Strom to resign as women’s basketball coach
Yakima Valley College Head Women’s Basketball Coach Adam Strom will resign at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season as he has been hired as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Haskell Indian Nations University. Haskell Indian Nations University is an NAIA school located in Lawrence, Kan., and a member of the Association of Independent Institutions.
Strom has served as the head women’s basketball coach at YVC since 2016 and coached the Yaks for five seasons. During that time, he led the program to an overall record of 69-49, including a 21-8 mark in the 2019-20 season and berth into the NWAC Championship Tournament. Due to the COIVD-19 pandemic, the tournament was canceled and the Yaks did not participate. Following the 2016-17 season, Strom was named NWAC East Region Coach of the Year.
“While we are sad to see Adam leave YVC, we are excited for the next chapter of his coaching career. We are happy for him and the fact that he is in a 4-year situation where he can coach women’s basketball on a full-time basis,” said Director of Athletics Ray Funk. “One of Adam’s many strengths was his ability to identify and successfully recruit highly-qualified Native American basketball players to YVC, and this opportunity will no doubt build upon that strength.”
Prior to coaching the women’s team at YVC, Strom was a successful high school basketball coach at a variety of schools in the Yakima Valley (White Swan, Wapato and Yakama Nation Tribal School) and in Hermiston, Ore. At each stop, his teams won league titles and qualified for their respective state championship tournaments.
“First, I would like to extend a huge thank-you to the YVC administration, athletic department and overall community of Yakima for making my first collegiate coaching experience a success. Under the guidance of Director of Athletics Ray Funk, it always felt like a class act” said Strom. “I am grateful for all of the players I had the pleasure to coach during my time at YVC. In their own way, each has prepared me for this opportunity as they are the reason I wanted to take on a full-time coaching opportunity.”
The search for a replacement for Strom will begin immediately. Current Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Felix DeLeon will continue to recruit potential student-athletes and run the day-to-day operations for the program until a new head coach is named.
Press Release Contacts:
Dustin Wunderlich / 509.574.6870 / dwunderlich@yvcc.edu
Ray Funk / 509.574.4722 / rfunk@yvcc.edu