Evanston’s Wool resigns

Updated: April 26, 2011 11:52AM

Steve Wool recently made the toughest call of his career, and it didn’t involve breaking a press or setting up a game-winning shot.

After 10 seasons and nearly 200 wins, Wool resigned his position as head girls coach at Evanston. With his son Isaiah about to enter the high school as a freshman this fall and his daughter Leighah a standout player in middle school, Wool wanted to be able to spend more time watching them play basketball.

“I definitely will miss it,” said Wool, who went 16-13 in his final season. “But one of the things about being a head coach is that you’re coaching all the time, and you don’t get a chance to spend the time with your family that I think is important. My parents were involved with me in high school and college, and I want to be able to do the same.”

Wool won’t leave basketball entirely. He will join Mike Ellis’ staff as an assistant and help coach the boys. Wool played at Evanston under Herb Williams and graduated in 1985. As a junior, the team finished 32-1 and took second in the state.

Wool continued playing ball in college at Lawrence in Appleton, Wis.

“I have fond memories as a player at Evanston, and I am excited to work for the boys program,” Wool said. “But part of me is very sad. One of the things I told the girls is that I wasn’t leaving them for the boys. I was concerned they would think that.”

Helping Wool make the transition is knowing the girls are in good shape. Although Leiya English and Nichelle Campbell are seniors, freshmen twins Searra and Sierra Clayborn and 6-foot-1 Alecia Cooley all earned starts this last season.

Evanston’s sophomore team went 20-4 and won a conference championship.

“They’re going to be very good,” Wool said. “I wanted to be able to leave the program with the tools to win. We’ve done that. Those freshmen as a good of players as this program’s seen in a long time. It’s a nice nucleus in place.”

After college, Wool returned to Evanston and started his career coaching freshmen boys. He got the girls job in 2001 and compiled a 197-110 mark.

Under Wool’s leadership, the Wildkits won five regional titles. His 2005-06 club went 24-6. The wins rank fourth on the program’s all-time list. Six of his players went on to play Division I basketball.

“This was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” he said.

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