She’s back: District apologizes, reinstates Gig Harbor girls hoops coach
Michele Hackett is back in.
Less than two weeks after the Gig Harbor High School girls basketball coach announced in an email to parents that she was being let go, the Peninsula School District has reversed course.
The district explained its reversal in a Monday afternoon email/ParentSquare post authored by Gig Harbor High School principal Bob Marshall and Peninsula School District athletic director Wendy Malich.
“The district would like to clarify that this decision to end Coach Hackett’s tenure was made without consulting district administration, and proper administrative protocols were not followed,” states the email, obtained by The News Tribune. “To be clear, Coach Hackett should never have been released from her contract in the first place. The district wholeheartedly supports her goals and the strong, positive culture she is building for our student athletes.”
The News Tribune attempted to reach Hackett for comment but had not heard back as of 8:10 p.m. Monday.
The News Tribune reported last week that Hackett met with Gig Harbor High School athletic director Blair Suek on April 23 and was notified that the “general consensus was that I wasn’t the best fit for this particular program and community” after postseason discussions with players.
After the announcements and The News Tribune’s reporting, the district said numerous athletes and parents contacted the district and the school to “overwhelmingly advocate” for Hackett to remain on board.
“District leadership met with Coach Hackett, and we are pleased to announce she has agreed to continue to lead our Girls Basketball program as the head varsity coach,” the email continues. “We sincerely apologize for the confusion, frustration, and concern this has caused Coach Hackett, her coaching staff, the athletes, families, and the broader community.”
Hackett replaced Tim Olson, who was placed on administrative leave — alongside two assistants — after a district investigation found the coaches consumed alcohol during a team trip to Florida, allegedly.
A source told The News Tribune many of the team’s parents remained firmly in the corner Olson and felt they never gave Hackett a fair chance. The source also said some of the parents weren’t fans of Hackett’s laid-back, hands-off coaching style during games.
By any reasonable standard, Gig Harbor had a successful season under Hackett, who was hired late in the cycle and wasn’t able to coach the team during the summer, a critical team-development period for any coach, but especially a first-year coach.
Gig Harbor posted a 19-6 record in the 2025-26 season and was one win away from playing in the Class 3A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome, falling 44-43 to the Maggee Schmitz-led White River Hornets in a state tournament regional round game at the University of Puget Sound Logger Memorial Fieldhouse on Feb. 28.
Hackett was named the 3A Puget Sound League Narrows Division coach of the year in 2025-26. Two Tides — senior Kaliyah Miller and junior Willow Bonnici — were named first-team all-league selections, while junior Ashlyn Pierce and sophomore Anika Jones were second-team selections.
We are deeply grateful for the passion and engagement our community has shown for Coach Hackett, her team-first philosophy, and the future of our program,” the email also states. “Thank you to our students and parents for your continued support, advocacy, and understanding as we work to make this right.
“We stand firmly behind Coach Hackett and her mission to strengthen the GHHS team culture and look forward to her continued leadership and success as she takes the program into the future.”
