After coaching the girls varsity basketball team since 2012, coach Josh Errecart has decided to step down from his position, leaving the team coachless. Despite leading the team to a CVC championship in 2017, Errecart felt the job required a large time commitment which made it difficult to be a coach, teacher and father. With four kids at home all involved in sports, Errecart wanted to focus more on supporting his family.

While Errecart felt the need to be more dedicated as a father, he found the decision to be difficult due to the relationships he developed with the players. By resigning, the PE teacher had to abandon his part in the player’s lives as their coach, after watching them grow as players for years.

“The athletes, the girls, the basketball players and the relationships I formed is probably what I’m going to miss the most,” Errecart said. “Developing them and then working with them years on end is clearly what most coaches coach for and certain players you coach since they were freshman and sophomores.”

One of those players he was able to watch at a young start, was sophomore Alyssa Sandle. Sandle was pulled up to varsity as a freshman last year and despite the age difference, she felt welcomed onto the team. Without Errecart, the team may experience a lack in chemistry with the new coach.

“I’m definitely less excited to play. We won’t have that same chemistry that we had last year once we get a new coach,” Sandle said. “I got to know [Errecart] really well. He was always there for me when I was playing varsity as a freshman.”

Also pulled up as a freshman, junior Isabelle Sanders experienced a similar feeling upon finding out Errecart resigned. Along with getting a new coach, the team lost nine seniors and only have three returning players. With a gap in the team and a brand new coach, players like Sanders have to become leaders.

“I think this year we’re switching it all up. Nine seniors are gone and it’s going to be a new coach with all new players so it’ll all be different,” Sanders said. “Personally I think I’m going to need to step up with the two other returning players in order to make up for our losses.”

One of those three that will have to step up along with Sanders, is senior Madi Law. This will be Law’s second year on varsity and she believes that although getting a new coach would typically be a major change, because so many players will be gone it won’t make things much different.

“Because we lost so many seniors this year and it’s basically going to be a brand new team, adding on a new coach won’t be very different,” Law said. “We had good chemistry last year with [Errecart], but this year things are changing and we all have to make new relationships, just now also with the coach.”

Though a hard choice to have been made, Errecart hopes he can continue to play a part in the basketball program in upcoming seasons as a spectator, despite the difficulties in being able to coach the team.

“I’ll go to the games for the team, but it’ll be very hard to sit and watch and not be in control,” Errecart said. “My mentality as a coach has always been to lead the girls and it’ll be hard to have to just sit and watch. I have complete faith in their decision to choose a new coach. I’m just going to miss getting to coach them during the games.”