After one of the most successful basketball seasons in recent memory, Winona and boys basketball coach Presley Coleman are parting ways.
Coleman stepped down from his position as boys basketball coach and says he is currently seeking another head coaching job.
St. Andrew’s assistant Jamario Bugley has been named as Coleman’s successor.
Coleman didn’t elaborate on the situation surrounding his departure, but said he was proud of the past season in which the Tigers went 22-4, completing a four-year turnaround that saw him go winless in his first season.
“I have enjoyed coaching the kids, and we had a great season,” Coleman said. “I met some great people and coached some great kids. The thing I’m going to miss most are the kids. I have seen these kids grow so much. Even though I’m not here, I will still be their biggest fan. I hope they go even farther next year.”
Coleman, a native of Grenada, said he inherited a team in a total rebuilding mode.
“When I got here, I inherited a team that had won just one game and replaced a coach who had been here for one year,” Coleman said. “I put a lot into that eighth grade group. I let them come to the high school practice and that kind of accelerated their development. We lost a lot of games by double digits that year, and I coached until the last minute. I’m sure some people thought I was nuts, but I wanted to instill to the kids that we play to the last minute.”
Coleman saw that come to fruition as the Tigers were 22-4 and district champions this past season.
“We had to change the culture here, and I think we did that,” Coleman said. “To see them grow and become productive players, that has been the most rewarding thing of my career. I give the kids a lot of credit. They bought in, not as early as I wanted, but this season I had one through 12 that bought in.”
