Temple athletic coordinator Steve Prentiss on Wednesday confirmed Layton would not return for an eighth season.
When reached Wednesday evening, Layton said he had not officially accepted another position but had several offers to continue coaching.
“It was time for a change,” Layton said. “I knew that I was going to make a move for myself and my family.
“I’ve enjoyed my time at Temple. I’ll miss the kids. I’ve really enjoyed working with the kids here and a lot of my assistant basketball coaches here. It’s been a good experience for me. I’ll have fond memories of it.”
Layton compiled a 147-83 record in his seven seasons with the Tem-Cats, including a District 13-5A championship in 2005-06 and four Class 5A playoff appearances.
“We wish him the best of luck,” Prentiss said. “He did some great things in the last seven years.”
Layton was named head coach in the spring of 2001, replacing Susan Brown.
Layton came to Temple after four season as coach at 3A Crockett, where he posted a record of 93-33 and qualified for the playoffs all four seasons.
In Layton’s first season in 2001-02, the Tem-Cats returned the playoffs after missing the postseason for the first time in 10 years. Temple beat Pflugerville in the bi-district round before losing to third-ranked Spring Westfield eliminated Temple in area play.
The Tem-Cats were back in the playoffs in 2005 and again reached the area round, beating Conroe Oak Ridge in bi-district before falling to Georgetown.
In 2005-06, Temple won the 13-5A title with a 13-1 record and made its deepest playoff run under Layton.
The Tem-Cats - who earned a No. 6 state ranking - won their area-round game against Pflugerville before falling in the Region II quarterfinals to Round Rock McNeil to finish 30-6. Layton was voted 13-5A Coach of the Year.
In their third straight playoff appearance in 2007, Layton’s Tem-Cats lost to Cedar Park.
In his final season at Temple, the Tem-Cats finished with an 18-13 overall record and a 6-6 mark in 13-5A, missing out on one of the district’s four playoff spots.
“We won a lot of ballgames,” Layton said. “The things that stick out in my memory are the kids. There’s a lot of kids that I think very highly of. I think that over the course of seven years we built the program back up to what everyone expected from it.”
Prentiss said the search for Layton’s replacement had already begun. The job was posted on the Texas Girls Coaches Association Web site on Wednesday.
“Because of the job he did, we feel like we’ll get some quality applications,” he said.
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
