Woodford County High School boys' basketball Coach Ryan Wilson has resigned from his coaching duties. Wilson is the co-department chair of the special education department at WCHS and is a learning and behavior specialist. Wilson said the decision was not an easy one to make, but pointed out that he has a wife and three young children and felt like he could no longer fulfill the duties of coaching like his players deserve and have earned. "It is a privilege to coach these young men, and I wanted to make sure that I did things the right way before leaving," said Wilson. "The goal is to bring the next coach into our gym that will have energy and care for the program and allow it to grow every season." Wilson played high school basketball at Lloyde Memorial High School and then at Ohio Dominican University for two seasons before transferring to Georgetown College to finish his collegiate career. "My High School coaches had a tremendous impact on my life, and they meant the world to me," said Wilson. "If I have made an impact on one kid like that, then my coaching career was worth every second." Wilson spent three seasons as head coach at WCHS and also four years as an assistant coach for Scott Hundley before taking the reigns in 2016. After seven seasons of coaching at WCHS, Wilson said he would miss the relationships with the kids, the big game atmosphere and the road trips. "The relationship that you build with your team is something that is hard to walk away from," said Wilson. "You spend so much time together and truly get to know your guys. I am fortunate to say that I have been around some incredible kids who are great student-athletes and set a tremendous example for our community. I'll miss our summer trips to Tennessee Tech, and I'll even miss the smell of the gym." Wilson will remain as a teacher at WCHS and said he would look forward to seeing how his younger players develop on and off the court. Wilson also said he loves when former students and players come back to visit WCHS.
"I love when guys come back because we start talking about stories from our time together," said Wilson. "One of the great pleasures of this job is that we get to be part of shaping their lives. I was able to do what I love, and I hope I made a difference."