Era ends for Seneca basketball

Seneca boys basketball coach Doug Evans (middle) resigned Friday after leading the Irish to 497 wins in 28 seasons.
herald news file photo

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SENECA -- The pattern of success may continue, but the Seneca High School boys basketball program will be different.

Doug Evans, the head coach of the Irish for the last 28 years, announced Friday that he is stepping down from the post after compiling a 497-210 record. Included among his many highlights were a second-place finish in the Class A state tournament in 1991, a third place in 2005 and then the coupe de grace, the state championship in 2006.

Including five years at the junior high level, the 53-year-old Evans has coached basketball for 33 years at Seneca.

"You form so many relationships, so many bonds through all those years," Evans said. "I coached so long that I've coached former players' kids in the program. It's kind of funny seeing the personalities in the same walk as their dads.

"Just a lot of great memories."

Of course, Evans is more than one of this area's most successful basketball coaches ever. He also has been the Seneca principal since 1996.

"I started out back then looking at giving up basketball and getting into administration," he said. "But our school needed a basketball coach, and I had the support of the administration and coaches and decided to go ahead and continue with the basketball program.

"It has been a great run."

And what better way to end it than coaching your son, all-stater Seth Evans, for four years. Seth signed with Wisconsin-Green Bay, and the opportunity to see him play in college was central in Evans' decision to leave coaching.

"Absolutely, that played into it," Evans said. "My family has had to sacrifice a lot for me and the basketball program. At this time, the timing just seemed right. I want to see Seth play more, for sure."

Seth Evans, who led the Irish to a 26-3 record while being named a Class 2A all-stater for a second straight year, was the latest in the line of all-state caliber talents who played for Evans. Names such as Mark Aubry, Garrett Callahan and Adam Provance come to mind.

But as much as the stars, Evans will maintain fond memories of those who did the little things that turned the Irish into a perennial state power.

A player such as current Joliet Township football coach Jason Aubry serves as a prime example.

"I've been blessed to have guys like Jason Aubry," Evans said. "His brother was the all-stater and got all the headlines. But Jason was the defensive stopper, a typical Seneca hard-nosed, intense player, the type we have had so many of."

Yes, Evans is fond of defense.

"You have to have offense and defense to win championships," he said. "But sometimes you can't put the ball in the basket, you're missing layups. Even then, I always felt we would be in the game with good defense.

"That kind of attitude every night really gave us the consistency in the program over the years. People knew they had to beat our defense to win."

He may be leaving coaching, but there is no shortage of responsibility when you also are the principal.

"School is the same as coaching in a way," he said. "You can have everything planned, everything laid out, the way you want it to happen, but it always seems to work out differently than you game plan. There is always something new happening.

"Being principal has been a challenge, but at the same time, enjoyable."

As for a new coach to sit on the Seneca bench, Evans said, "There are a couple of candidates inside, new young coaches I am sure will be interested. We will open the position to the outside in April.

"Hopefully, it will be a smooth transition."