Former Blue Pony is winning championships wherever he goes

Eric Peterson knows a thing or two about winning state championships. As a high school basketball player for Havre High, Peterson was a member of the 1994 Blue Pony boys basketball championship; now, as the head coach of the Helena High girls, his history of winning has repeated itself.

Yes, Peterson is getting quite the reputation around the state, after guiding Helena High to back-to-back Class AA girls championships the past two seasons. In all, that gives him three titles if you count the one he won as a player, even though he says he didn't contribute much.

"My name is on the trophy and I made it into the picture," Peterson said. "I was kind of a swing player and went between varsity and JV but I was fortunate to get to be part of that team."

After sitting on the bench and watching the Ponies win a state title in 1994, Peterson grew into a more prominent role the next two seasons, before ultimately earning Class A All-State honors as a senior in 1996. From there, Peterson went on to play collegiately at Carroll College. During his time with the Saints, Peterson described himself as a role player, but he was part of the 2001 team that posted a 26-6 record and won the Frontier Conference championship.

Following his playing days, Peterson got into coaching, even though it was a path he never thought he'd follow.

"After I graduated from Carroll, I got another degree from the University of Montana and I started coaching sub-varsity boys," Peterson said. "I never thought I would get into to the coaching realm, but as soon as I got in, I was hooked."

Eventually, Peterson, who lived in Idaho also while coaching, moved back to Montana and took the head coach job at Jefferson High School in Boulder. He led the girls basketball team there, and in two seasons, Peterson said he won just two games, including none in his final season. Yet, he says those are still some of his best memories coaching and that even though those two seasons were tough, he wouldn't be the same coach without that experience.

"I was not as successful there as I have been at Helena High," Peterson said. "In two years, we went 2-36. It taught me a lot about myself and how to coach. You can only coach up to your talent and you just have to try to be the best team you can be. It was very gratifying for me. I had great kids and they worked hard; they never gave up on me. We just didn't have the guns, but we had great support and it was one of those things that was a great learning experience and taught me a lot about myself as a coach and how I wanted to come across to the girls."

Peterson also said that experience taught him something about handling defeat.

"I am one of the most competitive people on earth. I hate to lose," Peterson said, "so that was a humbling experience. But it taught me how to lose and to be a good sport. But I wouldn't fathom, that a few years later, I would be where I am at now."

After his children were born, Peterson gave up coaching for a bit, before resurfacing as the Helena High JV coach. Then back in May of 2013, he was hired at the head coach of the Helena girls, and since then, it's been a steady climb to the top. It culminated with state championship victories over Missoula Sentinel in both 2017 and 2018.

But beyond the back-to-back Class AA crowns, Peterson is building a juggernaut, one that has had two players, Kamden Hilborn and Jaime Pickens sign with NCAA Division I schools, Pickens with the Lady Griz and Hilborn with Montana State. Pickens is also the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in Montana and leads a Helena squad that looks poised to have a good shot at repeating. Furthermore, for his part, Peterson was also named the Class AA girls coach of the year two years running.

"Having good players helps a lot," Peterson said. "But I also try to invest a lot of time in my players. I am in their lives 12 months out of the year. I follow them in their other sports and in their lives and we have that family culture, and I think that's really important. But we have also had two Division I players that past couple of years and have the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year coming back for next season."

Peterson also talked about how he has been able to maintain success with the Bengals, as well as the difficulty of repeating as state champions, something the Havre High girls basketball team will attempt to do next season.

"We build those relationships with the girls," Peterson said. "It's about more than just the four months of basketball. When I buy into them, it helps them buy into us. Being involved and building those relationships, you get to the point, where those girls are your family and will run through brick walls for you. They will buy into the program and what you are doing and I feel like that's where we're at right now. We are in a good spot. We graduated five of our senior players that played in the first state championship. In the last state championship, we played nine girls and seven of them didn't play in the previous one. It's one of those things where the winning culture just breeds itself and the girls want to be part of that."

Say what you will, but Peterson knows how to win championships. Whether it was in Class A, the Frontier Conference and now as a Class AA girls basketball coach, winning has followed him just about everywhere. At the very least, he is a long ways away from that winless season at Jefferson County High School. And if he keeps winning, job offers may follow, but for now, Peterson said he's perfectly happy being the head coach at Helena High.

"I am very happy where I'm at," Peterson said. "We are pretty settled in the Helena area. Our kids are young enough, we have a 12-year-old son and twin nine-year-old girls, so I am going to be following them around. And I have a really good thing going right now. I have a great administration and great support from parents and the community. I have no ambitions to leave at this time. Who's to say when my kids get older and are out of school, maybe then I might look at it a little bit. But right now, I am very content and very happy."