Auburn Riverside girls’ basketball coach Derek Pegram resigns

Auburn Riverside High School girls’ basketball head coach Derek Pegram has stepped down after guiding the team for three years.

Confirming his resignation, Pegram said the role takes an incredible amount of energy and he believed that the team needed a new leadership. The coach stressed that it was really hard for him to say goodbye to returning players.

In an electronic mail, Pegram wrote, “I believe it is time for new leadership to take over. Saying goodbye to my returning players is the hardest part of all of this. I will miss the day-to-day in the season with some of the finest student athletes and coaches here at AR.”

Pegram is a 2004 Auburn Riverside alumna. He graduated from Lewis-Clark State College and returned to Riverside High School as the boys JV basketball coach. Then, he served as assistant coach for the women’s hoops team at Lewis-Clark State College and the boys’ team at Lewiston High School. Eventually, he landed at Auburn Riverside in 2013 to coach girls’ basketball team.

During his three-year tenure at Auburn Riverside High School, Pegram scored a record of 56-18 and guided the Ravens to SPSL 3A championships in 2015 and 2016. This past season the team went 23-2, made it to the regional round in state playoffs. In the regular season play, the team remained undefeated. With 23 straight victories, the Ravens emerged as the third-best in program history.