Less than two weeks after leading Winthrop to the Class C state basketball championship, head coach Dennis Dacus has resigned.

Dacus said Tuesday night that he will make the move official by submitting an e-mail announcing his resignation to Winthrop athletic director Eric Turner.

Girls varsity basketball coach Glen Chase also resigned earlier this week for unrelated reasons.

Dacus, a former basketball referee, compiled a 66-18 record in four years at Winthrop, leading the Ramblers to the Western C tournament each year, regional championships in 2006 and 2008, and the gold ball with a 72-62 win over Calais on March 5.

“It was an invaluable experience,” said Dacus, 39. “I had so much fun. The relationships I made…I’ve become such a better person dealing with these kids.”

“When I decided to get out of reffing and try to coach, I just did it to see what it would be like, and I’m so glad I did,” he added. “I’m not saying I’ll never do it again. I might down the road, but for now, other avenues are opening and I’m taking them.”

Turner said Dacus worked hard with his players on and off the court, despite being employed with another school district.

“We’ll be sorry to see Dennis go. He’s done a great job over the last four years, not just in terms of wins and losses, but he’s run a really tight ship,” Turner said. “Dennis just knew that that had to be a priority because he’s been around kids long enough to realize that no matter how good a student-athlete is, they’re not going to be a lot of good to you if they’re academically ineligible.”

Dacus said he had been contemplating stepping down for some time in order to spend more time with his family. But the decision was hastened by other factors, most of all the way school administration handled the punishment of one of his players prior to the state championship game.

“I wasn’t treated very fairly in that whole process,” Dacus said.

Senior Tim Gingras, one of Winthrop’s starters, was summonsed for assault by Winthrop police on the morning of Feb. 23, which was the same day the Ramblers won the Western Maine Class C basketball championship. Police said the charge stemmed from a Feb. 19 incident at a chem-free party held at a Winthrop residence. Gingras, 18, got into an altercation with a 17-year-old Farmingdale boy over a girl who was also at the party.

When school officials heard about the incident later in the week, Dacus said he was and Turner were told by administrators to handle the matter. He said they decided on a half-game suspension the Thursday before the game, which was originally scheduled for Friday, Feb. 29, based on Gingris’ good academic and behavioral record at Winthrop.

The next day, Dacus said he was told by Winthrop School Superintendent Mark LaRoach that Gingris would be suspended for the entire game. Dacus said he thought that would damage his credibility with the players, and told administrators he would be resigning after the game.

“I said ‘What kind of respectability do I have now? I tell my team we came up with this decision and you’re going to override me,'” Dacus said.

LaRoach declined comment on Dacus’ resignation and the disciplinary action taken against Gingris.

“In the end, the coach and the athletic director only make a recommendation to the to the superintendent,” LaRoach said. “The superintendent is ultimately charged, as any activity that relates to operations of the district, with making a decision.”

“Dennis and I both know that superintendents have the final say in any of our decisions,” Turner said. “We try to handle discipline the best we can in-house and I think it goes pretty successfully. In the end, it didn’t bother me as much because I realize that the superintendent’s name is where the buck stops.”

Dacus, who teaches physical education full time at Cony High School, also recently took a part-time position as director of Winslow’s parks and recreation department.

“They hired me the morning of the state game, and accepting that position definitely would have ended my tenure at Winthrop,” he said. “I possibly would have come back if I didn’t get the job, but it just kind of sealed the deal.”

He said he told the team at one of their meetings prior to the state game that he was “99 percent sure” he wasn’t coming back.

Dacus said he wasn’t leaving with only good memories of his time at Winthrop.

“I can’t leave with a bitter taste in my mouth based on the decision of one person,” he said. “He did what he thought he had to do. I didn’t agree with it one ounce. I thought I did the right thing. I know I did the right thing. I love that community, everyone that I dealt with. It was a great, great time.”