them in the right spots."

Curley's experience with basketball extends beyond high school. After graduation, he earned a basketball scholarship at Miles City Community College and played one year with the Pioneers before contributing for two seasons as an assistant coach. From there, he joined the staff at Montana State and worked with the Bobcats for a pair of seasons before making the jump to Ronan.

The coaching change isn't the only one the Maidens are undergoing from last year. The school has made the transition from Class A to Class B, giving Ronan a bit of a different look from the 2010-11 campaign. While the girls on the squad have an idea of what they are encountering, Curley can't say the same for himself yet.

"It's a little tough because I don't know what to expect, moving from Class A to B," Curley said. "But the girls are working hard and showing improvement already."

The Maidens had their first opportunity of the season to demonstrate the progress they have made when the team headed to the other side of the lake to open the year against some familiar foes. On Friday and Saturday, Ronan was on the north shore competing against Libby and Bigfork.

Curley was as excited as his team to see where his team stacked up and they performed well, splitting two games.

"It's been a fun jump and it's really exciting," Curley said. "I really like it. It has more responsibilities. It's a challenge building a program for the future."

This week, Curley and the Maidens face Florence and Loyola in a pair of contests that should challenge his squad, but with Curley at the helm, the Maidens will be ready to play.