MISSOULA — After a historic run for the Missoula Hellgate girls basketball program, the Knights will be looking for a new coaching staff next season.
Co-head coaches Rob and Brady Henthorn as well as the rest of the staff have stepped down from their positions, Hellgate athletic director Nick Laatsch confirmed with MTN Sports on Wednesday morning. Their resignations were made official on Monday.
"Congratulations to our Hellgate girls’ basketball coaches on a fantastic final season," Laatsch said in a statement to MTN Sports. "On Monday, March 14, our girls’ basketball coaching staff notified the team that after seven years of coaching at Hellgate, this was their last season. This decision was not made lightly and was made prior to the start of the 2021-2022 season. The coaching staff and administration agreed that the best approach was to wait until the end of the season to make the announcement. Our coaches have always put the team first and didn’t want their decision to take the spotlight from the players. We applaud Rob, Brady, Darby (Henthorn) and Alex (Carey) for a job well done. They have positioned Hellgate for success for many years to come."
Rob Henthorn was hired as Hellgate's head girls basketball coach seven seasons ago and over the last few years Brady and Rob Henthorn have held co-head coaching duties for the Knights.
Henthorn and his staff saw a complete turnaround of the girls basketball program at Hellgate. When the Knights advanced to the State AA tournament in 2019, it was the program's first appearance at state since 2003. Hellgate then made back-to-back state championship game appearances in 2021 and 2022. The Knights lost 33-31 to Helena Capital in Great Falls in 2021 and fell to Billings Skyview 54-44 on Saturday in Billings in their second straight appearance in the title game.
During this run, the Knights were led by a number of seniors who were thrown into the fire as freshmen in 2018-19 as the program began its turnaround.
The Knights went 16-2 two years ago and 22-2 overall this year. During the seven seasons with Rob Henthorn — and additionally Brady — at the helm, the Knights went 97-57 which ranks third all-time in school history for wins behind Wayne Beddow (130) and Vickie Brown (109). Their .630 win percentage ranks second all-time behind Beddow (.739).
