HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Jason Odegard decided to resign as the Lady Trojans' coach, giving up the job after one season. HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Lonnie Shereck was told Tuesday that after five seasons, he won't be back as the Pahrump Valley High School boys' basketball coach. Advertisement

* Last week, Jason Odegard told Lindgren he would not return as the coach of the Pahrump Valley High School Lady Trojans. The 2008-2009 team was 18-14, contending for a playoff berth until a late-season slump relegated it to a fifth-place finish in its inaugural season in the Class 4-A Sunset Region Southwest Division.

* Tuesday, Lonnie Shereck, who was 60-83 in five seasons as the boys coach, learned he was out. The 2008-2009 team started 7-5, but lost its final 18 games, including a 0-16 record against division opponents, who included Nevada Class 4-A state champion Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.

Whoever takes Shereck's place will become the fourth head coach in this decade at PVHS. Odegard took over for Bob Hopkins, who resigned after the 2007-2008 season.

Not only are Odegard and Shereck out, so, tentatively, are their assistants: Lance Englund and Erik Odegard (girls) and Royce Avena and Andy Andersen (boys). They can reapply.

The jobs are posted on the Nye County School District Web site, with Thursday and March 26 the deadlines for the girls and boys jobs, respectively.

No reasons were given for Odegard's decision. The team had only one senior starter -- all Southwest post player Kristi Daffer. Three sophomores -- Casey Scheller, Ashley Lindgren and Alyson Kunzi -- started, along with a transfer junior point guard, Toi Simmons.

The girls won nine of their first 10 games, then lost five of six in the always tough Las Vegas Invitational at Centennial. PVHS started 7-3 in division games, including a 51-40 conquest of Durango. But the girls finished 9-7; four of the losses were by a total of nine points.

In their last 10 seasons, PV girls teams are 235-67, with state Class 3-A titles in 2004 and 2005.

Shereck, in an interview Wednesday morning, wanted to make sure his former players know he "didn't quit."

"I told them all season long to never give up, never quit; I don't want them to think I quit on them," said Shereck. "I fully intended on returning; I had set up several camps this off-season, including one for the fifth graders from our weekend league. This summer, the high school boys were going to campis in Arizona and Utah."

Shereck's major concern is that if a coach is not named soon enough, the returning players would be denied a chance to go to off-season camps, which are a major element of developing a competitive team for the following campaign.

Shereck took over from John Toomer in the 2004-2005 season, with that team finishing 7-20. PVHS was 13-17 in 2005-2006, 16-9 in 2006-2007 and 17-14 in 2007-2008. The '07 team advanced to the state 3-A tournament, bowing 41-32 to Dayton in the semifinals.

The 2008-2009 team started 7-5, including a 3-1 run in the Mountain View Christian season-opening tournament. But the Trojans were rarely competitive against 4-A opponents, losing all 16 of their division games.

In a non-league start toward season's end, PVHS lost 58-55 at Boulder City; the Eagles went on to defeat Overton Moapa Valley in the state 3-A finals at The Orleans Arena in February.

"This (leaving as coach) was forced on me; it is something I would not do," said Shereck. "I think some people have lost sight of what coaching is all about..."

The leading candidates to replace either Odegard or Shereck? Good question ... no answers ... yet.