May Logging Out

Longtime Libby coach scaling back after 20 years

The journey, as Jim May sometimes likes to call it, will continue. 

It’s just heading in a slightly different direction from here on out.

The popular and longtime successful head girls basketball coach at Libby High School has decided it’s time to move forward with his life by resigning. He did that after the season ended back in March. 

He will continue teaching and be the head track coach.

“It’s probably been an eight-year decision,” May said.

“My daughter (Hollis) graduated 10 years ago and that class was pretty special. After that I wondered maybe this would be the year, but there was always a kid or two that kept me coaching.”

May compiled a 253-190 record in his 20 years as the head man in Libby. His teams won four divisional championships and advanced to state eight times.

“I never wanted to walk away with the program not in good shape,” he said.

“There is a good group of kids coming up. I know potentially they are really cool kids. In addition to them showing some signs of putting extra time in to get better, they are good students, have been raised well. Just a fun group.”

What did he enjoy the most? Does he have a favorite moment, or two?

“Gosh, that’s like asking me what my favorite ice cream is ... I like them all,” he said.

“Just the relationship with the kids. To be in a setting with the kids outside the classroom and then being able to take those kids and come up with a game plan, going against a team we shouldn’t be able to beat and having your kids buy into what your plan is and execute it.”

May played high school sports in Great Falls. His football coach was Mick Delaney and his basketball coach was Gary Turcott.

Delaney later coached at the University of Montana and Turcott at Carroll College. Both influenced his desire to enter the coaching ranks.

“Just someone who had the kids’ best interests in mind,” May said of how he would like to be remembered.

“Everyone I coached with, and against, and I worked with some amazing coaches and people, I have learned so much,” he continued.

“It’s hard to imagine being in this profession and not having those experiences.”

Jinnifer (Jeresek) Mariman, who played for May and graduated in 1998, says his presence will be greatly missed.

“The thing I remember about Mr. May was he was always there for us,” she said.

“Whether it was basketball season or not, he was a constant presence in our life. That’s what I remember. A lot of girls were very fortunate to have him as a coach. 

“I think this is the perfect moment where everybody should stop and thank him for everything he has done,” she continued.

“You don’t get a lot of credit coaching in a small town like Libby. He did so many things to make us competitive and exposed us to good competition throughout the state. He gave us experiences (of a lifetime). I wouldn’t have made it as far as I did without him.”

Her prep highlight was scoring two buzzer-beater shots in a double-overtime game with Billings Central at the state tournament in Butte.

“A fullcourt layup,” she said of the first one.

“Last one was a 15-foot jumper. That was one of the more memorable games of my career.”

She played every position on the court except for center. Ironically enough, she was a center for the volleyball team, starting two years and named all-state twice.

Mariman, a two-time all-state basketball selection for the Loggers, received a full-ride basketball scholarship from Montana State University.

“That’s a pretty valuable gift,” she said.

She said May helped her make the transition from high school to college basketball.

“Some of that was the advice he gave me,” she said.

“The advice was to never get tired. That was great advice. If the coach takes you out to take a breather, you can’t do much on the bench to help your team. You never want to give them an excuse (to take you out), so make sure they have a reason to do that. That goes with all aspects of life. It’s all about effort. If you don’t get tired, you can sure accomplish a lot.”

Unlike her success at Libby, Mariman had an up-and-down hoop career at MSU. She struggled with three coaching changes and was a full-time starter for just her junior season.

“That’s a tribute to him for how strong of a coach he was in my life,” she said of her ability to deal with adversity.

“I was able to play through three different coaching styles and still love the game. I have him to thank for that.”

Mariman was a team captain at MSU for her final two seasons. Those teams won back-to-back Big Sky Conference women’s basketball championships and were inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame. Mariman gave the Hall of Fame induction speech for the basketball team.

And in typical May fashion, he surprised her by attending the event.

“I got so excited,” she said of seeing him there.

“If I could pick one coach to be there for that moment, that night, it would have been him. That was really cool.”

She said May and his high school players would attend MSU games to watch her play if they were in the vicinity.

“That made a big impression on me and the team as well,” she said.

“I was able to meet with them and show them around.”

Mariman graduated from MSU in 2003 and from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland three years later.

She is currently a two-year partner in the Moore, Cockrell, Goicoechea and Johnson Law Firm in Kalispell.

“I know he’s an avid fisherman,” she said.

“There is a lot of water he wants to fish. A lot of rivers he would love to float.

“I was surprised he coached as long as he did,” she added.

“It’s such a laborious position in high school sports. He was going from the beginning of summer until track season. He never had an offseason.”

Jackie Mee was a four-year starter for May and is the school’s all-time leading scorer. She was the Loggers team captain her junior and senior seasons and was a first-team all-state selection three times.

She accepted a full-ride scholarship for basketball and golf from Carroll College. She played basketball for two seasons and golf for the last two.

“He’s definitely at the top,” she said of the best coaches she’s ever played for.

“Probably the closest thing I had to another dad. He treated me like his daughter. If I had a hard time he would tell me: ‘You’re a good shooter. You’ll do fine.’

“We had a lot of fun. His sense of humor would always come through. He’d get fired up and yell at you every now and then, but that’s what basketball coaches do in a good way.”

She said he was the perfect person for the job.

“He was a good role model for people,” she said.

“A well-rounded person who coached several things. He’s one of the most caring people I’ve been around. He was always checking in on how you were doing.

“He’s a person of high character, very respectful in all settings. He works really hard to help students become ready for college or for whatever is next for them.” 

She said May’s biggest contribution to her hoop game had nothing to do with her skills on the court.

“He just helped me get excited about it (basketball),” she said.

“When you’re excited about something, you want to practice more.”

Mee, who was also an all-state performer in volleyball, tennis and golf for the Loggers, graduated from Carroll in 2015. She is currently a medical-surgical nurse at Community Medical Center in Missoula.

“I’m hoping to get into coaching, eventually,” she said.

May is partially responsible for that, along with her mother, Barb Mee, who has been the Libby junior varsity coach with May for 15 seasons.

Her dad, Jerry Mee, is the head boys basketball coach in Troy.

“I’ve been a gym rat since Day 1,” she said.

“I always rode on the bus and sat with them before I even played.”