CENTRE – Cherokee County High School girls basketball head coach Leah Nelson is stepping down from the Lady Warrior program.
Nelson made the announcement on her personal Facebook page late Sunday evening. She leaves the Lady Warriors following nine seasons with a 146-99 overall record, which included two area championships, two area runners-up, a county championship in 2017, and a Northeast Regional appearance in 2019.
The Lady Warriors finished 19-8 last season.
“My decision is one that does not come lightly,” Nelson said. “I am leaving behind a team that I dearly love and a program that has been part of me for most of my life.”
Nelson played for the Lady Warriors’ back-to-back Class 4A state championship teams in 1992-93. She was named the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Miss Basketball in 1993 before playing at the University of Alabama. She led the Crimson Tide to the Sweet 16 all four years she played on the collegiate level.
Nelson said she is not retiring from teaching and that she will still be at school “cheering them on.”
“My decision basically revolves around spending more time with my family,” she said. “My youngest two children are involved in other activities that are pulling me in opposite directions, and I want to spend time with them these last few years before they graduate.
“I want to thank this incredible community for supporting me as a player and as a coach. I have been very blessed indeed.”
No replacement for Nelson has been announced by the school.