Los Alamos: Gerry Washburn likened the 20 years he spent helping build the Los Alamos High School girls basketball program to raising a daughter.

On Monday, Washburn began preparations to give it away to a new suitor by tendering his resignation as its head coach. Washburn instead will be given a new prodigy to help mold as the assistant principal at Los Alamos Middle School, a position that was offered to him last week.

Washburn, who was the Lady Hilltoppers' head coach for 14 years and a part of the staff for 20, had hoped the Los Alamos Public Schools district would let him continue to coach, but its policy prevents administrators from being coaches. Washburn accepted his fate, although he will continue to supervise the summer program until the new coach is hired.

"I had pretty much decided I was going to come back (to coach) and then the district came to me and offered this," Washburn said. "It's an opportunity. I've been spending a lot of time heading in this direction. Sometimes, you have to give something up to get it."

Los Alamos athletic director Vicki Nelms said the possibility always existed that Washburn wouldn't return, even though she had performed her evaluation of him in May and decided to retain him.

"He was looking toward that (an administrative post)," Nelms said, "I think it had to be the right situation for him to take it."

Los Alamos was 17-10 in the 2007-08 season, and won its third straight District 2AAAA title. The season ended on a bittersweet note as the Lady Hilltoppers, the fifth seed in the Class AAAA State Tournament, failed to make it to Albuquerque as No. 12 Piedra Vista beat them 45-43 in the first round in Griffith Gymnasium.

It was the fifth straight year Los Alamos reached the state tournament.

Overall, Washburn compiled a 174-177 record in 14 seasons, but the figures are skewed by forfeits during the 2000-01 season, when it was discovered that an ineligible player had been used throughout a 14-8 regular season. Los Alamos recovered to win five straight games and reach the AAAA semifinals, but its record was 5-23.

Washburn indicated he'd like to see his assistant coaches get due consideration if they applied, but more important to him was that the school district hire the best possible candidate available.

"If Mike Kryzyweski doesn't want to coach at Duke any more, I would hope if he applied for the girls basketball job, they would look at him," Washburn said.

Nelms said she has not considered what kind of candidate she would like to see, because she has head coaching positions open within the softball and boys and girls swimming programs. Randy Burditt, the softball coach, and Beverly Leasure, the boys and girls swimming coach, both resigned in May.