Memorials: Don Monson

Former Pasco High School basketball coach Don Monson is also remembered at the 2026 Pasco Invite.

He is remembered as one of the most influential basketball coaches in the Pacific Northwest, whose career spanned high school, collegiate, and international basketball.

Don began his coaching career in Cheney, Washington, where he led Cheney High School for nine seasons before moving to Pasco High School in 1967. Over nearly two decades at the high school level he bult disciplined, competitive program and earned deep respect as both a coach and mentor. Don Monson’s Pasco teams were perennial contenders – they qualified for regionals every season he was a coach and finished second at the state competition in 1970 and 1971. His leadership changed the culture of the school and broader community during a pivotal era. Longtime Tri-City residents remember community members lining up at noon to watch the evening basketball games between the Richland Bombers and the Pasco Bulldogs.

Following his success in Pasco, Don advanced to the collegiate ranks, serving as an assistant coach at Michigan State University before becoming head coach at the University of Idaho and later the University of Oregon. At Idaho, he led the Vandals to multiple Big Sky Conference championships and national postseason appearances, earning National Coach of the Year honors in 1982. 

In 1993, Don extended his coaching career international, spending a season as head coach of the Adelaide 36rs in Australia’s National Basketball League.

Throughout his career, Don Monson was known not only for wins and championships, but for his integrity, leadership, and lasting impact on the lives of his players. He supported the Pasco Invite by providing and presenting Athlete of the Meet trophies for many, many years. His legacy lives on both locally through his grandchildren who attended Pasco and Chiawana High Schools, and in the many athletes, coaches, and communities he shaped over a lifetime in the game.