Freedom-South Riding coach Eldredge resigns

One month after leading Freedom-South Riding to a second consecutive Virginia AA state basketball championship, Jason Eldredge, the only coach in the program's brief history, has resigned.

Athletic director Matt Oblas sent a press release Tuesday morning announcing Eldredge's resignation.

"Varsity Girls' Basketball Coach Jason Eldredge will not return to coach the 2010-11 Freedom girls' basketball team. He resigned on Monday, April 12, after expressing his intention to coach other sports. Freedom has honored his request and will open the position of head girls' varsity basketball coach. Freedom will pursue applicants with a passion for girls' basketball and a desire to lead the program. The position will be posted on the Loudoun County Public Schools Web site in the near future."

When reached for comment, Oblas, in his first year leading the athletic department, reiterated that Eldredge made the choice to resign from his coaching position.

"His success speaks for itself with back to back state titles, district championships, region championships," Oblas said. "We thank him for that time, hard work and commitment to the program and wish him the best.

Eldredge, 33, confirmed the announcement but said he did not approach the administration requesting to resign to pursue another career.

"It was my choice to resign but that comes with decisions that were made both on my part and the administration of the school that we feel is just in the best interest of the school and the basketball team," he said. "I definitely did not initiate that. I was pursuing other opportunities on the boys' side of basketball and football and have been doing so since early December, but I have not been offered or accepted another job. That's just me wanting see what's out there and halfway understanding that my time has passed here. The split was mutual and it's just time to move on."

The move has already caused a stir in the South Riding community. Kathy Koditek, the team mom whose daughter Kim is a rising senior on the team, said she is convinced Eldredge was forced out by the administration. A Facebook page called "Bring Jason Eldredge Back!!!!!!" was founded Monday night and already has more than 250 fans, and Koditek scheduled a meeting to discuss Eldredge's resignation Tuesday a 5 p.m. She invited team players and parents, members of the community, the school administration, Les Cummings, Supervisor of Athletics in Loudoun County and members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.

"My daughter is absolutely devastated," Koditek said. "The kids love him, the parents love him, but he and the administration just don't get along. The administration doesn't understand competitive sports, they don't understand rivalries and Jason is just too flamboyant for them."

When reached for comment, the office of principal Christine Forester forwarded the request to Loudoun County Public Schools Public Information Officer Wayde Byard who said the decision to step down was made by Eldredge, not the administration.

"He's seeking other opportunities," Said Byard, who compared Eldredge's abrupt departure to that of two-time state champion Broad Run football coach Mike Burnett earlier this year. "It's not a forced resignation, it's just somebody who's looking to broaden his coaching experience. All coaches who are successful eventually listen to other offers. I think that's where Jason is right now.

"I think it's being misinterpreted by the players and some of the parents, and they're understandably upset. He's had a lot of success there, but this is something most successful coaches go through."

Following a 1-21 2005-06 campaign in the program's first year, the Eagles showed marked improvement each ensuing winter. They capped the 2007-08 season with the program's first Region II victory, and the following year rolled through the AA Dulles District to claim their first league regular season and tournament titles and dominated their postseason opposition en route to the AA Division 3 championship -- the first state championship for any athletic team at the school.

This winter, the Eagles repeated their feat at the Division 4 level, crushing their state tournament opposition with three victories by an average margin of 25 points, including a 68-44 victory over Spotswood in the state title game.

Eldredge, who leaves Freedom with a career mark of 85-44, helped produce a trio of Division I basketball players including 2009 AA Division 3 player of the year Meixandra Porter (Colorado State) and current senior center and 2010 Division 4 player of the year Kelsey Buchanan (Delaware).

A tenured Spanish teacher at Freedom, Eldredge was suspended three days in January for uttering a profanity in a remark to a player during a team practice. Last fall he served as an assistant coach on the Eagles varsity football team.