Sisters High School Outlaws girls’ basketball has new coach

The Sisters High School varsity girls’ basketball team will have a new coach this fall. Kevin Cotner, 27, was hired to replace Bill Blevins who has been the girls’ head coach since 2001.

Cotner has coached the varsity girls’ at 1A South Wasco High School in Maupin, Oregon, for the last three years and this past season took them to the Big Sky League District Playoffs.

Blevins left Sisters to join his wife and family in Portland and will teach and coach at his alma mater, David Douglas High School. Blevins stated it will be a big change going from a school population of approximately 550 to a school of almost 3,000.

Cotner is very excited about coming to Sisters, but said Maupin was a great place to get his start as a coach.

“I got the opportunity to coach right away (in Maupin) and I made a lot of rookie mistakes,” said Cotner. “I grew a lot as a coach and better understand the game of basketball and how to teach it.”

Cotner told The Nugget it was very hard for him to tell the kids in Maupin about his decision to move to Sisters.

“The toughest thing about leaving Maupin is the kids,” said Cotner. “In a small school you’re asked to wear many different hats and play many different roles in the kids’ lives, even outside of school, because it’s such a small community. You can’t help but build deep relationships with the kids. I’m going to miss that more than anything else. And, I really don’t think it will be any different when I get to Sisters.”

Cotner is also looking forward to working with Gary Hedin (assistant girls’ coach).

“He’s going to be a tremendous asset,” said Cotner. “He’s dedicated to helping build the program and cares a ton about the girls.”

In addition to working with a new team this fall, Cotner and his team will step into a new league. After being a part of the Capital Conference for 12 years, Sisters will officially join the 4A Sky-Em League.

“In my mind everything will be new,” said Cotner, “and it will be a fresh start for everyone. I think it’s the perfect time for the girls’ basketball program to move into a new league, considering they’re losing Blevins, a coach they all loved, and six seniors.

“We won’t be compared to anything the team before has done or what the coach before has done. And I don’t think we’re going to lose any of the competitiveness that the girls had in the Capital Conference, which was one of the toughest conferences in the State. The Sky-Em is another top conference which includes Marist, Cottage Grove and Junction City.

“It won’t be a ‘gimme.’”

Athletic director Mary Flande told The Nugget that Sisters High School will miss Blevins a lot, but they are also very excited about Cotner.

Flande said, “We all wish Bill the best of luck. He was able to take our girls’ basketball program to another level. He took us to the State 3A playoffs the past three years due to a lot of hard work, summer programs and year-round commitment. He brought a lot of stability to our program.

“But, we’re very excited about Kevin,” she said. “We’ve found a great teacher to join our staff who also has coaching experience and from what we’ve heard was obviously very loved in Maupin. He’s young, enthusiastic and an upbeat guy who has a huge passion for the game and I believe he’ll be able to pass that love of the game on to the girls on his team.”

Editor’s note: Kevin Cotner is Rongi Yost’s son-in-law.