Timberlake's Hanna named Coeur d'Alene boys basketball coach

Tony Hanna, who in 2013 coached 3A Timberlake High to its first (and only) state tournament appearance in boys basketball, has been named head basketball coach at Coeur d’Alene High.

“It’s just my own personal goals; I want to coach at the highest level I can,” said Hanna, 39. “Even though I’ve been coaching at the 3A level, I always loved going to the 5A games. I love the rivalries between Coeur d’Alene and Lake City and Post Falls, and I wanted to be a part of that excitement.”

Hanna replaces Kurt Lundblad, whose contract was not renewed after three seasons as Viking coach. Hanna also applied for the job when Lundblad was hired. A total of five applicants were interviewed.

“When we called on him, there was two things that kept coming up — integrity and character,” Coeur d’Alene High athletic director Mike Lindquist said. “He’s a high-character individual.”

Hanna coached Timberlake for five seasons, going 56-59. In 2012-13, The Tigers won their first league title and first district title, as well as first trip to state, since the school opened in fall 1998.

Hanna told his Timberlake players of his decision on Wednesday night, after coaching them in a summer league game. He’s committed to coaching the Tigers through the end of summer league, which ends next week.

“We built something good there; it’s really hard for me to leave,” Hanna said of Timberlake. “But I believe I’m going to build something special at Coeur d’Alene as well. And I think Timberlake has a lot of potential next year.”

Hanna plans a meet-and-greet with players and parents for next Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Coeur d’Alene High library. He said he plans to talk to current assistants at Coeur d’Alene and gauge their interest in remaining on the coaching staff.

He plans to have some open gyms for his new team, and though summer league will be over next week, hopes to find some opportunities to coach his new team prior to the high school preseason in November.

“I definitely want to get going as quick as I can,” Hanna said.

Hanna’s previous head coaching experience was two seasons at class “B” Tekoa-Oakesdale in southeastern Washington. He went 30-20 in two seasons, his teams qualified for state each year, and in the second season (2003-04), his team placed third at state.

His overall record is 86-79.

“I’m not looking to come in and revamp anything,” Hanna said. “As far as wins and losses go, they’ve got a pretty good thing going there. My goal is to see what we can take from what they’ve got, and just build on it. One of my biggest strengths is getting guys to play as a team — to believe in each other, to know the guy next to you has your back. That’s one of the things I brought to Timberlake is, we’re very team-oriented; it’s a lot like a family. We believe in each other, and I want these guys to know I believe in them.”

Hanna’s wife, Willow, recently stepped down after nine seasons as volleyball coach at Post Falls High, to spend more time with the couple’s two children.

Hanna, a former teacher who is an owner of an industrial pipe insulation company in Hayden, said he’s confident he can make the jump from coaching at the 3A to the 5A level.

“We think he’s ready for it; he’s had his time at the lower level,” Lindquist said. “I think he can run a program at any level. I’m excited to see what he can do in a 5A program with the athletes we have. We think he’s going to blend in really well with the group we have coming back. We wanted somebody that could come in and blend with them, and also somebody that could build the program up from the younger grades.”