Nolan steps down at Geneva

Geneva girls basketball coach Gina Nolan announced Monday she is resigning to focus her energy on her continued recovery from cancer.

Nolan found out June 9, 2010 she had been diagnosed with a particularly invasive former of ductile breast cancer, which was treated with surgery as well as eight rounds of chemotherapy spread over four months.

Nolan missed the first half of this past basketball season but returned to the bench in January and led the Vikings to their third straight sectional championship. Geneva had never won a sectional title before that.

She said she has had no setbacks in her recovery but needs to focus her time on what she needs to do so the cancer doesn’t return. That includes resting, eating well, cooking well and working out.

“I’m doing well, physically so much better than last year,” Nolan said.

Nolan told her returning players at a team meeting last Wednesday. She coached at Geneva for 9 years, the last seven as head coach.

“It was a tough decision but my priority is to take care of myself and put my health first and unfortunately the pace and rigors of the season that go with being a head coach don’t allow me to do that,” said Nolan, who would be out scouting on the nights her team didn’t play as often as any coach you can find.

“I’m doing really well and want to stay that way. I’m still 100 percent and getting better every day.”

Nolan finished with a 173-38 record that includes the school’s first trip to state in 2009 and then two more sectional championships the last two years.

“Geneva High School is losing a great coach and we are obviously disappointed with that but we fully understand and support her decision,” Geneva athletic director Jim Kafer said in a statement. “We are very appreciative of everything she has done for Geneva basketball and wish her the best.”

Nolan, who will continue teaching Spanish at Geneva, said she will miss coaching. She will miss the players who were coming back next year as well as the incoming freshman class — kids she has known since they were third- and fourth-graders coming to Geneva camps.

“I’m looking forward to summer and a chance to relax and have a slower pace to life for awhile,” Nolan said. “(Coaching) is definitely a demanding pace but I’ve absolutely loved it. It’s time for a change.”