Coaching Experience: 26 years (23 at the high school level with 20 as Head Coach, 3 at middle school)
Coaching Record: 338-164
In the spring of 2025, Scott Orness was welcomed back as the boys basketball head coach at Bainbridge High School.
Coach Orness was most recently the Head Boys Basketball Coach at North Kitsap High School for 9 seasons after coaching at Bainbridge High School from 2001-2015. In his 9 years (2015-2024) at North Kitsap, the Vikings have won 9 straight Olympic League Championships, 4 District Titles, and qualified for the State Tournament all 9 years placing 6th in 2017, 2019, and 2023, 3rd in 2022 and 2024, and winning the State Championship in 2020. During those years, his Vikings won 65 straight home games which is the longest home winning streak in Kitsap County history.
During his last four seasons at North Kitsap, Orness had the honor and privilege to coach his son, Cade, who went on to break both the scoring (1,821 points) and assist (635) records at NKHS. The Orness duo amassed a 49-3 record in the Olympic League together. Currently, Cade is playing for Gonzaga.
Coach Orness and his 2007 Bainbridge team, powered by Steven Gray (Gonzaga/Overseas Pro) and Coby Gibler (Central WA Univ), brought the island into hoops-hysteria with their 24-5 run to the State Title Game, but lost to ODea after beating them 3 times during the season.
Coach Orness has had 30+ former players go on to play college basketball from his time at Bainbridge and North Kitsap HS.
Coach Orness has been the recipient of the following awards: WIBCA 3A Washington State Coach of the Year, WIBCA 2A Coach of the Year, Comcast Washington State Coach of the Year, Metro League Coach of the Year, and Kitsap Sun Basketball Coach of the Year (5X), Kitsap Sun Coach of the Year (twice), and Olympic League Coach of the Year (3X). He was also awarded the NFHS Regional Coach of the Year in 2020 which includes WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, and AK. Before Bainbridge, Coach Orness spent two seasons with Franklin Pierce High School as a Varsity Assistant and then Associate Head Coach under the tutelage of his father, Bruce Orness, and one season as a Varsity Assistant with Puyallup High School. During those three years, his teams won two league titles and earned three berths into the WIAA State Tournament.
Coach Orness also serves as the Owner/Director of Orness Basketball Camps and was the Executive Director and one of the founders of Bainbridge Roots Basketball and DRIVE Basketball.
Coach Orness played for Washington high school basketball hall of fame coach, Rod Iverson, at Rogers High School (Puyallup). He was a varsity contributor for three years and started his junior and senior year seasons. During his senior year, Rogers won the SPSL South Division Title, earned a trip to the State Tournament, and Orness broke the school single season assist record. Orness was selected as Team Captain during both his junior and senior seasons.