St. Clair College says Jimmy Parsons has chosen to step down as head coach of the men's basketball team.
The college says Parsons wants to focus on his young and growing family, as well as his professional career.
Longtime assistant coach Ricardo Tate will take over the head coaching position, effective immediately.
Assistant coach Brendon Seguin will also remain as part of Tate's staff for next season, but Reid Innes has also decided to move away from the Saints basketball program and focus on his family.
Parsons time has been stretched thin this year and he says doing things half way isn't an option.
"I wouldn't be able to dedicate the time that I want to dedicate to the team, with my job up and down the 401," says Parsons. "It's a lot of work to do so, tough decision, it's always tough, it was tough when I had to leave the women's team, but you know it's tough when I have to leave this team as well."
Parsons told AM800 News he's not worried about leaving the team in Tate's hands.
"Coach Tate definitely knows what he's doing, and he has a wide variety of basketball knowledge," he says. "I talked to everybody individually already and they're pretty pumped to have him continue what we did for the last two years together and keep them going. Two consecutive years in the playoffs, the guys are pretty happy about that and there's a good recruiting class, and the teams only losing one player to graduation. This team is definitely going to be dangerous in the OCAA next year and I look forward to watching them."
Parson says he's been involved has contributed on the court as a player and from the sidelines as a coach off and on since 1995.
With more than a decade of service to St. Clair College collectively, Parsons says he hasn't closed the door on a possible return sometime in the future.