Northwest Notes May 2, 2025
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 1 year, 3 months AGO
Sandpoint girls basketball coach Love to coach Bulldog boys squad
SANDPOINT — After 11 years as a coach in the Sandpoint High girls' basketball program, the past seven as head coach, Will Love will become the new head coach of the Bulldog boys program.
Love originally started his coaching career roughly 16 years ago as the boys junior varsity head coach (three years) and as a varsity assistant coach (one year). He was also an assistant of the girls program for four years under Duane Ward before leading the Bulldogs to an impressive run over the last seven years — a run that included the first girls' state championship in school history in 2023, five 4A Region 1 titles, and five state tournament berths.
Love compiled a 99-68 (.593) record as Sandpoint girls coach.
"It was always something in the back of my mind," Love, a 1995 graduate of Sandpoint High, said of the boys' head coaching job. "As a former basketball player here at Sandpoint High School, I thought it would be fun to coach the boys some day."
Love replaces Brian Childs, who stepped down after a 27-year coaching career, the last four at Sandpoint High, where he was 37-59 and led the Bulldogs to state in 2024. Childs previously was an assistant at Lake City High, and head boys coach at Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy for seven seasons.
School officials are in the process of filling the vacant head girls basketball job at Sandpoint.