Tim Mudd entered this summer like every other summer for the past 22 years, fully committed to camps and preparation for the next high school basketball season.
But last week the Elizabethtown girls basketball coach realized his heart no longer was in it.
“I can’t explain it,” Mudd said. “It was kind of an accumulation of 22 years where I just would rather be doing something else and spending more time with my family. …
“I’m very comfortable with my decision. Will I miss the kids? Sure. Will I miss some parts of coaching? I’m sure I will. But I know in my heart that I made the right decision for this team and future teams because I just didn’t feel like I was all in.”
Mudd told E’town administrators and his team on Friday that he was stepping down after a stellar career that included eight regional championships, three state runner-up finishes and the state title in 1998.
E’town athletic director Glenn Spalding said longtime assistant Donnie Swiney has been named the Panthers’ interim coach. Spalding said the school-based decision-making council will meet in July and “at that point we’ll have more information” on a full-time coach.
A 1984 E’town grad, the 51-year-old Mudd compiled a 563-136 record, ranking ninth all-time in victories among state coaches according to Kentucky High School Athletic Association records.
Mudd said the greatest accomplishment during his tenure as the program’s continued success. The Panthers posted at least 30 victories and reached the Sweet 16 each of the past three seasons.
“I just didn’t want to be a flash in the pan, where we were good one year and then the next year you win five or six games,” Mudd said. “That’s when I realized this was going to take good people and a lot of hard work and time. … Obviously we didn’t win the region every year, but I always felt like we were competitive.”
Mudd was a two-time winner (1997 and 2009) of The Courier-Journal’s Girls Basketball Coach of the Year honor.
“Not only was he an ambassador for Elizabethtown High School but he was an ambassador for this community,” Spalding said. “Tim is a role model for the E’town area and Hardin County. A lot of people when they think of E’town High School they think of Tim Mudd. That says a lot for what kind of person he is. We’re going to miss him and his leadership.”
Mudd said he’ll continue teaching physical education on the elementary-school level and plans to spend more time with his wife, Lisa, and daughter, Kinsey, who is a student at Western Kentucky University.
He also wouldn’t rule out a return to coaching.
“I’m just going one year at a time,” Mudd said. “I still enjoy my job and work for good people. Honestly, I have no idea how long I’ll teach. I just know right now it’s time to step back and relax and try to do more with my family.”
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.