Daniel Wakefield has stepped down as Hanceville’s varsity boys basketball coach.

Wakefield, who informed his players on Monday night, is leaving the position to become the principal at Hanceville Middle School.

“It might seem like it was a difficult decision, but my long-term plan was to be in a leadership role,” he said. “I really don’t think there was ever going to be a good time to leave Hanceville basketball. It was never going to be easy for me to walk away from the game. Not in one year or two years or three years. As far as long-term plans and getting to stay in Hanceville, this was a no-brainer for me. I’ve been here so long that my heart is at Hanceville. It might be time to walk away from basketball, but I’m glad that I’m getting to stay in a familiar place with people I know and people I like.”

During his strong tenure with the Bulldogs, Wakefield propelled Hanceville to five area titles and four Northwest Regional Tournament appearances. He also guided the Purple and Gold to their first county championship (2016) since 1998 and first Elite Eight berth (2018) since 1999. Additionally, Wakefield walks away with 200-plus career wins.

“I’ll miss the preparation, being around the game and the guys, the locker room after a big win,” he said. “All that I’m going to miss. I know I gave everything I had, and I hope who they hire can keep it going. I once heard a guy say he’d rather walk away 10 years too early than one day too late. So I guess it’s a good thing I’m leaving while I’m still in good graces. I have a lot of really good memories coaching here.”

Wakefield’s replacement will be named at a later date.