Farley leaves AHS girls, hired by Utah

Ashland High has lots of pieces returning to its girls basketball team next season.

Coach Steve Farley won't be one of them.

Farley, who in his first season led the Grizzlies to sixth place at the Class 5A state tournament, has accepted a job as an assistant coach at Utah, one of the nation's top NCAA Division I programs.

He is one of two coaching resignations announced Monday by Ashland Athletic Director Karl Kemper. Wrestling coach Bill Bowers has also stepped down.

Farley will join former roommate and good friend Anthony Levrets on the staff of veteran Utah coach Elaine Elliott.

Levrets was an assistant coach for the Southern Oregon University men's team when Farley was its point guard. Farley served as an assistant on the SOU team for one year before taking over the Ashland program last season.

That isn't the only connection he has to Utah. Josi McDermott, the daughter of SOU men's head coach Brian McDermott, is a redshirt freshman for the Utes.

"It's the only place I would have left for," said Farley. "I felt comfortable there and feel like it will be a good fit for me. At the same time, this is not what I planned on. I planned on being here at least two years. That's what we talked about when I was hired."

Farley longs to someday be the head coach of a major program, and there aren't many better places at which to get a start. Elliott has crafted a record of 536-212 in 25 years. The Utes have made the postseason 12 of the past 14 seasons, including the NCAA tournament 10 times. They were an Elite Eight team in 2005-06.

Utah was a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament this past season but lost in the first round at Purdue.

A number of Elliott's assistants have gone on to coach at other major programs, which is one of the reasons an opening was available.

Farley's duties haven't been ironed out, he said, and he figures it will be "some dirty work, but it's chance to go and learn at a place I really think is one of the best women's basketball programs in the country. I'll do a lot of film work and manager stuff. But it'll be a chance to learn."

Utah was also appealing, he said, because it has a law school, and his girlfriend, Katelyn Alley, has that in her plans. It's also reasonably close to his family in Springfield and her's in Redmond.

"I felt this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up as far as my career development," said Farley.

Whoever takes his place will walk into a veritable gold mine. The Grizzlies lose only two players off last year's team that was ranked No.1, won 24 straight games en route to a 25-4 record and won the Southern Sky Conference.

Among those returning are the three leading scorers in the SSC in Allison Gida, Brenna Heater and Kesley McKinnis. Gida was SSC player of the year, and Heater has accepted a scholarship to Cal.

"They have all the pieces," Farley said of next year's team. "They're a talented group, and they have really bought into what we're doing. They're in the weight room right now working. I think quite a few of them have turned the corner on the work ethic part of the game and have really committed themselves to becoming better basketball players."

Bowers, meanwhile, coached the Grizzly wrestling team for two seasons and is stepping down to spend time with his family.

He became the coach in 2006 when wrestling was reinstated after being dormant for five years.

Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail ttrower@mailtribune.com