Travis Bledsoe, a 2005 DeLaSalle graduate and most recently the head coach at Centennial, was named to succeed Dave Thorson as coach of the Islanders boys' basketball program.
Bledsoe, 29, twice played in the state tournament under Thorson, who left DeLaSalle after 26 seasons to become an assistant coach at Drake.
The Islanders have won the past six Class 3A state titles.
Ex-Gopher hired
Former Gophers basketball player Damian Johnson has been named the coach at North St. Paul High School. He replaces Joe Janquart, who left after five seasons for the same job at Lakeville South.
Johnson, 30, played for the Gophers from 2006 to '10. He played professionally in Japan and Australia and in the NBA Development League.
Among top three
Gophers catcher Kendyl Lindaman was named one of three finalists for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Freshman of the Year.
She is the first Big Ten player to be among the final three. The award will be presented at the Women's College World Series banquet on Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
Lindaman, of Ankeny, Iowa, was named both the Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Year. She led the conference in home runs (20), slugging percentage (.899), RBI (tied-76), walks (63), on-base percentage (.598) and batting average (.426). She was third in the NCAA in on-base percentage, tied for third in RBI, fourth in slugging percentage and seventh in home runs.
