As the new head coach of the Lady Bulldogs basketball team, Bob Bolam is hoping to bring a fast-paced style to the hardwood.

“I like to play the game fast, if you can,” Bolam told the Pilot. “Defense creating offense. If we can pressure in man [defense], create some turnovers, maybe a little havoc, then it’s easier to score on the other end if you can do that.”

Bolam replaces three-year head coach Ben Johnson, who resigned in March to look for opportunities at high schools elsewhere.

Coaching the girls froshmore team for the last two years, Bolam has a solid resume with nearly 30 years of coaching experience.

Bolam has served as the coach of the girls froshmore team since 2016. From 2002 to 2014 he was the head coach of the varsity girls team at Mt. Rainier High School in Des Moines, Washington, where he amassed an overall record of 221-89.

In all 12 years of coaching in Des Moines, his teams made the postseason, including three district championship and four league championships. In total he coached for 27 years at the school.

In 2014 his team finished second in the state, a follow-up to two straight third-place finishes in 2012 and 2013.

Rebuilding the Lady Dogs program has been a slow but steady process the last few years.

Two years ago the team picked up their first win in their penultimate game at the divisional tournament in Hamilton, and last season they added another win to finish 2-18.

Bolam said the key to continued improvement next season is a solid start right out of the gate.

“They’ve gotten better the two years I’ve been here. The wins haven’t shown that they’ve gotten better, but they need to be able to take that next step in confidence, knowing that they can play, and then just come out and do it,” he said.

“I think if we can find a way to get some early success, and let that success breed success, then that would help things out.”

It helps that he’ll return players with plenty of varsity experience. Only two seniors graduate from last seasons team, and most of the underclassmen got in plenty of varsity game time.

“We don’t have a lot of numbers but we have a lot of experience,” he said. “That takes away that pressure of the game and we can just get to the point where you just learn how to play in certain situation. That’s my goal, to give them a little more of what to do in certain situations so they can handle a situation, whether it’s a press or a trap, and have different things we can do to help us be successful against that.”

In his three decades of coaching, Bolam said seeing things click for students has been one of the best parts about the job.

It also doesn’t hurt that he’s very competitive, he said.

“I like working with kids, seeing them get better, having those ‘Aha’ moments when something goes right for them,” Bolam said. “I like all that, but deep down inside I’m a competitor, so I like the competition and just sports in general. I’ve played all my life and I’ve coached for 30-some years and it’s just fun. Especially game times, it’s just fun to get out there on the court or field, just the excitement that it brings.”

Right now the focus is on building a new Lady Dogs basketball program.

Open gym with his players starts this week, and Bolam has been in the gym taking inventory of equipment and getting things figured out before he starts working with his players.

He says he’s grateful for the job, and he’s excited to see what he can do for Whitefish basketball.

“I feel fortunate to be able to be in this position, to work at WHS and work for the community of Whitefish,” he said. “I know it’s not just a head coaching position, it’s kind of like a community position where you’ve got to do a lot in the community and try to build some awareness of our program, not only in the middle school but in the grade school for those kids coming up.”

“That’s the goal, to get kids excited about playing basketball here.”