A ‘life mentor’ to players, Boise basketball coach steps down after 11 seasons
After a summer of open gyms, Max Teems was sure he wouldn’t make the Boise High varsity basketball team his senior season.
Teems wanted to give head coach Manny Varela a heads-up, explaining why he would no longer be showing up.
Varela wasn’t having it.
“He stops me, and he goes, ‘Not only would I not let you quit, but a number of teammates have come to me and told me that they don’t want to be on the team if you’re not on it,’” Teems said. “Just that conversation and talking about the importance of every role, and he talked a lot about grit, and just him putting me on that team kind of set me on the path that I’m on today.”
Varela’s dedication to his players — from the starters to the end of the bench — helped him rebuild the Brave program over the past 11 seasons. He compiled an overall record of 135-117, ending a state tournament drought that dated back to 1997 by making it in just his second season with the program.
But Varela said it’s time to hand the reins to someone else so he can devote more time to his young family.
“This decision has not been easy. My wife and I have spent a lot of time talking about what the next chapter should look like for our family,” Varela said. “With three kids at home and after recently completing my master’s degree in school counseling, I feel it is the right time to explore new professional opportunities and dedicate more time to my family.”
Varela and his wife, Tylin, are parents to Alyvia (14), Sophia (12) and Paxen (8). All three are heavily involved in athletics and activities, and Varela wants to be there for it.
“It’s the time commitment to be good. It just takes more and more time every year, and my kids are requiring more and more time, so I’m being pulled by both in opposite directions,” Varela said. “Basketball is pulling me. They need more and more. And that’s just the climate that we’re in, basketball-wise. It takes more as a head coach, and my kids, as they’re getting older, they need more.
“When they were little, it didn’t matter. They’re in diapers and they’re crawling around.”
Varela’s decision to step down leaves big shoes to fill in the Brave community.
“I think what stands out to me is his character and how good of a person he is overall,” said Michael Nance, who played three seasons for Varela and is now at Dickinson State. “There was never a time where I felt like I couldn’t go and talk to him if I needed something, or if I was struggling with something in basketball or anything like that. I felt like he was just someone I could always go talk to. He’s just a super kind person.”
Varela took over the Boise program in 2015-16 after serving as an assistant at Borah since 2007 under legendary coach Cary Cada.
“He loved being a coach and a teacher, and he loved kids, and he loved the game of basketball,” Cada said. “Our son played on his JV team (at Borah), and he loved him, as did the other players. There was no question in their minds that he, honest to goodness, cared for them.”
In Varela’s second season with the Brave, in 2016-17, he helped the program earn a district runner-up finish and make the state tournament. He was co-coach of the year in what was then the 5A SIC. Boise qualified for state four times during his tenure, including an inspired run through the district tournament in 2024-25 after going just 4-7 in league play during the regular season.
Teems, a 2017 Boise graduate, was a member of the squad that broke through for the first state berth in 20 years. Teems has since gone on to become the Director of Video Operations and Program Logistics with the Boise State men’s basketball team.
“He’s a life mentor to me outside of basketball,” Teems said. “I’ve talked to him about job opportunities. I’ve talked to him about basketball, but more than anything, it was usually just checking in on how I was doing as a human being. I think that was kind of indicative of his approach to the whole deal. He was a coach of people before he was a coach of players.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 4:00 AM.
