The son of a legendary high school coach, Coach David Long has had basketball running through his veins since he was a child. Coach Long played for his father Sonny Long at Lake Oswego High School. Sonny was the head basketball coach at Lake Oswego for 31 years.
Coach David Long got his start in coaching 1991, as the head coach of the Girls Program at Columbia River High School. He coached the girls for two seasons and the program won a league championship and finished seventh in the State.
Coach Long took over the helm from the previous successful Boys coach at Columbia River, Gene Dettore during the 1992-1993 season. Taking the position made Coach Long only the third head basketball coach in school history following Hall of Famers Earl Enos and Gene Dettorre.
Over a 30-year coaching career at Columbia River, Coach Long finished with a 452-246 record. His teams have eleven league titles and 12 State tournament appearances. Coach Long’s teams have won State trophies at three different levels including 4A, 3A and 2A as the school size shifted over the years. The highest finish came with the 2009 squad, finishing second in the 3A State tournament.
Longtime Mark Morris high school Hall of Fame coach Bill Bakamus remembers the epic battles his teams played against Longs Columbia River Squads. Bakamus did not need to think hard to recall a game that is rooted in his memory: a 23-21 overtime victory by Mark Morris over Columbia River in 2002 when the Monarchs escaped on a buzzer-beater. It wasn’t a stall ball effort; it was Columbia River at its finest – a spread offense meant to dictate tempo on every possession and to wait for the right shot. “He ran that until the cows came home,” Bakamus said, “and all I remember telling my kids was, ‘You’re going to play more defense tonight than you will the whole season.’
Coach Long spent his entire career alongside his college tennis coach at the University Idaho, Jim Sevall. Sevall served as junior varsity coach. Coach Long also had the privilege of having his father Sonny as a program consultant.
He and his wife Holly have been married for 44 years. They had two sons who played for him, Dryden, and Spencer. Their daughter, Madelynn, was a cheerleader for Columbia River High School.
Dave and Holly both retired in 2022 and are living in Goodyear, AZ. They spend their time with their two grandsons, Hudson and Bennett, and enjoy golf and traveling.
