‘I’m out of here’ Collinsville coach Darin Lee says. Is he really?
Call it a time for reflection. Call it a time to devote some time to other things. Call it a time, at age 60 and with 36 straight years of coaching boys basketball just completed, for Darin Lee to take a breather. Just don’t call it a retirement.
Well, unless maybe it is.
“I’m out of here, but I could … well, I don’t know. It’s one of those deals where I’ll step away for a year maybe, or maybe forever,” said Lee, the coach at Collinsville the past 16 years. “I haven’t decided yet what my future holds in coaching.”
Lee announced last week on Facebook that he was stepping down as coach, after a 15-17 season, but didn’t specify any one reason why. In an interview, Lee wouldn’t get too specific either, calling his departure one for “personal reasons.”
Was it burnout?
“I just didn’t think that I could give my full attention to the team,” said Lee, who won 295 games at Colllinsville and coached previously in Nashville and Vienna. “The Collinsville job is a big job. It’s a big school and it requires a lot of time. We’ve got a great tradition. Depends who you ask, but I think we’re ranked third nationally in wins. I just decided to step away for some personal reasons. But I didn’t want to call it a retirement just yet. To a lot of people I’m old, but I don’t feel old yet at 60.”
Lee’s father, Dave, is an Illinois Basketball Coaches Association coach Hall of Famer and fellow coaching legend. Between father and son, they won 1,207 boys basketball games. Darin didn’t have a losing season until his 25th season of coaching. He took over the Kahoks program in 2009, and his teams were known for their tough defense and disciplined style.
Darin Lee, also an IBCA Hall of Famer, said family reasons were another factor in stepping down. He’s got kids in college now, and his father’s health requires some attention.
“My dad’s living in the area. He’s had some health issues, but he’s hanging in there,” said Lee, who served as vice principal at Collinsville before retiring three years ago.
Dave Lee played with NBA Hall of Famer Walt Frazier at SIU Carbondale in the mid 1960s, and was best friends with former Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz head coach, Jerry Sloan. He coached McLeansboro to a Class A state title with a 35-0 record in 1983-84, then moved on West Frankfort where he guided the Redbirds to the state quarterfinals in 1985-86.
Darin thought he’d probably coach the rest of his career in Nashville, but surprised even himself when he decided to take the job at Collinsville at 44 in 2009.
“It turned out to be a great decision for me and my family. I have a son and a daughter who played at Collinsville and it’s been home for a long time now,” Lee said.
His longevity and success at Collinsville ranks Lee on the list of legendary coaches that include names like Bob Bone, Willard Larson and the great Vergil Fletcher.
A successor to Lee has yet to be named. Lee said he doubted any of his assistants wanted the job, and he’s been surprised his phone hasn’t blown up yet with calls from other coaches around the state asking about the job.
Plenty of coaches have stepped down, only to get the itch back a year or two later and return. That’s what happened with Chatham Glenwood boys basketball coach Todd Blakeman, who thought he was through with coaching four years ago after a long run with the Titans.
But Blakeman, after two years of fishing and other leisure activities besides coaching, missed it so much he returned and has led the Titans the past two seasons that included a state semifinal appearance this spring.
“Coaching young men, helping to guide them in not just basketball but hopefully in a positive way for their lives ahead – that is tough to shake once it gets inside of you,” said Blakeman, 57.
Will the itch to return get so overpowering that Darin Lee has no choice but to return?
“Well,” he said with a chuckle, “maybe. We’ll just have to wait and see on that.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 12:40 PM.
