After four seasons as head coach, Jason Calton has decided to leave the Bellefontaine boys basketball program.
Including his time leading the Chiefs, Calton has spent 15 years coaching basketball. He met with BHS athletic director Matt Comstock this week and informed Comstock of his decision.
“I just felt like it was time,” Calton said. ‘When I was in high school I had three loves. They were basketball, tennis and my girlfriend, who became my wife. After spending so much time on basketball for 15 years, it’s time to focus my life on the other two.”
Calton is coaching the boys tennis team at BHS this spring and is excited to delve into a different coaching career.
“I am loving it and it feels good to be doing something different,” he said.
The Chiefs went 37-56 in Calton’s four seasons as head coach. He led the team to an 18-6 record in his first season. The last three seasons have taken a downward trend, though. Bellefontaine won just three games this winter.
Still, Calton believes the program has a solid foundation for the next coach to build with.
“I feel like we have everyone on the same page, from the third-grade up,’ he said. “Everyone is on board with the same philosophies and that will pay off in the years to come.”
Looking back at his favorite memories in coaching the Chiefs, Calton didn’t touch on one specific event. Rather, he said the bond he developed with his players sticks with him the most.
“As a coach, you want to have an impact on your players and those relationships are important to me,” he said. “We always tried to instill those core values and help build character.”
Comstock said he will now immediately begin a search for Calton’s replacement.