One of the state's top 5A girls basketball teams didn't have to look far to find its next coach.
Redmond, a state semifinalist the last three seasons, has turned the reins over to Reagan Gilbertson, the school's boys coach for the last 10 years. Gilbertson replaces Alex Carlson, who has taken over Redmond's boys team.
Gilbertson said the switch with Carlson wasn't coordinated but it's a better fit for both coaches. Carlson has a son in the boys program, and another in junior high. Gilbertson has daughters ages 12, 8 and 4 that he hopes to coach with the Panthers.
“It was kind of a natural time for our families to make the switch,” Gilbertson said. “I had a great run with the boys, but looking forward to another long successful run with the girls. My vision is 14 years. That would put my 4-year-old as a senior.”
Gilbertson went 131-121 during his tenure with the boys team, winning the Intermountain Conference title in 2022 and making the state semifinals in 2022 and 2023. He said he considered coaching in the girls program for more than a year, and when Carlson stepped down after last season, he was prepared to fill the void.
“I knew it was something I wanted down the road,” said Gilbertson, a 2000 Redmond graduate. “I didn't tell many people what my plan was because I didn't know how long Alex was going to be there.”
Gilbertson said his daughters – Hadley, Cora and Grace – are building relationships with the high school players. They attend practices and sit with him on the bench during summer games.
“It's been awesome so far,” he said. “As soon as my daughters walk in the gym, our team embraces them.
“I'm circling up at the huddle, and my 8-year-old was there, and she just comes running in and gives me a big hug. I got emotional. This is why I wanted to do this. I was emotional with the boys, but this is going to be a little bit different, having my daughters around more.”
Gilbertson inherits a girls team that is set up for continued success. The only player not eligible to return from a team that finished 25-3 and earned the No. 1 seed to the 5A playoffs is point guard Mylaena Norton, the two-time IMC player of the year who is starting a college career at Fresno State.
“I'm stepping into a really good situation,” Gilbertson said. “They are very talented, coachable. We're going through the change of systems, a different leader, different voice. They've been great. All my old jokes are now funny again. It's been a blast so far.”
The Panthers made a dramatic rise on their three seasons under Carlson, going 68-16 overall and 36-1 in the IMC. They led 5A in scoring last season at 71.0 points per game.
Redmond lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion in each of the last three seasons, falling to Silverton 48-29 in 2024, Crater 72-44 in 2025 and West Albany 63-37 this year. The Panthers are looking to take the next step in 2026-27.
“I know these girls want to get over that hump,” Gilbertson said. “They've had a really good run.”
The Panthers return four starters in freshman guard Kodee Kimball, sophomore wing Bergen Porter and junior posts Addison Ring (6-foot-3) and Freya Snow (6-1). Kimball averaged a team-high 15.6 points last season, including a school-record 36-point outburst, and made the IMC first team.
Redmond will miss the leadership of Norton (14.9 points), the school's all-time leading scorer. The Panthers are looking for Ainsley Ure, the team's sixth man as a freshman last season, to assume point guard duties.
“It's going to look a lot different, but she's really skilled, as well,” Gilbertson said.
Tualatin suffers setback
An injury to a key player overshadowed Tualatin's encouraging performance against elite competition in the Section 7 Showcase on June 19-20 in Mesa, Ariz.
Bella Amens, a sophomore guard on last season's 6A semifinal team, suffered a torn ACL in the Timberwolves' third of four games at the event. Coach Wes Pappas said Amens is likely to miss next season.
“This summer, she was just killing it,” Pappas said. “She's so under the radar, but she's such a key. She can just mess you up on the defensive end. Her time was coming.”
The speedy Amens, who came on strong at the end of her sophomore season, was a force on the team's full-court press this summer alongside point guard Love Lei Best.
“She's just the fastest kid I've ever coached,” Pappas said. “She's one of the fastest kids I've ever seen.”
Tualatin split its four games at the event. The Timberwolves beat Utah power Lone Peak 52-42, then fell to Ontario Christian (Calif.) 55-45 and Mater Dei (Calif.) 58-57 before finishing with a 53-45 win over Pleasant Grove (Utah).
Best, who led Tualatin to the state title as a freshman and was the 6A player of the year as a sophomore last season, propelled the Timberwolves past Pleasant Grove. The Timberwolves were missing Amens and junior forward Kendall Dawkins, who left early in the game with a quad strain.
'As usual Love Best saw the situation that we were in and really put us on her back," Pappas said. "She absolutely took over that game and carried us to that win."
Tualatin's opponents were loaded with highly rated prospects. Lone Peak featured 6-4 Nation Williams, a five-star recruit. Ontario Christian had guard Kaleena Smith, rated as the nation's top incoming senior by ESPN, and Mater Dei had guard Tatianna Griffin, rated as the No. 1 incoming junior. Pleasant Grove had 6-6 Sutton Villa, a top-10 ranked junior.
“Our side of the bracket was insane,” Pappas said.
Change at Beaverton
Beaverton has a new coach, with Erin Brunton replacing John Naro.
Naro went 41-36 in three seasons with the Beavers, including 11-15 last season. He was promoted from assistant coach to succeed his wife, Kathy, who went 124-34 in six seasons at Beaverton, winning the 6A title in 2022.
Naro said “it was just time” for him to step down.
“Not having a teacher schedule, it's hard to put in the hours needed,” he said. “I will really miss being around the girls. They are a special group. But they hired a really good coach in Erin.”
Naro will have more time to watch his daughter, Maddie, play her final two seasons at UC Santa Barbara.
“Right now, my plans are to try to get out and watch as many games as I can,” he said.
Brunton played on Jesuit's 2003 state runner-up team under Kathy Naro. She has coached club and high school basketball for 17 years in Oregon, spending the last four seasons as the head coach at 6A Franklin.
Brunton compiled a 26-68 record with the Lightning. She was the Portland Interscholastic League coach of the year last season, when the team improved from 3-21 the previous season to 10-14.
jerryu@osaa.org
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