Buffington resigns after 10 seasons as Helias basketball coach

In this Dec. 6, 2017 photo, Helias coach Josh Buffington talks about playing in the Joe Machens Great 8 Classic.
In this Dec. 6, 2017 photo, Helias coach Josh Buffington talks about playing in the Joe Machens Great 8 Classic.

It was news that caught several people by surprise.

Helias High School announced Thursday morning boys basketball head coach Josh Buffington was stepping down after 10 seasons with the Crusaders.

"This is not a decision that happened overnight," Buffington said. "It's something my family and I have been talking about for more than a couple of years."

Buffington met with players Wednesday to break the news to them. He said his reason for resigning was to spend more time with his wife, Jami, and their three children, Rowen, Ross and Julia.

"To say that his decision saddens me is a great understatement," Helias president Fr. Stephen Jones said in a press release. "Coach Buffington is a man of faith and high character who cares deeply about the formation of young men. He has had huge success on the court at Helias, but his desire and drive to coach basketball has been rooted - not in the wins and district titles and 'final four' appearances - but in his love for the game and for the student athletes and community he has served."

Buffington leaves Helias with a 195-85 record at the school, which includes seven district championships and three Final Four appearances. The Crusaders took third place in Class 4 in 2009, '14 and '16.

In total, Buffington has coached the past 17 years, which includes one season at New Bloomfield and three seasons at School of the Osage, as well as three year as an assistant at Missouri Baptist. He has a 240-144 overall record.

Helias finished with a 17-10 record this past season, falling to Rolla in the district championship game.

Buffington said he is leaving on good terms with Helias, pledging to offer support to his players and coaches, past and present.

While having more family time was Buffington's primary reason for stepping down, there was a secondary reason for his decision.

In his letter of resignation, Buffington said, "I see the trend of Youth Sports and High School Sports going in a direction that I don't support." While he said he has "zero regrets" in his coaching career, Buffington didn't want it to come to the point where what happens off the court affects the way he coaches on the court.

"It's something that head coaches have dealt with for a long time," Buffington said. " It's something that is out of our control, nearly completely. I'm sad that that is an issue. I have hopes that it could turn back around in the direction it needs to turn back to."

Buffington said many things have changed in this era of coaching, where the old-school style of coaching is facing a new level of adversity.

"When you see it trickling all the way down to third- and fourth-grade basketball among your peers and to other teams that you see throughout the communities, you really have to sit back and take a strong look at it," he said.

As his two sons began playing in the Knights Basketball Club, Buffington said he made the decision he did not want to coach them once they got to high school because he didn't want that to put any added pressure on them.

That being said, he wouldn't mind getting back into coaching the game at a younger level.

"I would love to stay involved, in at least coaching my kids' teams," Buffington said. "If that happens, I'll be forever grateful to the new coach."

Buffington said he was going to miss the players, coaches and supporters that have surrounded the program, as well as the camaraderie that has been built at Helias.

"I'm going to miss the competition," he said. "It's going to be hard to match a 7:30 game on a Tuesday or Friday night at Rackers Fieldhouse."