TV girls' basketball coach steps down

HEGINS - A rotation of two seniors, a sophomore and four freshmen took the Tri-Valley girls' basketball team within one victory of a trip to the PIAA state finals.

This past week, the talented, young group learned that their bright futures on the hardwood won't include their mentor.

After molding a struggling program into a consistent winner over the past eight seasons, Bob Felty has resigned as the Bulldogs' head coach.

The reigning Republican-Herald All-Area Coach of the Year leaves the head coaching ranks to spend more time with his wife, Melissa, and their 17-month-old son, Benjamin.

"The single reason I resigned was that I want to be the best father possible. I also want to be the best possible coach. Those two things just couldn't happen at the same time," said Felty, who compiled a 137-71 record in eight seasons.

"This offseason was tough. Benjamin is starting to grow up and during open gym and summer league games I started to have these feelings."

When the thought of stepping down entered Felty's mind, he took two weeks away from the girls and their offseason preparations.

Throughout his coaching career, the 35-year-old Felty has been masterful in finding ways to defend the best offenses around, but he couldn't script a plan that included doing two of the things he loved most to the best of his ability at the same time.

"I had two big concerns. First, I wasn't going to be able to spend as much time with this group of girls as I have in the past. I didn't want to lose the respect of the girls that I have so much respect for," Felty said.

Last year, the Bulldogs exceeded expectations by winning the Schuylkill League Division II title, upsetting Pine Grove in the league semifinals, topping defending champion Nativity for the program's first District 11 crown, setting a program record for wins with 23 and reaching the state semifinals for the first time.

The only thing that eluded the Bulldogs last season was a shot at a PIAA state title.

During Felty's deliberation, the thought of winning a state title entered his mind just once and wasn't a factor in his final decision.

"My entire coaching experience has far exceeded my expectations," Felty said. "Being around great kids and a great school district was more than enough for me."

When Felty took the reins of the team, Tri-Valley was near the bottom of the Schuylkill League. The Bulldogs enjoyed just one winning season and not a single playoff victory.

Every year since, Felty got improvement from his team thanks to a strong commitment in the offseason and constant hard work.

"Before he got there they weren't a factor in the league," Nativity coach George Forney said. "He took them from just being a team and made it into a program."

The Bulldogs' emergence formed a fierce rivalry with the perennial state power, which it defeated a few times in the regular season over the years.

After knocking on the door in the postseason, Tri-Valley finally burst through by upsetting the Golden Girls in the district title game.

"You knew when you were going to play them, you were playing as good as a team as you will see defensively," Forney said.

"He had some good help over the years, but he pretty much did it on his own. He's going to be really missed."

As the program transformed into a winner, Felty's life changed along with it.

"I was a single guy who just lived and breathed basketball," said Felty, referring to the time when he took the job.

Since then, Felty has committed himself to a family and moved on from teaching to administration as a vice principal.

His decision has set off emotions amongst his players, who have a lot to look forward to over the next few seasons if they continue to move forward.

Felty has provided the Bulldogs players with discipline, character and skills over the years, but the greatest gift to the program that he will leave behind is expectations.

"Our program and girls are going to be just fine. It's a great job for the next coach," Felty said.

"They are respectful and hard working with great character. Someone is going to be very lucky to coach them."

Sign up for Text Alerts

Sign up for e-mail newsletters