By Steve Lee

Some people have labeled Doug Greseth’s coaching style as “old school.” If that means his Wesley Chapel boys basketball teams were disciplined and worked hard with an attention to detail and a strong focus on defense, then the shoe fits.

Greseth’s run is over. The 63-year-old physical education teacher has resigned following his 17th season at Wesley Chapel. At 300-164 he is the winningest coach in school history with three conference and three district titles to go along with nine playoff appearances.

“It’s time. Everything runs its course,” Greseth said. “I tried to get kids to play extremely hard and I always wanted to be sound defensively. Every year I was there I really enjoyed coaching the kids. For the most part, they gave me everything they had.”

In all, Greseth coached for 34 years and sports a 533-325 overall record. That includes stints at Tampa Jefferson and Okeechobee, as well as two seasons as an assistant at the University of Tampa. He played basketball at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.

Pete Livingston, who has coached the Wesley Chapel girls basketball team to two district titles, considers Greseth a mentor: “I just like his demeanor and knowledge of the game. He’s super-organized. It’s sad to see him go.”

Greseth sent 14 players to the college level, including Erik Thomas. The 2013 graduate is Wesley Chapel’s career scoring and rebounding leader with 2,138 points and 1,203 rebounds, respectively. The two-time Sunshine Athletic Conference Player of the Year and the state’s Class 4A Player of the Year in 2013 starred at the University of New Orleans and currently plays professional basketball in Argentina.

Greseth also coached Chase Bussey, the Wildcats’ second-leading all-time scorer and Isaiah Ramsey, who graduates this year and if not for an injury this season likely would have passed Bussey on that list.