Manhattan board hires Tory Bates as head girls basketball coach, trustees pledge support

The Manhattan School Board voted to approve the appointment of Tory Bates as the district’s head girls basketball coach for the 2026–27 school year.

Bates, a Manhattan High School alum who has served the district as a middle‑school coach the past two years, outlined a multi‑year vision for rebuilding the girls program, expanding youth camps and strengthening connections between middle and high school teams. She told the board she has “already started summer plans” and has worked with current staff to align development work. “I am a coach that wants to make her players better performers as well as better human beings,” Bates said during her remarks.

Trustees cited Bates’s eight years of experience coaching girls’ basketball, prior work at higher levels and her ties as a district teacher as factors in their support. One board member noted Bates’s practice planning and emphasis on fundamentals and player development; another described her as highly dedicated and praised the engagement of players in her sessions.

Discussion at the meeting focused on program sustainability and how the district and community can support a young head coach. Trustees asked about mentorship and professional development for coaches; administration and board members pointed to state‑level coaching clinics and potential booster support to fund attendance. One trustee offered to mentor Bates as a volunteer coach to ease her transition.

After the discussion the board moved to approve the recommendation; the motion carried.

The hire follows routine approvals of multiple certified and classified staff and is part of the district’s broader spring personnel actions. Bates’s hiring is effective for the 2026–27 school year, and the board said it will monitor implementation of proposed mentoring supports and program development activities.