At first, Bob Rudisill had trouble explaining his decision for resigning as the girls' head basketball coach at York Suburban.

After hesitating a little, Rudisill, 55, put it this way:

"I've been coaching a long time and I still enjoy it, but I just thought it was time for a change for me and for the York Suburban girls' basketball program," he said.

Rudisill led the Trojans' program for seven years, compiling a 72-88 record, including an 8-13 record this season. Wins and losses, however, didn't adequately describe Rudisill's impact, according to a couple people close to the program.

"There wasn't a dry eye in the locker room when he said he was hanging it up," Suburban athletic director Rich Petersen said. "In high school sports, wins and losses aren't the most important things. It's about developing young adults, and he did a fantastic job of that."

Jess (Kemp) Barley, an assistant under Rudisill, will take over the Suburban program. Like Petersen, she couldn't say enough good things about the departing coach.

"I will put my own spin on things, but if I can be half the coach and half the person that Coach Rudisill is, I will be very happy," she said.

Barley, 28, is a former Suburban standout who also played for York College. She's looking forward to her first head-coaching opportunity.

"This is something I wanted to do," she said. "I really enjoy the leadership aspect of the game and my passion for the game is huge. I'm excited about the opportunity."

Rudisill, before taking over the Suburban girls' program, was the head coach for the Kennard-Dale boys' program for 18 seasons, where he earned a District 3 crown. He's a still a health and physical education teacher in the Southeastern School District.

While he's stepping away from his head coaching position, he still plans on helping out Barley with the Suburban program. Barley couldn't be happier about that.

"He's a huge benefit for our staff," she said. "Our kids love him and I love coaching with him. We have a lot of respect for each other."

Rudisill, for his part, believes Barley will do an excellent job.

"I think she'll do great," he said. "She has a passion for it."

-- Reach Steve Heiser at sheiser@yorkdispatch.com.