Haines School now has a physical education teacher and high school girls’ basketball coach who trained an NBA team for 20 years.
And what might be even more surprising — Greg Brittenham says despite his high-profile jobs with the New York Knicks and later with Wake Forest University, what he’s really wanted is to end up in the 2,000-person town of Haines.
“Prior to this was at Wake Forest University as a player development coach. Prior to that with the New York Knicks for 20 years as an assistant coach in varying capacities.”
But Brittenham waited years for the right opportunity to move to Haines. He would call or email school district administrative assistant Ashley Sage about once a year asking about job openings. Why?
“Look around,” Brittenham said. “I mean, that’s why everybody’s here, especially in the winter. People don’t leave this place, it’s just spectacular. It’s everything I’ve wanted. It’s taken me about 18 years to get here and I’ve finally made it.”
Brittenham has never worked as a school PE teacher before. He says one of the most surprising things about the new job is what he’s seen from other teachers.
“These teachers work endless hours,” Brittenham said. “I came in on a Sunday off the ferry and there were teachers here preparing for Monday on a holiday weekend. The amount of hours that these people invest in the community is just astounding.”
Brittenham is enjoying the challenge of teaching, but he says basketball is his passion. So he’s happy to be a Glacier Bears coach.
“I’ve got a group of girls that just absolutely embrace learning how to play the game of basketball,” he said.
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