Lynnwood High School has a new girls basketball coach, and he’s well-known in the Lynnwood community.

Brent Hudson not only has a passion for basketball, having both played and coached the sport, but his three teenagers attend Lynnwood-area public schools. He also serves as teaching pastor for Silver Creek Family Church on 176th Street Southwest in Lynnwood.

He played four years of varsity basketball in high school, at Snohomish County Christian, and two years each of college ball at Everett Community College and at Corban College in Oregon.

His oldest son Kade, who will be a senior this fall at Lynnwood High School, is involved in drama. Daughter Simone will be a freshman at Lynnwood, while Colby will be a seventh-grader at Alderwood Middle School.

“The biggest draw for me was that it was Lynnwood,” said Hudson. “With my kids being part of the school system it was a way for me to be a part of what they are a part of.”

He said he feels no pressure following in the footsteps of nine-year Lynnwood girls coach Everett Edwards, who resigned earlier this spring after finishing with a 163-65 record, winning six Wesco championships and four Northwest District championships. The Edwards-led Royals also won the state title in 2015.

“Obviously the success of the team is well known and the team has done some amazing things,” said Hudson, who coached the freshman and junior varsity Lynnwood boys basketball teams from 2007-2009, and also served as head coach at Snohomish County Christian in 2003 and 2004. “I enjoy coaching. I love being a part of the game. I love the competition.”

Despite losing star players Mikayla Pivec and Jordyn Edwards to graduation, the Royals still have a wealth of talent to rely on, including Riley Walsh, Caprice Boston, Kelsey Rogers, Taylor Fahey, Rachel Walsh and Valerie Bell.

“They are amazing,” Hudson said. “I’m excited about their skill set and the desire.”

Hudson said he doesn’t know yet whether any of the girls assistant coaches will return, although all have been invited back. Assistant Coach Dave Douglas “is still around. He’s been a tremendous help,” he said.

Hudson will get his first taste of Lynnwood girls basketball coaching when the Royals work to defend their title this weekend in the Edmonds Summer Shootout, the largest prep girls basketball tournament in the state, with 42 varsity teams and 34 JV teams scheduled to participate. Games begin Friday and run through Sunday at Lynnwood, Edmonds-Woodway and Meadowdale High Schools.

“The school and the parents and the [Lynnwood High School] athletic director have been just incredible in terms of welcoming me in and making me feel included,” Hudson said.

Edmonds School District Athletic Director Julie Stroncek said that Hudson is “coming into a great situation. We’re excited to have Brent on on board.”

— By Teresa Wippel