Blake will have two prominent coaching positions to fill this summer.

On Thursday, April 16, boys basketball coach Tyler Biwan posted on X he would not return next season, a decision he said was made by the school. Girls hockey coach Kristi King decided to step down after five years at the helm, school officials confirmed.

“This morning I was informed I would not be allowed to continue leading Blake boys hoops, citing parent, alumni and player feedback to support that decision,” Biwan wrote. “For the last 10 years, Blake boys hoops as been my life, my identity, and I am heartbroken.”

In March, Blake lost to Pequot Lakes in the Class 2A state tournament quarterfinals 69-60. The Bears, the seventh seed in the tournament, finished the season 19-14 and entered the tournament on a seven-game win streak.

“I think as a basketball coach, you’re never going to keep everyone happy in your program, just based on how it works,” Biwan told Strib Varsity. “It’s a sport you’re playing seven to nine guys and you’re going to have other guys working towards future opportunities. As a staff, I felt like we were very communicative to what those roles and expectations are and I feel like we have been that way for many, many years. But here’s a situation where you still have those [players or parents] who are unhappy. And that’s the reality of coaching.”

This past season was Blake’s first state tournament appearance since 2013, when Biwan was the school’s junior varsity coach. He said more than 200 people have signed a petition to have him reinstated, and several more have publicly supported him through social media posts.

“For the past 24 hours I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback and love from 98 percent of the parents and players in our program,” said Biwan, who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2010 and worked as a graduate assistant under former men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith.

King guided the girls hockey team to its first state tournament appearance since 2017 this past season. Blake lost to Breck in the Class 1A girls hockey state semifinals and finished with a 22-8 record.