Don Dimoff steps down as Red Lion girls' hoops coach
Long-time Red Lion girls' basketball coach Don Dimoff stepped down from that post to accept a part-time assistant coaching job at Millersville University, he said Monday.
Dimoff, who coached the Lions for 22 years, will continue to be the school district's marketing and communication manager and co-golf coach.
The position at Millersville, where his daughter Courtney will be a freshman basketball player this winter, opened in May. Courtney Dimoff was the GameTimePA.com YAIAA girls basketball player of the year last season.
"Coaching at the college level is something I've thought about doing for long time," Dimoff said. "I put it on hold for while Courtney was coming up through Red Lion.
"This is something I've always wanted to do. The reality is that if Courtney would have gone somewhere else, I still would have applied. But her being there is certainly an added benefit."
Dimoff led Red Lion to District 3 AAAA titles in 2011 and 2012.
“He’s won countless league championships, a couple district championships and has made some real deep runs in states with a couple different teams," Red Lion Athletic Director Arnie Fritzius said of Dimoff. "But that’s the basketball side. The more important side of it is that he has just impacted so many kids' lives over the course of those 22 years in positive ways. The basketball part is neat, but the impact that he’s had on kids' lives for the better has been just outstanding.”
Dimoff weighed several different options and discussed the decision with family, especially with Courtney, he said. Ultimately he made a decision that he called "bittersweet."
"I'll miss the kids," he said. "We’ve had so many good players come through here, hard-working players that have made the program what it is. They were always willing to sacrifice and give up their summers and falls to get better."
Red Lion will now have to find a coach to replace Dimoff on the sidelines. The job opening was posted Monday morning, Fritzius said.
“We have some internal candidates," he said. "I suspect there will (be) some people that will be a little bit intimidated by trying to follow (Dimoff). I think there will be some people that aren’t ready for this challenge, then there will be that group in the middle that will be qualified and interested. We’ll take our time, but we’ll move as quickly as we can.”
