WASHBURN, Maine — Tyler Putnam’s stint as the girls’ basketball coach at Washburn District High School was short lived.
Putnam was hired as a social studies teacher last summer and subsequently was hired as the coach to replace Diana Trams, who won three state championships during her four-year tenure.
Last year’s team went 10-8 during the regular season to nab the No. 6 position in the Class D North standings. Washburn upset No. 3 Central Aroostook in the quarterfinals before being eliminated by eventual champion Shead of Eastport in the semis.
Putnam resigned June 16 “for another teaching opportunity,” according to WDHS Athletic Director Ron Ericson. Attempts to reach Putnam regarding his exact plans were unsuccessful.
“It is a big loss for our school and the team,” Ericson said. “He is an excellent teacher and he did a great job with the team. We will certainly miss him and we wish him well and we are thankful for the effort that he put in and what he accomplished in one short year.”
Ericson added that the school will begin a search for a teacher and coach immediately.
Putnam was a basketball standout at Hodgdon from 1998-2002 and made second team all-state his senior year. He went on to play collegiately at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire.
After graduating in 2006, he coached middle school basketball for one season in Houlton and then the varsity boys’ team at Hodgdon for a year before moving on to the Acton School Department for eight years, where he served as athletic director, soccer coach and basketball coach.
