Wells steps down at C.B. Aycock

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 3, 2014 1:48 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Players wiped their eyes as they exited the girls' locker room at Charles B. Aycock on Wednesday afternoon.

Ryan Wells walked out last and took a deep breath.

"That's the toughest thing I've ever had to do," he said.

Wells officially stepped down as the Golden Falcons' head varsity girls' basketball coach after his lone season at the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference school.

"I think a lot of them today thought we were having a meeting about our summer development stuff," Wells said. "It's always tough when you have to tell your players something like this. I was very honest with them, I don't sugar coat.

"It's a personal matter, so you can only tell kids so much. (But) they're resilient kids, my type of kids that I like to coach much like what I had at Rosewood."

School administrators posted the job vacancy on the N.C. High School Athletic Association website late Tuesday evening. CBA athletics director Charles Davis anticipates leaving the notice online for at least three weeks, and then begin interviewing for Well's successor.

Davis, CBA principal Dr. Earl Moore, a staff member and an advisory council member will interview each respective candidate.

"I tell you I hate to lose him, not only was he a good coach, but he's a great classroom teacher," CBA athletics director Charles Davis said. "The kids loved taking his class because he is so enthusiastic and he's the same when he coaches."

A coaching fixture in Wayne County for six years, Wells guided the injury-riddled Golden Falcons through and up-and-down campaign this past season.

Aycock's signature victory was an upset of county archrival Eastern Wayne in the ECC tournament. The team lost in the following round and concluded the year 6-18 overall.

Wells didn't consider the year a disappointment.

"We sat down as a coaching staff at the end of the season and even though we struggled, we knew the girls had bought in to what we were trying to do," Wells said. "We started to click at the end of the year. There were times where we were just out-manned as a younger team playing against more-experienced teams.

"It's going to be a great job for anybody who steps in because they're going to have motivated kids who work hard and are coachable."

Wells, his wife Alicia and their four-year-old daughter, Addison, are heading home to West Virginia. Wells has put in coaching bids for football and basketball at his prep alma mater, Oak Glen High School.

The school is located in Hancock County, which is in the far northern part of the state and 35 minutes from Pittsburgh.

"Life threw us an unexpected curveball and our best option as a family was to move to West Virginia," Wells said. "We had intended to grow roots in Wayne County. We have been blessed to work for two great companies.

"It's tough because we've developed a tight-knit group of family here that we're leaving, and that's rough."