Steeleville High School boys basketball coach Bryce Bainter announced Monday that he is taking some time away from the game and stepping down from coaching the Warriors.
"I just think maybe it's time for me to have a little break and being a first-time father, there's a lot of things to think about," he said. "I think maybe this is what's best for me right now."
Bainter and his wife, Jodi, recently welcomed their first child, a daughter, who was born during the 2016-17 season.
Bainter recently completed his fifth season as head coach of the Warriors, who won back-to-back Cahokia Conference Kaskaskia Division titles for the first time in school history.
Steeleville has had three 20-win seasons in Bainter's tenure and won a regional title his first year in 2013. Bainter finishes with a record of 85-66 with the Warriors.
"If the situation arises where the time is right, I would coach again," said Bainter, who noted he hasn't had a basketball season off in 12 years after getting into coaching straight out of college. "I think the time is right for me to step away and work on other things."
Bainter said he informed his players last Friday. He will remain as Steeleville High School's athletic director and is assisting baseball coach John Sutton this spring.
"I think it was unexpected," he said of his players' reaction. "When I called the meeting, they were thinking 'what's our summer schedule going to look like,' because this is normally the time of year for that meeting.
"The main thing was I wanted them to know before anybody else because they deserved to know before anybody else."
Steeleville finished 20-10 last season, falling to Christopher in the semifinals of the Class 1A Crab Orchard Regional. In 2016, the Warriors ended a 22-9 season with a loss to eventual state fourth place finisher Woodlawn in the Crab Orchard Regional championship.
"Winning the regional my first year, I think that group really surprised some people," Bainter said of his favorite memories coaching the basketball Warriors. "They out-worked a lot of people and the last couple of years getting conference back-to-back was fun.
"Just developing relationships and getting to know the kids in a situation where you get to know them more than just in the classroom."
The boys head coaching position is one of three open in the district, which is also looking for a junior high athletic director after John Hicks stepped down and a part-time Spanish teacher at the high school.
The deadline to apply, according to the district office, is April 17.
Bainter was asked if he would be part of the process in hiring the next coach, considering his role as athletic director.
"I told Mrs. Haertling I would help if needed, but I don't know if I'll be part of it or not," he said, referring to Steeleville High School Principal Jennifer Haertling.
Bainter was asked if he had any immediate plans.
"It's one of those things where coaching took up quite a bit of time," he said. "I don't have anything planned specifically I'm going to do.
"I've asked for a lot of advice from coaches about X's and O's and one of the coaches said 'the most important team is the one you go home to' and that's what's kinda stuck with me."
