Curtis High Product To Take Over As Lakes Boys Basketball Coach

It’s an orange-and-blue dream come true for Nick Jensen.

Jensen, a physical-education teacher at Lakes High School, has been hired as the varsity boys basketball coach. He replaces JoJo Rodriguez, who stepped down in April after six seasons with the Lancers.

“I’ve been waiting patiently,” Jensen said, “and this is the job I’ve been waiting for. It’s a great spot, and not to mention being a teacher here, it makes a world of difference.”

Although Jensen has taught at Lakes for six years, he has been an assistant varsity basketball coach at Bellarmine Prep for 11 seasons, as well as head coach of the Lions' junior-varsity team.

“The kids over there are great kids, and they’ve always been great to me,” said Jensen, a Curtis High alumnus who went on to study at Central Washington University. “But when this job opened up, I had to make the most of it.”

Jensen said that Rodriguez invited him to be an assistant a few years ago, but he was not interested in making a lateral move.

“If I was going to leave Bellarmine, it was going to be to be a head coach,” he said.

Especially exciting is the opportunity to work with his students in a coaching capacity.

“When it comes to relationships, they know me, but at the same time, they haven’t looked to me as a head coach,” he said.

Jensen said he plans to bring in some former Bellarmine players as assistants.

Rodriguez led Lakes to the state tournament in each of his first five seasons; the 2010-11 team won the the Class 3A championship.

Lakes Athletic Director Joe Keller said he has confidence that Jensen will keep the momentum going.

“I think (his hire) is going to help continue our legacy,” he said. “JoJo came in and turned our program around and we really, really respect him and thank him for that … We’ll miss him a lot but Nick’s going to step right in and continue that.

Keller said that the players are excited to continue playing an up-tempo game with a lot of defense, but that he expects Jensen to put his own touch on things.

“We’re just really excited about the upcoming season,” he said.

Jensen said that his new position comes with a huge responsibility, but he’s up for the task.

“They’ve done such a great job here over the last five or six years, I’m just hoping I can keep the train going in the right direction,” he said. “The foundation that was built was outstanding, though, so that makes it a little easier on me.”