Biddeford’s Cote steps down as coach

BIDDEFORD — Ron Cote has had plenty of success during his coaching career.

But after 33 years coaching in the area, serving the last six years as the head coach of the Biddeford girls basketball team, he’s decided its time to take a break.

Cote resigned from his position on Wednesday.

“I just think it’s time for me to step back and relax a little, spend some time with my grandchildren,” Cote said.

Cote has had an impressive resume in his career to say the least at Biddeford, having a hand in almost every historic team in recent school history. He was an assistant coach on five of Biddeford’s seven state championship football runs in both the 1980s and 1990s.

He’s taken the Biddeford boys basketball team to its only trip to the state title game, a 68-63 loss to Old Town in 1991.

Since the Class A state championship was recognized in baseball in 1970, only three York County teams have taken home the title. Cote coached one of those three teams, the 1984 squad, which defeated Brewer 10-2 in the state title game. Only Sanford has won a title in York County since then, winning in 2002.

Cote also moved upward into college coaching, taking the helm of the UNE men’s basketball program for seven seasons.

During the past six seasons as girls basketball coach, Cote has continued his success, bringing the Tigers to the playoffs each year, and reaching the Class A Western Finals during the 2008-2009 season.

Cote said he was ready to step aside from coaching after that season, but decided to come back for one more.

“I almost gave it up last year,” Cote said. “I was thinking about it. After the season was over, I sat back and thought about it and said I’d come back again. And I decided I would take every year just one year at a time. So I decided to come back this year, and now I’ve made up my mind. I talked it over with my wife, and I just decided I was going to do this. I wanted to wait after the [postseason] banquet, I didn’t want the banquet to be about me, I wanted to be about the kids.”

Cote called a meeting with his players on Wednesday to deliver the news.

“I met with the team [Wednesday], because there were rumors going around town, and I wanted my girls to hear it from me, and not anybody else,” Cote said.

Cote said not much was said after announcing his decision to the team.

“I thought the mood was pretty somber,” Cote said. “They all sat there, I explained everything to them, and it was very somber. I’m not sure if they were in shock or what, but none of them said a word. They all walked out. I think when you do something like this, I’ve got a great relationship with my kids, they’re great kids. There’s never an easy time to do this, there’s never one year that it makes it easier. I like to develop relationships with my kids. I have a good one with these girls. So, next year’s seniors, Amethyst [Hersom] and Keila [Grigware], I have a good relationship with them, I’ve had them for three years. So it’s tough to leave them. I feel bad for the kids who will be seniors the next year, so there’s never an easy year.”

Cote said there has been no talk between him and Biddeford athletic director Dennis Walton on who should be the next girls basketball coach.

Cote, who is a physical education teacher at Biddeford High School, said he will still work with players on a one-on-one basis. He said while he is stepping down now, he said he may still take on a coaching role, most likely as an assistant, in the future.

“I don’t think it’s final for me,” Cote said. “I would very much like, at this stage of my career, maybe help someone in whatever capacity. I think I would enjoy doing that. I do help individual players one-on-one, I do that on the side. I’d like to help a young coach or whatever. So no, I don’t rule out that I’ll come back and coach, because I still enjoy doing it, I still enjoy working with kids. I still like to talk sports, whether it’s football, baseball, or basketball with other coaches. I think there’s a good chance I may do something in some area.”

One thing is for certain, Cote said it will feel strange this coming fall and winter, watching games instead of doing his normal pacing up and down the side of the hardwood in the Steve White Gymnasium.

“After I told the girls I was done, I came home and told my wife ”˜It already feels different,’” Cote said. “I went to school today and it feels different that I won’t be in charge of the girls basketball program. There’s no question that I’m going to miss it. Next year, I’m going to go to some of the games, because Keila is probably going to score 1,000 [career] points, and I told her I’m going to be at that game. So that’s going to feel real strange, because I’ve coached all those girls. I’m going to have to be able to handle that. I’m not a guy that can sit at home and relax, I’m going to have to keep myself busy.”