POLSON — Polson’s boys basketball team will have a fresh face on the bench next season.

Pirates coach Brad Pluff resigned last week after being told that he would not be rehired for the position. That resignation was approved Monday by the Polson School Board.

“If it were up to me, I’d still be coaching basketball,” Pluff said. “I love the kids. I love coaching. … I love everything about it.”

A Polson grad himself, Pluff’s teams went to the Class A state tournament in four of his five seasons at the helm. His teams were 54-63 over those five years.

The Pirates entered the postseason with a 4-14 mark this season before making an unforgettable run through the Northwest A tournament to qualify for state.

“I was told that nobody cares about that,” Pluff said, noting that he was told the team’s regular-season performances hadn’t been up to snuff.

“You always try to play your best basketball at the end of the year, and I felt like we did that every year,” he said.

Polson Athletic Director Scott Wilson could not comment on Pluff due to personnel protocol, and Wilson said it was too early to determine who may take over the program. Wilson did say the position will be opened to both internal and external applicants.

Pluff doesn’t know if he’ll seek coaching work elsewhere.

“I haven’t really processed it yet,” he said.