Working his way back up North: Hall, who coached at Lakeside two decades ago, returns to North Idaho as Post Falls girls basketball coach

By MARK NELKE

Sports editor

Brian Hall walked out of the gym, stepped outside and was reminded of what he had been missing for more than two decades.

“This is kinda crazy, but I went out of The Arena one night after practice and actually smelled trees,” the new Post Falls High girls basketball coach said recently. “I know that sounds really simple and everything, but just the smell of trees and forests and stuff like that again. Down in Southern Idaho, there’s trees, but not nice smelling."

Hall, 51, replaces Marc Allert, who coached the Trojans for 11 seasons, including six state tournament appearances and two state titles.

Hall last coached in North Idaho in the late 1990s, when he was assistant girls basketball coach at Lakeside of Plummer-Worley for two seasons, then was Lakeside head boys basketball coach for two seasons (1999-2001).

Since then …

“I tell people I’ve coached in every district except (District) 6,” Hall said.

He was assistant football coach and head girls basketball coach at Aberdeen for two years.

Then it was off to Twin Falls, as an assistant football coach.

He was an assistant football coach at Meridian, when they won the state title in 2007.

Then it was on to Vallivue, coaching under boys basketball coach Scott Moore (not the Scott Moore that formerly coached the Post Falls boys.

There was also two years at West Minico (Middle School) in Minidoka School District. A year at a charter school.

Most recently, last year he was at Jerome High.

He estimates having some 25 years of experience coaching football, and 20 coaching basketball, at various levels.

“Been trying to work my way back up North for 20 years,” Hall said with a laugh. “It’s taken 20 years to get back up here, and I’m happy to be up here. My wife (Jennie) and I are excited to be here.”

Jennie grew up in Spokane, and attended East Valley High and the University of Idaho. Between them, they have six children and five grandchildren.

Hall took over the Lakeside boys basketball program in 1999, two years after the Knights won the state A-4 title. The Knights moved up to A-3 the following year, and Hall went 15-26 in his two seasons as head coach.

“I really liked his enthusiasm, he’s got a lot of energy,” Post Falls athletic director Craig Christensen said. “He’s been a head coach before, albeit at smaller schools … he’s really hit the ground running for us.”

Hall graduated from Hansen High, a small school in south-central Idaho, some 10 miles east of Twin Falls, in 1989.

Hall’s father, Chet, was swimming and water polo coach at the University of Idaho, and is now in the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame.

“I grew up half my life in Moscow and half my life in Hansen,” Brian said.

He played football, basketball and track at Hansen, a school without a track. He was all-state in basketball and football, and a sprinter on the track and field team.

Hall walked on in football at Idaho, after Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston gave him a tryout in basketball.

“But coming from a small school, a 6-foot post, going to LC which had five kids at 6-11,” Hall recalled. “When the 5-8 kid dunked over my head, I figured football was probably my avenue.”

So he tried football in Moscow.

“I went into (Vandal coach) John L. Smith’s office and said ‘Coach, I want to be a linebacker,’” Hall said. “At the time I was 175 pounds on a stick, and he kinda looked at me and laughed and said, ‘What else can you do?’ I said, ‘Well, I guess I can kick the football,’ and he says ‘OK, whaddya got?’

“So right there on the spot he kinda gave me an interview, and I hit 6 for 6 from 45 (yards) barefoot, and he says, ‘That’s not bad for a barefoot kicker; why don’t you go to the equipment shed and get you some shoes.’

Hall said he didn’t really want to be a college kicker, but he got a lot of work in practice during the week, as “the scholarship kid was hurt all the time,” he said.

But the “scholarship kid” was always ready to go on game day.

So Hall kicked in practice during the week.

“In high school ball you kick the ball and your momentum would take you all the way down, and you’re making the tackle,” Hall said. “So (in practice) I tackled their special return guy in the end zone and the coaches didn’t like that too well.

“I said I don’t want to be a kicker, I want to hit somebody.”

Hall said his first coaching stint was elementary girls basketball in Moscow.

“Coached there for a number of years, worked my way up,” he said.

That led to the job at Lakeside, then to a two-decade coaching odyssey through southern Idaho.

Then he heard about some job openings in North Idaho.

Post Falls went 19-9 last year and qualified for state for the third straight season. But, other than senior Capri Sims, the Trojans will return a fairly young team.

“Big shoes to fill, and I know that coming in,” Hall said. “It’s been a very successful program, and I look to build on it.”

As for his coaching philosophy …

“I’m happy they finally voted the shot clock in,” Hall said. “I’m about transition basketball; I like to get the ball up and down the floor …It may look like chaos sometimes, but that chaos can turn into points. My philosophy is, if you can score 60 points in a basketball game you should probably win it. And these girls have scored in the 80s before.”

Hall, who will teach P.E. and health at Post Falls High, has already been able to work with his future varsity players, coaching them in some summer league events.

When not enjoying the smell of North Idaho trees, Hall also is looking forward to fishing up here. He also umpires college softball, something he’ll continue doing in North Idaho if his schedule permits.

“I’m excited, I’m enthusiastic, I’m ready to go, ready to be here, ready to coach again,” Hall said. “It’s a dream job for me, and I’m just excited to be here.”

• Matt Barkley, who will return as junior varsity girls basketball coach at Post Falls, has been named the Trojans’ head boys and girls golf coach, replacing Jess Wingert. Barkley, who has worked at area golf courses, was head golf coach several years ago.

• Gabe Lawson resigned after 18 seasons and two stints as Post Falls boys soccer coach. He will be replaced by Johnny Mueller, who was the Trojans’ head coach in 2015, when Lawson took a one-year break between stints.

Lawson guided the Trojans to a state title in 2012. His overall record with Post Falls was 149-129-27.

Mueller went 8-8-1 in his one year as head coach, the Trojans losing in a state play-in game.

“He did a great job for us when he did it the one year that he was head coach,” Christensen said. “We’re pretty lucky to have him.”