McLean on the mend as postseason play nears

Sometimes, you’ve got to coach hurt.

Post Falls High boys basketball coach Mike McLean suffered a dislocated ankle, a fracture in his foot and some ligament damage in a mishap Sunday on his farm and ranch on the Rathdrum prairie.

Let’s let McLean explain ...

“I attempted to jump out of my pickup while feeding some show steers at my house on Sunday morning,” he wrote in an email to The Press. “Got one leg caught up in a wire fence and landed hard on my free leg (right ankle/foot) in some “mud”. Having one foot still caught up in the fence, and my right foot stuck in the mud, my body twisted sideways and backwards. I dislocated my right ankle. In the process of the dislocation, I fractured my talus multiple places along with a lot of soft tissue (ligaments) damage.

“You never want to break any bones, but your talus is especially a tricky one to break because of its function in the foot/ankle. I have posterior fractures which are not common at all. Met with my surgeon (Tuesday) and will have surgery Thursday, Feb. 13. I am looking at 12 months of recovery. The surgeon is optimistic that I won’t have any long-term restrictions ... hopefully.

“I am very fortunate and extremely grateful that the Post Falls business American Seating and Mobility has allowed me to use one of their motorized wheelchairs here at school and for basketball practices. I must keep my ankle elevated and non-weight bearing until 3-4 weeks post-surgery. Without this kind of reclining motorized wheelchair, I would not be able to teach or coach basketball until sometime in March.

“Saying this situation is less than ideal is an understatement, but I have an amazing wife (Jessica) who is always by my side helping me, and boys at home that can pick up the slack around our house while I am stuck sitting with my leg elevated. Also have a great support system around me here at PFHS, my assistants and players in our basketball program and have a lot of support from family and friends within our farming community. I have a long haul ahead, but everything will be fine.”

Post Falls’ next game is tonight at 7 at home vs. Coeur d’Alene. McLean plans to coach from the sidelines in his motorized wheelchair. Should the 5A Inland Empire League-leading Trojans qualify for state (March 5-7 in Nampa), McLean is hopeful he can coach using a scooter and crutches by then.

PRIOR TO last Thursday, the last time Coeur d’Alene High beat Lake City in girls basketball was in 2014.

The Vikings went on to win the state 5A title, their fourth in a seven-year stretch.

Coeur d’Alene has not been back to state since.

But the Vikings, which pretty much their entire team back from last year, have made state their goal from the beginning of this season.

They were already favored to secure one of the region’s two berths to state, but Coeur d’Alene served notice the program’s first regional title since 2014 is not out of the question.

Not after last Thursday’s 55-45 win over defending 5A Inland Empire League champion Lake City at home.

The Vikings and Timberwolves tied for the 5A IEL title this year with 5-1 records. Lake City earned the top seed over Cd’A based on point differential in the two head-to-head meetings. The T-Wolves won at home by 14 points in the Fight for the Fish spirit game.

The Region 1 tourney begins Friday, with No. 4 seed Lewiston (3-17) at No. 1 Lake City (14-6) and No. 3 Post Falls (11-9) at No. 2 Coeur d’Alene (16-4).

Post Falls beat Coeur d’Alene in the regional second-place game last year before losing in a state play-in. The Trojans might have to figure out how to beat the Vikings when it matters this year, after losing to them by 11 and 6 points during league.

Or maybe Post Falls will have to figure out a way to beat Lake City to get to state, if the Vikings have any say. Lake City beat the Trojans by 13 and 6 points in league play.

IN 4A, if league champ Sandpoint beats Moscow at home on Saturday, Lakeland will be the No. 2 seed and play host to No. 3 Moscow in the loser-out first round of the Region 1 tournament on Monday.

If Sandpoint finishes 4-0 in league, the Bulldogs will earn the right to host all three games, if necessary, of the best-of-3 series for the regional championship and the region’s lone berth to state.

That’s the extra carrot for going undefeated in league in 4A.

SPEAKING OF extra carrots, the upcoming 1A Division II District 1 tournaments will unfold with a “mulligan” caveat.

First the girls, where Lakeside will be the top seed for the tourney at North Idaho College. And, because the Knights went undefeated against the three other Division II teams in the North Star League (Mullan, Clark Fork and Kootenai), they will have to be beaten twice at districts to be eliminated. All the other teams are out with one loss.

Only the district champ advances to state. So if, say, Lakeside is upended in the district title game next Thursday, they’ll play another title game the following night for all the marbles.

Lakeside’s two losses to Wallace don’t factor in here, because Wallace, though it won the North Star League, is a Division I school.

Ditto the boys.

If Lakeside, unbeaten so far, defeats Clark Fork on Feb. 18, the Knights will have to be beaten twice at districts the following week, also at NIC.

That could come in handy, as Lakeside’s biggest challenge figures to come from Genesis Prep, the four-time defending district champions. The Jaguars were not part of the North Star League this season as Kootenai, Clark Fork and Mullan refused to play them, but they will be the automatic No. 3 seed to districts.

The boys district title game is Feb. 27 at NIC.

Genesis Prep has given Lakeside two of its toughest games so far this season, the Knights winning by 11 and 3 points.

Here’s a cool thing — next Thursday will be a doubleheader at NIC. At 6 p.m., Wallace will play the No. 3 team from District 2 (Whitepine League), with the winner advancing to a state play-in game. The Division II District 1 title game will follow at 7:30.

The same thing will happen in two weeks with the boys.

“We wanted to include Wallace and their play-in game because it would give them the opportunity to play at NIC and be back in our tournament,” Lakeside co-athletic director Jerel Hight said.

Maybe that’s a precursor to next year, when Lakeside and Genesis Prep move up to 1A Division I, and join Wallace in the League Without a Name Yet. Perhaps the Division I and Division II (which will be Kootenai, Mullan and Clark Fork next year) district tourneys can be played together at a neutral site ... say, NIC.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.