Todd Rickard, one of the most successful head coaches in Maui Interscholastic League history in any sport, has stepped down after 26 years as Lahainaluna High School girls basketball coach.

Rickard told his players of the decision on Tuesday and talked to The Maui News on Wednesday.

Since taking over the Lady Lunas program in the 1995-96 season, Rickard has guided the team to 19 Maui Interscholastic League titles, including the last 16 in a row. His team won an MIL all-sport record 164 league games in a row, a 14-year string that was snapped in 2020.

Lahainaluna won the only Division I basketball title ever for an MIL school, boys or girls, under Rickard in 2010.

While he is vaccinated for COVID-19, Rickard said the recent mandate that all public school student-athletes, coaches and volunteers must be vaccinated to participate in high school athletics played a large part in his decision.

“I’m not done coaching the girls, coaching basketball in general — I just think with the way this thing’s going, with the DOE always pushing these rules through and I think our kids is at one disadvantage, especially the athletes, yeah,” Rickard said. “You know with all these policies of you cannot work out with your coach, you cannot do this, you cannot do that with one volunteer coach.

“Whatever it is, we’re just hanging on to something that the DOE possibly might play, you might not play. It’s the same thing that happened last year.”

Lahainaluna athletic director Scott Soldwisch said the school will miss Rickard.

“Some of the best times I’ve had as Lahainaluna athletic director has been watching and working with Coach Todd and the girls basketball program,” Soldwisch said. “An unbelievable record, a record that should stand for a very long time. One of my greatest memories of being AD at Lahainaluna was being able to sit on the bench keeping stats during the state championship run.

“It was a great moment. We’ve known each other a long time. I think back on all the highs and some of the lows — it’s just a sad day for me to see him leave the school that means so much to him.”

Rickard noted that his son Tre Rickard — a Lahainaluna football and basketball first-team All-Star in the Maui Interscholastic League — went through the same feeling last year when the entire athletic year was wiped out due to COVID-19.

“I went through it with my own son already,” Todd Rickard said. “You know what I mean? About hanging on and staying around and hoping for one season. And saying that maybe next month, then the next month, ‘Well see how it goes, we’ll see how the numbers is,’ and then all of a sudden he’s graduating and he’s going to college.

“Then when everything started to look good and now they’re like two days before the season starts for football, now they come up with everybody’s got to be vaccinated and things like that, it’s kind of like eliminating everybody’s freedom of choice.”

Rickard said that he will continue to coach for his Town & Country Basketball Club, where he will have many of the same Lahainaluna players.

“It comes down to us coaches, and as far as coaches, I mean somebody has got to make one stand,” he said. “I’m surprised more coaches don’t even do it. ‘You know what, man, we cannot deal with this.’ For me, it just felt like it was best to step down, step down from the high school where I have a club, where I can run my own club basketball.

“And basically work with the kids without jeopardizing their season. I mean, I could have stayed there for another 10 years if I wanted to. The way things are going, I don’t really see it getting any better. … I hope they get to play. I’m not saying they can’t go play for Lahainaluna. They can go play for Lahainaluna, but at least when they do play they will be prepared and ready to go when the season does start.”

He guided a team on a trip to the Mainland this summer with Lahaina Girls Basketball Club.

“We see people all over the place, even in our own state, people running leagues and playing, guys on the Mainland is playing, it’s kind of like mentally wearing on the kids,” he said. “They don’t know if they are going to have a season, they don’t know if they should transfer out, you know, it’s mentally draining for them. I just feel like what the DOE is doing, they are trying to control us.

“We know that academics is the most important thing in school, we all know that, but they try to make make it seem like we put athletics over academics.”

Rickard added, “for me it comes down to I don’t think I can wait until September, for the end of September, by the middle or beginning of October and not work out with the kids. And then they come out and say ‘the numbers are high again.’ When is it going to end?”

Rickard stressed that he does not feel he is done coaching basketball, even in the MIL or in his now former position.

“We’ll see what happens, I mean if things change and nobody, like, basically wants it or whatever it is and it’s alright and if they ask, then maybe I would come back,” Rickard said. “Or maybe it would be somewhere else coaching. It’s not like I’m going to step away, it’s not like I’m out of basketball. I will continue in some shape or form.”

Rickard is a Lahainaluna graduate who clearly has a soft spot for his alma mater.

“I’m going to still be walking in a gym somewhere, like I said, whether it’s for the Red and White or whether it’s for somebody else,” he said. “I will make that decision. That’s my choice, what I want to do. Of course, everybody wants to coach for their home school and where they graduated, but if things change, then who knows? But for right now, I have to do what I have to do for my kids.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.