Recent family illness forces Tumwater girls basketball coach to resign 3 weeks before season begins

Dave Littleton knows the timing isn’t the best, but he knows it’s in the best interest of his family to step away from coaching girls basketball at Tumwater High School less than three weeks before the season begins.

Littleton resigned as the T-Birds’ head coach earlier this week to focus his efforts on the health and well-being of a family member. Littleton said he got an “awakening” three weeks ago and pondered his decision to continue coaching. The high school basketball season begins Nov. 12.

“I would regret spending the next three to four months in a gym,” Littleton said. “I can always come back and coach.” He also noted he isn’t shutting the door completely on coaching.

Littleton spent the past two seasons as coach at Tumwater, and also was the head coach at the school from 1989-’95.