Girls' basketball is now mature enough that the first generation of coaches -- the ones who could make the state tournament with a couple of good players and a supporting cast that knew the rules -- has largely stepped away from the sidelines.
One of the last of the pioneers, Randy Myhre of Barnum, has announced his retirement.
Myhre took over a program in the late 1970s when it wasn't very good -- and routine dominated by the nearby powerhouse from Moose Lake -- and turned the team into a northern Minnesota power.
Myhre is leaving with a 626-165 record. His teams were immune to the down cycles that often plague smaller communities, as Barnum (population 613) won at least 20 games in each of his final 20 seasons. The Bombers won the 2010 Class A title and his teams went to state nine times.
Here's the retirement story written by Rick Weegman of the Duluth News Tribune.
You might know of Barnum as a place to get gas along I-35. Those who follow Minnesota high school sports know that Myhre helped put Barnum on the girls' basketball map.
