Larry has always had a passion for coaching and being involved in sports. His first coaching experience was back as a teenager coaching Little League Baseball. As he moved into his teaching career, it was only a matter of time before he went from the classroom to the court. In 1981 he was part of the Chehalis High School Boys Basketball coaching staff. The next year took him back to baseball where he worked with the Centralia High School
Baseball team that ended up being the State Champions. In 1983 he began coaching basketball with his former coach, Ron Brown, at Centralia High School. He has been a part of several successful years in Centralia and has worked with the freshmen teams, C-teams, junior varsity and assistant to Coach Brown. Each year Larry provides junior varsity players with the tools they need to move up to a Varsity position. The players respect Larry and admire not only his work ethic but also his ability to always find humor in a situation.
“I have been fortunate to play for a Hall of Fame Coach as a high school player, and spend time coaching with a great coaching family for 30 years. Our coaching family has been a special part of my life, with Coach Brown and Tim Gilmore, who combined, have 94 years of coaching experience, and also includes former players that have come back to volunteer for us, including Trevor Westlund, Todd Penman, Ben Danielson, Jason Stumm, Lyle Overbay, and a multitude of others.
Our program is unique, starting with our youth program, “Saturday Basketball,” that serves 4th graders through 8th graders, and gives our players a chance to coach and referee, and learn the game inside and out. The Centralia program also includes “Centralia Hoop Camp” that has enabled me to work with great legendary coaches such as Marv Harshman, Brad Jackson, and Dave Harshman.
The success of the program is a tribute to how much time and effort the coaching staff puts into it. I pass on to my players what Coach Brown first taught me; “Sportsmanship is a huge part of not only the game of basketball, but the game of life as well.”
The highlights of Larry’s career in coaching include all the state appearances, sitting next to a great fellow coach and friend, and experiencing former players that have come back to pay tribute and “Bleed Tiger Orange and Black!”
