Edwardsville basketball coach announces resignation after 18 years
A coaching legend is saying goodbye to high school basketball.
Edwardsville girls basketball coach Lori Blade, who helped build the Tigers program into one of the state’s best, has announced she is resigning after 18 years on the bench.
Blade informed her players Thursday via video conference call she had resigned as basketball coach. The official announcement will come Monday.
“It was tough and with being as close to the players in the program not the way I wanted to let them know. But with the way things are right now...’’ Blade said on Saturday. “It was a tough decision for me and tough to tell the kids. There were some tears shed but there was some laughter.
“I’ve been blessed. I’ve been able to work with and coach a lot of great kids here at Edwardsville, great assistant coaches over the years, including Donna Farley, who is also a hall-of-famer, and the Edwardsville administration.’’
Blade spent eight years at Carrollton High School — where she won a pair of state championships — before beginning her coaching career at Edwardsville in 2002. She will remain the head softball coach at Edwardsville High School and will also continue teaching there.
Blade, 54, is the only coach in the state with more than 700 wins both as a basketball and a softball coach.
Blade said resigning as a basketball coach is something she has thought about at the end of the season for the past few years. But this time she felt the time was right.
“The last few years at the end of each season, I’ve stepped back and evaluated where everything is in my life. There has been a lot of change in my life in the last couple of years,’’ Blade said. “In talking to my mentors and other people I’m close with they have told me that I would know when the time was right.
“For me that time is now.’’
Blade is the second Southwestern Conference coach to step down in the last six weeks. Collinsville coach Lori Billy announced her resignation in March. Ironically, Blade’s final win came against Collinsville in the regional title game. It was the Tigers 17th straight regional crown.
Billy said Blade raised the bar for coaches around the Southwestern Conference.
“Coach Blade has been a wonderful example of what a great coach is and should be,’’ Billy said. “She has been a friend and a great representative of the SWC for many years. Her impact on basketball in our area will have a positive impact for many years. I wish her nothing but the best in her retirement and pray that she is able to truly enjoy the time with friends and family.’’
Two more of Blade’s Southwestern Conference coaching rivals expressed their respect for what she accomplished in turning the Tigers into a perennial Class 4A state title contender.
O’Fallon coach Nick Knolhoff, whose Panthers defeated Edwardsville in a sectional semifinal this season, said going up against coach Blade was an honor.
“It was an honor to compete and coach against Lori. She was so passionate in every aspect of the game,” he said.
According to IHSA records, Blade has a career mark of 745-92 in 26 years of coaching high school basketball. Included among those wins are 510 at Edwardsville, which also features 17 straight regional titles and six trips to the IHSA state tournament.
One person who suffered losses both as a player and a coach against Blade-led Edwardsville teams was current Belleville East coach Amanda Kemezys. An all-state player who went on to star at St. Louis University, Kemezys also offered high praise for Blade and what she has accomplished at EHS.
“Coach Blade has set the standard for girls basketball in our conference, area, and state. I had the privilege to compete against her as both a player and coach and am eternally grateful for the opportunity,” Kemezys said. “Going up against her teams always made you pull out the best in yourself and compete at a higher level.
“I wish her the best in her continued softball coaching career and thank her for the many years of service to the girls basketball community.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 10:21 PM.
