Yoder Announces His Resignation From Black Swish
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Adam Yoder resigned from his NorthWood girls basketball head coaching position Friday, weeks after leading the team to a state championship. (File photo by Mike Deak)
NAPPANEE – In a week of landmark decisions across the sporting world, another tremor reverberated across the local landscape Friday afternoon when NorthWood girls basketball head coach Adam Yoder announced his resignation.
Yoder went out a champion, leading the NorthWood program to a state championship three weeks ago in a 37-29 win against Salem in the IHSAA Class 3-A Girls Basketball State Championship. It was a year of firsts for Yoder, who had not won even a sectional in his six years at the helm of the program.
The brutally honest yet remarkably humble head coach won 109 of his 157 games with the Black Swish, including the big one giving the program its second state title. Yoder was an assistant with Steve Neff before being named head coach in 2014. In the 2019-20 season, Yoder also guided the team to a Banker’s Classic championship, an undefeated Northern Lakes Conference run, and the first sectional title since the 2013-14 season.
“There are many factors that have gone into this decision,” started Yoder in a prepared statement sent out Friday afternoon. Yoder told his players earlier in the day. “While serving as head girls’ basketball coach, I have also served NorthWood High School as the head girls’ golf coach, HS social studies department chair, and a classroom teacher that teaches all dual credit classes with large class sizes. When I take into account all the demands of those positions and my young family and my wife, Whitney, who is a full-time professional as well, I do not feel it is in my own, my family’s, nor the program’s best interest that I continue as our head girls’ basketball coach at NorthWood.
“I’m beginning to miss too many things in our children’s lives, not only during the season but in the spring and summers as well. I plan to coach basketball again someday in some capacity, but for now, I look forward to spending more time with my family. I have been coaching 2-3 high school sports as a head or assistant coach virtually every year since I was 20 years old and it has been an amazing 21 years.”
Yoder, who will continue to hold the role of girls golf head coach in the fall, added, “While this record-breaking season was one filled with so much joy and accomplishment, I am most proud of the young women who have represented our program during my tenure. We have been blessed to have true servant-leaders and energy-givers. They have been amazing big sisters/role models to our children, Thayne and Maddie. On the court, I take great pride in our accomplishments, as well.
“A few that specifically jump out beyond our IHSAA State Championship run this year are capturing the only 2 NLC titles since 2000 in our program (going 31-11 in conference play over six years), winning two Bankers’ Classic Titles, being in the top 50 programs in the entire state, record-wise, over the past six years, and playing one of the strongest 3-A schedules in the state every single year.”
Added NorthWood athletic director Norm Sellers in a release, “NorthWood Athletics will be forever grateful for his commitment to the girls basketball program. Coaching in today’s world is not an easy endeavor. It requires a lot of time away from family during a time in which families need both parents. Although we are saddened to lose Adam, I completely support his decision. I wish his entire family all the best in the future.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Adam for over twenty-five years in the world of education and athletics. I could not be prouder of the job that Adam did for NorthWood providing opportunities for young ladies to grow and compete. Adam had a daunting task of replacing legendary coach, Steve Neff. Adam did an amazing job making the Black Swish program in his own image.”