After nine years and 110 victories, Jackson County girls head basketball coach Chad Pittman has decided it’s time to move away from the JCCHS basketball program.
Pittman resigned as coach the morning of February 22, but waited until this week’s basketball banquet to make the official announcement.
“I just feel like currently, with things going on with my family, it’s kind of a good time to make a change,” Pittman said.
The team had one of its best years in recent memory over the 2009-10 season, going 13-12 overall and 5-9 in the region.
Pittman said that he tried to make his decision early enough to give school officials enough time to be able to find a quality replacement.
Pittman teaches math at JCCHS, and is a self professed “math nerd”. In looking over his team’s statistics, he said he was pleased with the accomplishments.
“I told the kids it wasn’t really me,” he said. “It was what they were able to accomplish through hard work.”
For the third straight year, the Lady Panthers shot the ball better from the field and from the free throw line. Also for the third straight year, the team increased their steals, which Pittman credited to the Lady Panthers’ defense.
“I felt like from last year to this year, we needed to improve defensively,” he said. “On the year, we held teams to an average of 43.3 points per game. If you hold a team to 43 points, you’re giving your team a chance to win.”
Pittman also noted that for the third year in a row, the team was up in wins.
“I was real proud for the kids,” He added. “It was a testimony to them.”
The program recorded its 100th victory with Pittman as a coach earlier this year.
Overall, Pittman’s record at JCCHS is 110-128.
“I’m proud of that,” he said. “I’ll be honest with you, with some of the things that we’ve dealt with over the years, I’m real proud of the way the record stands. Six of the nine years, we’ve won double digit victories, which I think you can be proud of.”
“I am real proud of the fact that through hard work and through a lot of time and perseverance of the kids and through support, we’ve been able to be competitive year in and year out, have a respected program in the community and the area and to do some special things,” Pittman added.
Pittman pointed towards the rivalry with Winder-Barrow and beating them in some big games, as well as a quadruple overtime game with Newton County in the region tournament that came out in favor of Newton as some of his most memorable moments over the years.
He also pointed to the five girls that have gone on from the program to play college basketball as being highlights of his tenure.
“I feel like I can take pride in leaving the program in probably the best shape it’s been in for a long time,” he said.
Pittman also credited the current booster club’s support of the program, saying it is “one of the best we’ve had in a long time.”
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.
