By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Jeff Hein, who guided Bedford North Lawrence boys basketball for four seasons, resigned from that position on Thursday.
Hein stepped down after posting a solid 56-40 record with the Stars. That included a strong 16-7 mark in 2022-23 as BNL won a share of the Hoosier Hills Conference championship. BNL finished with a winning record during three of his four years.
“I’ve been coaching kids for 30 years,” Hein said. “I’ve spent a lot of time with other people’s kids. There are other things to do in life. As you get older, you realize there are other things out there. I’ve always loved high school sports, but there are other things to do that can occupy your time.
“So it’s time to change gears and try something else. If the coaching fires start burning again, I’m sure I can do that.”
Under Hein’s guidance, BNL enjoyed its most successful four-year stint since Mark Ryan’s teams won 61 games from 1997-2001.
“That’s a tribute to the kids, the way they worked and the way they played,” Hein said. “I’m proud of that.
“The most disappointing thing is we didn’t win a sectional. I thought, in three of the four years, we had ourselves in position to do it. We had some chances, and I would have loved to have gotten that done. It’s something I really wanted to bring to this school. Things didn’t fall our way.”
BNL has not won a sectional title since 2001.
Hein was the ninth coach in program history, following Bob Masterson (1974-76), Mike Sorrell (1976-1981), Dan Bush (1981-1993), Mark Mathews (1993-1996), Ryan (1996-2005), Damon Bailey (2005-2007), Jamie Hudson (2007-2016) and Matt Seifers (2016-2019).
BNL was sixth coaching stop for Hein, who now owns a 351-246 overall record in 26 seasons. His previous jobs were with Vincennes Lincoln, Evansville Bosse, Boonville, North Central and Washington Catholic.
Hein will also step down as the boys golf coach at the conclusion of the current season.
