Quick Turnaround
Curtis' two years more than just back-to-back state tournaments
Even after relinquishing her role as El Dorado's head girls' basketball coach, Ashlee Curtis' main concern when talking to the media was getting something in the newspaper about next week's youth basketball camp.
The camps start Monday at Wildcat Arena, by the way. Youngsters can sign up at the door.
Curtis will be the new assistant principal at the high school. It's a step up in her career and a goal she's been working toward. Still, she's committed to working with the girls' basketball program through the summer or until a new coach is hired.
“I would give anything to El Dorado School District. I think so highly about it because the proof is in the pudding. It's in the support they've given,” said Curtis, who said it was difficult telling the players. “It's not me quitting on my kids or anything. It's me leveling up. I teach the kids to go and be the best they can possibly be. I tell them all the time, if you're standing still, you're wrong. I'm leveling up a little bit. I'm going into a new life. I'm excited about it.”
Curtis talked on the phone about her new job while at a team camp at SAU Tech. She had to yell to be heard over the noise of large groups playing basketball in a gymnasium.
“As you can see, it's very difficult. I'm here now. What I've built with these kids is different,” she said. “What nobody can take from me is the love that I have for the kids. People can say I don't know all my X's and O's and that's fine. But what they can't say is I wasn't a good role model for these kids.
They're just as much in disbelief as I am. But they also understand the bigger picture. They understand I was able to impact the small group of kids, the 100 or so kids that I have in my program. Whereas now, I'll be able to impact an entire school. They're understanding. They knew I was in school for it. They knew this is what I wanted. I'm teaching young women to cheer for young women so they're cheering me on.”
Curtis took over a varsity program that went 8-14 in 2021. The Lady Wildcats went 17-7 in her first year and 17-12 last season, qualifying for the 5A State Tournament both years.
“It wasn't that we didn't have the kids. It wasn't that we didn't have the talent. The kids just needed somebody to believe in them,” Curtis said. “That's the void I was able to fill - believe in them for who they are and what they're capable of doing. That's a blessing in itself. But I can't take credit for that. Don't let anybody say, ‘Yeah, with Ashlee Curtis, she was able to get them to the state tournament.' It wasn't me. It was the girls. I was just able to stand on the sideline.”
El Dorado athletic director Phillip Lansdell would like to hire a new coach as soon as possible. But, he wants someone who can keep the program headed in its current trajectory.
“We have begun the process of looking for a new head varsity girls basketball coach. Coach Ashlee Curtis will be moving into an assistant principal role at the high school,” Lansdell said. “We will be looking for a coach with the same qualities as Coach Curtis, a good person and role model who cares for players both on and off the court and is dedicated to the program and our athletes' success in both their academics and personal lives.”