After dedicating the past 37 years of his life to the basketball gym, Josh Templeton is ready to venture away from the court.
Templeton announced his resignation as the Boyd Buchanan boys' basketball coach on Wednesday, ending an impressive five-season run.
In his tenure the Buccaneers won 106 games with just 44 losses and had three Division II-A state tournament appearances to go with two district titles and a region championship. The five-year stretch is the second most successful in the Chattanooga area during that time, trailing only Tyner's 109-36 mark.
"Our success shows when people are free and loose and kids are feeling less pressure they succeed," Templeton said. "Especially when they have the right people around them who believe in them. Prioritizing the fun of the game is our last and most important core value.
"What I will miss the most is Ryan Lopez's roundhouse kicks on Chick-fil-A boxes, the guys getting 12 balls stuck in the net and all the goofy stuff we would do as a team. There is something life giving about being around young people that are authentic, free flowing and don't have a wall up on you."
Templeton is excited to pursue some of his other passions in life, such as writing and podcasting. He has written several books, which includes Warrior Culture: The Warrior Way for High School Teams.
"The last five years I have loved what I am doing," Templeton. It just felt like the right time to step away. I feel like when you are following your internal compass things will all work out."
Boyd Buchanan was ranked as high as No. 2 in the state's Division II-A Associated Press state poll last season.
The Buccaneers had their second 25-win season in Templton's tenure, which was the best season for the program since winning 28 games in the 2013-14 campaign.
Templeton helped lead Tennessee Temple to a TSSAA Class A state runner-up finish as a junior in 1998. He had four steals in a 51-36 state quarterfinal win over DCA and also scored 17 points in a 44-42 state championship loss to Ezell-Harding.
He went on to score over 2,000 career points at Tennessee Temple University where he hit 118 3-pointers in one season and also set the school's assists record.
"Basketball has been a part of my life forever," said Templeton who grew up playing at the East Lake rec center. "To be able to cultivate a culture with Boyd's basketball team and have so many positive experiences together was awesome. You learn a lot, grow a lot and find out a little bit about who you are internally."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.