Flathead Bravettes Basketball Coach Resigns
Sam Tudor has stepped down from his role after leading the Bravettes to the state final last season
By Micah Drew
After three years at the helm of the Flathead Bravettes basketball program, head coach Sam Tudor has resigned his position, Flathead High School Activities Director Bryce Wilson announced on Wednesday.
“Sam has been a leader the moment he stepped into the building. His connections with our students have been amazing as he worked with our girls,” Wilson said in a press release. “I have enjoyed working with Sam and felt blessed to help mentor him through his coaching tenure here at Flathead. He was one of the most involved coaches in the building as students looked forward to being in his classroom.”
According to the release, Tudor left the teaching profession over the summer and, after initially believing he would be able to juggle a new career with coaching one of the state’s top basketball programs, he recently realized he would “not be able to coach to his high standards.”
Over the last decade, Tudor made his mark in the Flathead Valley as one of the top basketball coaches in the state, regardless of classification. In 2014, he was hired as the head coach of the Bigfork Vikings and spent five years with the program.
Tudor enjoyed remarkable on-court success as Bigfork’s coach, going 111-14 overall and leading the Vikes to the 2018 and 2019 Class B titles, along with another title game appearance in 2016. The 2017-18 Vikings were a perfect 24-0, and his four-year starter at point guard, Anders Epperly, set Montana’s all-time career assist record this year.
After resigning his post in 2019, Tudor said he planned to return to coaching, and did so in 2020 at the Class AA level.
Tudor took over a Bravettes team that saw only two wins during the 2019-2020 season, and in just two seasons coached Flathead to a third place finish at the state tournament, earning the program’s first trophy since 2007. Last season, the Bravettes earned a 15-5 record and a berth in the state championships in March. In a close game against Billings West, the Bravettes came within five points of winning their first state title in 22 years, marking a new standard of play for the team.
“As we move forward, we will work to continue the success that the Bravette program has achieved these past two years,” Wilson said. “Sam’s commitment and dedication to the program truly made the difference and it showed in their lives and on the scoreboard.”
The process for finding a new head coach is expected to begin immediately.