Last
season, Brian Orr accomplished something that no other women’s basketball
coach in the Frontier Conference can claim – four straight conference
tournament titles. It’s the latest feat in a long-list of accomplishments
for one of the premier coaches not only in Warrior history, but in the
conference and NAIA as well.
Entering his 11th season
at the Warrior helm, Orr
has amassed an overall
win-loss record of
258-76 (.772 win
percentage), Orr has
compiled a number of
honors and trophies.
Along with the four
straight titles, his
teams have played in the
championship game in
five straight years.
Between 2005-08, he
earned three straight
Frontier Conference
Coach of the Year
awards, and led his team
to three straight
regular-season
conference
championships. In the
last six years, Orr has
an 157-34 (.822) overall
record and a 70-14
(.833) mark in the
conference. Under Orr’s
leadership the Warriors
have qualified for the
NAIA national
championship nine times
in the last 10 years.
The team has reached the
round of Sweet 16 in
five of the past six
seasons and made it to
the final eight in
2007-08.
Orr has averaged more
than 25 wins per season,
best in program history,
and hit the 200-win
milestone in one of the
Warriors’ most memorable
games when they defeated
Westminster 79-78 in the
championship game of the
Frontier Conference
Tournament in Salt Lake
City during the 2008-09
season. Westminster had
won its previous 16
games against conference
opponents during the
season before the
Warriors were able to
capture their second
straight conference
tournament title. The
Warriors also defeated
Westminster in Salt Lake
last season for the
tournament title, this
time in dominating
fashion 80-60.
On December 10, 2005,
with a victory over
Warner Pacific College,
Orr won his 100th
contest, a milestone
that was achieved faster
than any previous L-C
basketball coach. His
teams currently have the
best home court winning
percentage at the school
with a remarkable 142-16
(.899) record, including
a 16-1 (.941) mark two
years ago and a 15-1
mark last season (.934).
In addition, coach Orr
has compiled an
impressive 110-30 (.786)
overall conference
record, another first in
the Lewis-Clark State
record book. His teams
have averaged 11
conference wins per
season in a 14-game
schedule.
Before coming to
Lewiston, Orr was the
top women’s assistant at
Montana State University
in Bozeman, Montana.
During the 2000-01
campaign, the MSU
Bobcats posted the
fourth-best turnaround
in NCAA Division I and
finished with an 18-10
overall record and an
11-5 record in the Big
Sky Conference.
Prior to his stop in
Bozeman, Orr served as
the first women’s
basketball coach at the
University of Great
Falls in 15 years. Brian
also served as the top
assistant coach at
perennial NCAA Division
II power, Montana State
University-Billings from
1996-98. In his three
years at MSU-Billings he
helped lead the
Yellowjackets to a 64-22
record and three
straight trips to the
National Tournament.
MSU-B finished the
1998-99 season at 25-6
and advanced to the
“Elite Eight”, the best
finish in school
history.
|
Coach
Orr Year-by-Year
|
|
Year
|
Conference
|
Overall
|
Overall
%
|
|
10-11
|
11-3
|
29-5
|
.853
|
|
09-10
|
11-3
|
29-6
|
.829
|
|
08-09
|
10-4
|
23-8
|
.719
|
|
07-08
|
13-1
|
29-5
|
.853
|
|
06-07
|
14-0
|
31-3
|
.912
|
|
05-06
|
11-3
|
26-7
|
.788
|
|
04-05
|
10-4
|
22-11
|
.667
|
|
03-04
|
9-5
|
23-10
|
.697
|
|
02-03
|
11-3
|
23-10
|
.697
|
|
01-02
|
10-4
|
23-11
|
.676
|
|
Total
|
110-30
|
258-76
|
.772
|
Before serving at
MSU-Billings, Orr was
the head boys basketball
coach at Fergus High
School in Lewistown,
Mont., from 1991-96. He
was named the school’s
Teacher of the Year in
1996. Brian also served
as both the head boys
and girls coach at Simms
High School in Simms,
Montana, from 1986-91.
