FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Lindsay Justice's coaching career has prepared her for the next chapter in education.
Justice, a 22-year coaching veteran, stepped down from her post as Cherokee Bluff head girls basketball coach to take a leadership position within the school system on Monday.
Justice will trade in her whistle to take a district leadership position at the Central Office level working in special education.
"Coaching has definitively prepared me for this position," she said. "It's a different type of leadership position, but I am looking forward to it."
Bluff athletic director Kenny Hill made the announcement Monday afternoon.
"She's been our only head coach for five years," Hill said. "She started the program from scratch, set high standards, and built it into what it is today -- a very strong program with an extremely bright future. We're just excited for her and the next chapter of her career."
Justice has spent the last five years building the Lady Bears from scratch, putting a lot of time and work into cultivating the young talent. She started seeing it pay off last season as the Lady Bears posted their first winning season with a roster full of young talent and veteran leadership.
"The hardest thing about making this decision was I started this program five years ago and really put a lot of focus and effort into our younger kids, and now they're here," Justice said. "It is a very talented group. We've worked and gotten a little bit better every year. So, it was an extremely difficult decision to leave. We're only losing three seniors and one starter, so there is an abundance of talent coming back.
"I jumped at the opportunity five years ago to start a new program. It took a lot of work, but it was definitely a joy and a blessing to be a part of."
She said she'll miss the relationships with the players but didn't rule out a return to the sidelines in the future.
"I will never say never," she said. "That's definitely a possibility because I have such a passion and love for basketball. I'll miss those relationships with my players, though. I get to spend a lot of time with some amazing young ladies. I'll miss the day-to-day relationships and interactions with my players the most."
Hill said a search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
