Community Education Sports

Peninsula School District suspends all three Gig Harbor High girls basketball coaches for rest of season

The Peninsula School District and Gig Harbor High placed all three members of the coaching staff for the school’s girls basketball team on administrative leave for the rest of the season.

The school district made the announcement on Monday, Jan. 27. The district said it received a complaint against the coaches and is conducting an ongoing internal investigation.

Tim Olson was the Tides’ head coach during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. He previously coached boys basketball at Kingston High in Kitsap County, according to a previous Gig Harbor Now story.

A statement from the school district said an interim coach will lead the Tides for the rest of this year. District spokeswoman Danielle Chastaine said administrators are still confirming who that will be. (The district later named Dan Dizon as the Tides’ interim coach.)

The Tides are scheduled to play at Central Kitsap at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, according to the Puget Sound League website. They also play at Mount Tahoma on Friday, Jan. 31, with yet-to-be scheduled league crossover games and the postseason to follow.

“The GHHS administrators and PSD leadership understand this sudden change will be disruptive, but the decision was deemed necessary to protect the well-being of PSD’s students and the integrity of the GHHS Girls Basketball program,” the district’s news release said. “Our first priority is the safety and well being of every student at PSD.”

Gig Harbor has a record of 10-8 on the season, 7-7 in the Narrows Division of the Puget Sound League. The Tides went 13-10 in Olson’s first season at the helm.

In its release, the school district said that “no other details will be shared at this time.”

The Gig Harbor girls basketball team during a game against Peninsula earlier this year. Photo courtesy Gig Harbor basketball