McLeod resigns as Acadia women's basketball coach

BY JOHN DECOSTE

The Advertiser/NovaNewsNow.com

Angie McLeod has resigned as head coach of the Acadia women’s basketball team after four years on the job.

McLeod handed in her resignation late last week, and in an Apr. 10 interview, cited professional burnout as the main reason for her decision.

“Building three programs in 11 years (Mount St. Vincent, the University of Ottawa and Acadia) has taken its toll on me,” she said.

“You need a very thick skin to be in this profession and mine is wearing a little thin right now,” McLeod said. “I need to recharge my batteries and take a step back from coaching.”

She also found the travel involved with her job – she has never relocated to Wolfville since taking over the Acadia position – increasingly stressful, and admits that especially this winter, “the commute from Halifax at late hours has been tough.

“Right now,” she said, “my plan is to take a step back, explore a few different possibilities for at least a year or two, then see if I miss it (coaching) or not.”

She emphasized, “I’m not leaving because I’m dissatisfied. I loved it here, I care about the game and the girls, but it’s tough sometimes to let things go. I could have taken a year’s sabbatical, but my reasons for leaving would still be there when I came back.”

Ironically, McLeod departs following the most successful season of her four at Acadia.

The Axewomen went 7-13 in the regular season, including wins over Cape Breton and Memorial, and qualified for the AUBC playoffs, a tournament they hosted.

Has mixed feeings

McLeod admits she had mixed feelings about leaving “just as the program is starting to turn around. This year’s team was a great group, on the cusp of great things,” which, she admits, “didn’t make my decision any easier.”

McLeod will not be involved in selecting her successor, though she confirmed she is prepared to play a part in “ensuring a smooth transition” for the new head coach.

McLeod said she has no plans to coach university basketball anywhere else in the region.

She didn’t completely rule out the possibility of coaching again sometime in the future, but admitted, “it won’t be at Acadia, because I’m not willing to relocate.”

Varsity Athletics director Brian Heaney termed McLeod’s announcement “completely unexpected, but I respect her decision and want to express my gratitude to her for the tremendous contribution she has made to Acadia.

“Angie came to Acadia with a record of success at both the university and national level as both a player and coach, and her skill and leadership has helped re-energize Acadia’s entire athletics program.

“She has made an enormous personal investment in our program while maintaining a grueling schedule of commitments to provincial, regional and national programs.

“Her presence on the bench and day-to-day work with our athletes will be missed, but I want to thank her for everything she has done for Acadia and wish her well in all her future endeavours.”

Heaney confirmed the search for McLeod’s successor “will begin immediately. “I am hopeful we can find the right candidate in time for the beginning of next season,” he said, “but it is more important we find a head coach for women’s basketball at Acadia who can build upon the strength we have on our current team and continue our momentum toward a national-calibre championship program.”