In 1990, he led the team
to the Montana State
High School Class B
State Championship,
while being named Coach
of the Year by the
Montana Coaches
Association. And in
1989, he was honored by
the Dufresne Foundation
as the Outstanding
Educator of the Year.
Orr began his head
coaching career at
Joplin-Inverness High
School in Joplin,
Montana. From 1982-86,
he served as the
school’s head boys and
girls basketball coach
and athletic director.
In his 14-year high
school coaching career,
his teams won five
conference titles and
his girls’ teams amassed
a 101-39 (.721) record.
A
native of Livingston,
Mont., Orr graduated in
1982, from Eastern
Montana College, now
known as Montana
State-Billings, with a
Bachelor of Science
Degree in Secondary
Education. He received
his Master’s of Science
Degree in Education from
MSU-Billings in 1997.
Brian is married to the
former Bonnie Olson. The
couple has four
children, Pat, Casey,
TJ, & Bobby.
Kyle Palmer
Assistant Women's Basketball Coach
Kyle
Palmer comes to
Lewis-Clark with over a
decade of basketball
coaching experience
after spending the last
seven years coaching
men’s basketball at the
collegiate level.
Palmer spent the 2010-11
season at Pacific
University under first
year coach Tim Cleary.
His responsibilities
included the development
of the perimeter
players, special game
situations, involvement
with recruiting and
scouting, and day-to-day
operations of the
basketball program.
Prior to Pacific
University, Palmer spent
one season (2008-09) as
an assistant coach at
Grand View University, a
NAIA school in Des
Moines, Iowa. In that
season, the Vikings
amassed a 25-9 record,
captured the Midwest
Collegiate Conference
championship, and
advanced to the second
round of the NAIA
Division II National
Tournament where it lost
to eventual national
champion Oklahoma
Wesleyan. Palmer was
responsible for
development of the post
position, which included
NAIA All-American Cory
Viet. Palmer also was in
charge of high school
recruiting and scouting
of the Vikings’
opponents.
Prior to Grand View,
Palmer spent two seasons
as an assistant coach at
Montana Tech. In his
time at Montana Tech, he
served as recruiting
coordinator and
recruited 2006 Frontier
Conference Freshman of
the Year Dirk Anderson.
Palmer was also in
charge of the
development of the post
position and helped
develop All-Conference
performers Casey Briggs
and Dusan Veselinovic.
Palmer also served as
Camp Director for the
Orediggers’ summer
basketball camps, and
was head junior
varsity basketball coach
for one season.
Before Montana Tech,
Palmer spent two seasons
at Walsh University in
North Canton, Ohio.
While he was on the
staff, the Cavaliers
went 54-15, won the NAIA
Division II National
Championship in 2005,
and back-to-back
American Mideast
Conference
Championships. In his
time at Walsh, Palmer
assisted in the
development of NAIA
Player of the Year and
NBA second- round draft
pick Robert Whaley.
Palmer began his college
coaching experience as a
student assistant coach
at Boise State
University. During his
time at BSU the Broncos
went 23-10 and advanced
to the National
Invitational Tournament
(NIT) where they won two
games. Palmer served on
the scout team, assisted
with the post position,
helped with on campus
recruiting, and was in
charge of the Broncos’
recruiting database.
Palmer has also coached
at Cole Valley Christian
School in Meridian,
Idaho where he served as
the junior high coach
for two seasons and was
the varsity assistant
coach during the
Chargers’ 2002 State
Championship team.
Palmer earned his
Bachelor’s Degree in
History from Boise State
in 2003 and earned a
Master’s in Education
from Walsh University in
2006. A native of
Stevensville, Mont.,
Palmer and his wife,
Melissa, are proud
parents of a daughter, Kambree (2), and
son, Righter,
who was born in
September.
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