After 21 years as head coach of the Clarkdale girls basketball team, Jeff Davis has decided to resign from his post. 

Davis said he began considering a change in mid-January with wanting to care for his mother, who is in poor health, and to spend more time with his family.

“I could tell my passion for the game was waning a little bit after this long season,” Davis said. “I just mentioned it to the administration and they thought it was something that could be done, and they supported that.”

Davis added that another reason for him stepping down is due to Clarkdale changing to block scheduling, which will keep him busy enough as he will continue to teach Advanced Placement courses in both government and U.S. history.

“I’ll have a full teaching load for sure, I’m just stepping away from afternoon practices and long nights during the basketball season,” he said. “Sixty-five to even 72-, 73-hour weeks is not unusual in basketball season, so I’m unloading a little bit of that.”

Clarkdale athletic director Scott Gibson said the school will begin the hiring process for a new coach once this week’s spring break is over.  

“(Davis) is at the point in his career where he’s got some other avenues he wants to pursue away from coaching,” Gibson said. “And we just respected that decision, and we’ll move forward as a basketball program.”

Davis won more than 200 games during his tenure with the Lady Bulldogs. Most notably, his 2011-12 squad earned a 23-6 record before losing in the second round of the South State playoffs. Clarkdale went 7-17 overall and 1-9 in Region 5-3A play this past season. 

“My philosophy in coaching has always been that the players I coach are far more important than the sport I coach, and so I’ll miss the girls and the camaraderie in a non-academic setting,” Davis said. “The girls have told me, ‘Coach, you better be at a lot of our games.’”