Lundblad named Viking hoops coach
Kurt Lundblad figures to feel right at home in his new job as boys basketball coach at Coeur d'Alene High.
After all, he spent many years in that gym growing up, as his father, Dean, was Viking coach for 16 years.
"It means a lot," Kurt Lundblad said Tuesday, after he was named Coeur d'Alene High coach, pending school board approval. "It's not just my alma mater - I grew up under the Coeur d'Alene Viking umbrella. It's not just a job to me, it's a lifestyle. Being a part of Coeur d'Alene High School again is awfully special."
Lundblad, 47, was selected from a field of 15 applicants, Coeur d'Alene High athletic director Todd Gilkey said. The hiring committee interviewed five people last week, then decided to interview two more this week - a third had already taken a job in Spokane.
"Kurt's ideas and his passion for Coeur d'Alene High School, and his passion for basketball, just stuck out," Gilkey said. "He came in with ideas on how to build a program from second grade to high school."
Gilkey declined to name the others interviewed, saying several asked their names not be made public.
Lundblad played for his father at Coeur d'Alene High, graduating in 1984. His dad coached the Vikings for 16 seasons, resigning when his son graduated.
Lundblad played two years at North Idaho College.
He coached three years at Sandpoint High (1998-2001), going 26-44. He was named Border League Coach of the Year in 1999 after the Bulldogs went 15-11 and came within a game of the state tournament. After leaving Sandpoint, he was an assistant coach for two years at NIC under women's coach Greg Crimp.
He's been a real estate agent for the past 10 years, a job he'll keep as he coaches the Vikings.
The past six years, Lundblad has coached the same core group of boys in AAU basketball. That group, which includes his son, Brody, will be freshmen this year.
When Lundblad coached at Sandpoint, he commuted every day from Coeur d'Alene. This time around, he notes, he's only 4.8 miles away from the school - not 48 - and he hopes to hire assistants that will be in the school, and he will have an office in the school.
"I'm proud of the things we did there (in Sandpoint), but there's thing I can do better," Lundblad said. "I think I'm a better person, a better coach, and more prepared for this job."
Lundblad replaces Kent Leiss, who coached the Vikings the past 10 seasons. He resigned late in the season under pressure from school administrators, after parents claimed Leiss verbally abused his players. He later rescinded his resignation, but was told after the season he would not be considered again for the job.
Coeur d'Alene finished 13-10 last season. Only one of the 11 players on the varsity was a senior, so there's plenty in the cupboard.
"I'm extremely excited and blessed to get this opportunity, and I'm going to take advantage of it," Lundblad said.