Shoreline women’s coach resigns

Published 6:36 pm Monday, February 2, 2009

Economic issues are playing a role in a coaching change for the women’s basketball program at Shoreline Community College. With the daily grim headlines in the media, that might not be surprising, but in this case it’s good news.

“I was offered a full-time position and with a baby due in May and my wife getting nervous, I just had to take it,” said now-former SCC women’s basketball head coach Derek Witt. The position at SCC is part time. He said he’ll be representing a Buffalo, NY. advertising firm in the Northwest. “I’d been talking to them for a couple of weeks, but they called me Friday with an offer and I just had to take it.”

SCC Athletic Director Doug Palmer said he got a call Friday evening from Witt with the resignation news: “I want to thank Derek for his efforts and wish him the best of luck.”

Palmer said Witt literally started the program from nothing two years ago.

Women’s basketball at SCC was cancelled in the middle of the 2005-06 season due to too few players to continue. “He took it from no wins to five wins last year and eight so far this year with eight league games left to play,” Palmer said.

Before coming to SCC, Witt said he was at Peninsula Community College in Port Angeles for stints as women’s and men’s head coach. He also worked at community colleges in Kansas and Missouri. Also leaving SCC is Witt’s assistant coach, Scott Dwight. Second assistant Brieah Marion will continue working with the team.

Taking over the reins as interim coach for the rest of this season will be a familiar face on the SCC basketball court, Steve Eskridge. A full-time college employee in the athletic department, Eskridge was head men’s coach for 14 years during which time the school won two divisional titles. This is his first time coaching a women’s team.

Eskridge has already coached his first game, Saturday, Jan 31, against Peninsula, a 71-42 loss.

“I met with the team Saturday afternoon,” Eskridge said. “I told them we’d work together as a team.” Eskridge added that he planned to install some basic offensive and defensive sets to use for the remaining games.

“When I saw this team in November, I thought there was the talent to play well,” he said. Despite injuries and some player turnover, Eskridge said the team has the potential to win some more games this season.

While the timing was tough, Palmer said he sees the change as positive for all parties. “Derek gets a full-time job and the team members get an experienced, supportive coach to continue in their efforts,” he said.