The name Greg Oldham and Coupeville girls basketball are synonymous with success.

In five years as head coach, the 39-year-old built an 85-43 record and led the Wolves to three state tournament appearances and three state trophies — one sixth and two eighth places.

An opportunity to advance his career, however, will make this his final season of coaching for CHS.

This fall Oldham will act as an assistant under Don Meyer for the men’s basketball program at Northern State University, a NCAA Division II school in Aberdeen, S.D.

“I talked to (Don Meyer) about two years ago,” Oldham said. “He said when you want to make a move, we’ll make a place for you.”

According to Oldham, Meyer, who recently picked up his 800th win as a head coach, is one of the most underrated coaches in the country.

“He’s someone who we’ve tried to develop our program after here,” Oldham said.

While at Northern State University, Oldham plans to work toward a Master’s in physical education, health and coaching.

Oldham hopes the additional schooling will make him more valued if he decides to come back to high school coaching.

His dreams, however, are to move up the ranks of collegiate basketball.

“I’m trying to build my resume — to make me more attractive to Division I and Division II programs,” he said.

The Wolves’ eighth place finish at the 1A state tournament in Yakima over the weekend couldn’t have been a more appropriate ending for Oldham. Every team Coupeville played in the tournament, Oldham had some relation to. The largest of those relations coming with final opponent White Swan, where he had his first head coaching job from 1997 to 2000.

“To round it out against kids I coached down in the youth program was pretty special,” Oldham said.

Although he is going out on a positive note, leaving Coupeville will no doubt be difficult.

“For four months of every school year I knew that at the end of the school day I was going to get to hang out with the best and brightest this community had to offer,” Oldham said. “No matter how the day had gone, at 2:30 p.m. I got to spend time with my favorite people, in my favorite place, doing my favorite thing. I truly have been blessed.”