There comes a time in life when it is just time to step back and reassess things.
That time has arrived for Lorenzo Watkins.
Watkins resigned Thursday as head men’s basketball coach at Southeastern Community College.
The search for a replacement begins immediately.
It ends an 18-year run with the Blackhawks, the last nine as head coach.
For Watkins, it was a difficult decision, but one he is comfortable with.
‘I’m just burned out,” Watkins said in a telephone interview Friday morning. “I told Dr. (Michael) Ash (Thursday) that I just need to get revived. It’s hard with so many new rules in college basketball. I just need some time to step away and watch my kids do their thing. Who knows” Maybe I’ll get back into coaching at some point.”
Watkins and his wife, Sara, have two sons — Mason and Quincy. Mason Watkins is getting ready to start his second season with the North Florida University men’s basketball team. Quincy Watkins will be an eighth grader at West Burlington Junior High in August.
It goes by so fast,” Lorenzo Watkins said of his sons growing up. “We’re getting ready to take Mason back to Florida. Quincy is playing football and baseball. It just goes by so fast. It’s hard.”
SCC went 17-13 this past season, falling to Indian Hills in the Region XI Tournament championship game.
Watkins, a native of Portsmouth, Virginia, is a 1991 graduate of Craddock High School. He played two seasons at Indian Hills under Hall of Fame coach Terry Carroll.
Watkins went on to play his final two seasons at Idaho State. He started every game for the Bengals, averaging 14.1 points per game.
Watkins began his head coaching career at Indian Hills, where he had a 94-36 record from 2001-05. He was an assistant coach on the Warriors’ national championship teams in 1998 and 1999.
Watkins also had stops at Campbell, Sacramento State and the University of New Orleans.
Watkins came to SCC as an assistant coach in 2008 and took over as head coach for the 2017-18 season.
He led the Blackhawks to three Region XI championships and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2023.
“Dr. Ash hired me and I respect everything he has done for me and my family,” Watkins said.
Assistant coaches Trent Wulf and Malik Kelly remain on staff.
Watkins said he and his wife, who is the principal at Aldo Leopold Middle School, plan to stay in Burlington.
“I love Burlington. It’s my home,” Watkins said. “These people have been great to me and my family. They have been so supportive of me and my family. My kids grew up in the SCC program and spent so much time on that court (at Loren Walker Arena). We’re in a great place. We have a lot of family and friends who support us. This is our home.”