Tricia Dean to Step Down as Flathead Girls Basketball Coach

Flathead High School girls basketball coach Tricia Dean is expected to step down at the end of the 2019-20 basketball season, bringing her four-year tenure at the helm of the program to a close.

In a statement to the Beacon, Dean wrote, “I have thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed my time here at Flathead High. The support from administration, colleagues and parents has been overwhelming from the beginning. I will certainly miss my players most of all, as they have made the biggest impact on me as a person. However, we are still 100 percent committed to achieving our goals this season. The Flathead family is so special and will always have a place in my heart.”

Dean was hired to lead the Bravettes before the start of the 2016-17 season, taking over a program that had gone just 11-52 the prior three years. Flathead won 10 games in Dean’s first season, falling one win short of the Class AA state tournament, but that would be her high-water mark. As of Feb. 3, the Bravettes are 24-39 in three-plus seasons under Dean. Flathead is 2-9 this year.

Dean is the younger sister of former Flathead football coach Kyle Samson and she is married to Travis Dean, who played football for Samson at Montana State-Northern and later served as an assistant with the Braves. Samson was named the head coach at Montana Tech last month and Travis Dean has reportedly been hired as his offensive coordinator.

Tricia Dean came to Flathead after serving as an assistant coach at Havre High School. In addition to her coaching duties, Dean is also an English teacher at Flathead.