NEESES -- The days leading to graduation are often a time of mixed emotions for departing seniors.

Anticipation over what the future holds is often tempered by feelings of sadness prompted by thoughts of saying good-bye to friends and a school where so much time and accomplishments have been invested. The same sentiments can be experienced by teachers and coaches who find themselves parting ways with student-athletes they've mentored and grown attached to for a significant time.

That's exactly what Kevin Wright is going through now at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler. Entering the final month of school, the 32-year-old mathematics teacher and boys' basketball coach has become used to making plans for summer workouts in preparation for next season.

As the school year rapidly winds down, Wright is left scratching his head wondering why things reached a point where he's not returning to H-K-T next fall.

"I'm going through that right now," he said Tuesday. "I'm waiting up at night just wondering, 'What happened? What's going on? Why is Coach Wright and H-K-T having this separation at this time?'"

According to Wright, the decision was not voluntary and came at the behest of higher authorities in the district.

"When it came down to me coaching basketball here, it was not an option for next year," he said. "I was told I could coach any other sport, but I could not coach basketball.

"It (the decision) was taken out of my hands. It's not like I'm leaving to get another job. It was just basically an issue that I couldn't come back as the basketball coach at this particular time."

Wright leaves H-K-T after leading the Trojans to a 41-15 record in two seasons. This past season, the Trojans overcame preseason, season-ending injuries, to senior starters Ecorie Schofield and William Brimfield to advance to the Class A Upper State finals where they lost to eventual repeat champion and archrival Calhoun County, whom finished the season undefeated.

Yet despite coming within less than a minute of nearly dethroning the Saints with a roster of mostly freshman and sophomores, Wright was stunned two-weeks ago by a petition presented to the Orangeburg Consolidated School District Four board requesting his ouster.

"I really haven't been told why this petition come up as successful as we've been the last two years," he said. "This is the most successful program at H-K-T when it comes to boys' sports and to have this type of season, get to the Upper State championship, lose Ecorie and Will at the beginning of the year and still play with freshmen and sophomores and take (Calhoun County) to the limit. We were minutes away from having an opportunity for our second championship and for this to happen ... is shocking."

At first, Wright questioned some of the 130 signatures on the petition presented by Norway resident John Ross. After getting the support of Athletics Director Crandell White and principal Fred Moore, Wright was more than willing to fight for his job if the board decided to act on the petition.

Those feelings changed, however, after Wright said he realized he would not have the support of Superintendent Darrell Johnson and trustee member Joseph Garvin. He also didn't like the prospect of the petition dividing the H-K-T community.

"When you have the support at the beginning and somehow it changed, that was always interesting," he said. "When it came down to it, it wasn't my principal, it wasn't my athletics director, it was the superintendent. That (not having Wright return as basketball coach) came from him. When it comes to that point of view that you don't have any type of appeal, any type of options, I went ahead and said, 'This is how it's going to be? I have no options of fighting this. I have no option but to step down.'"

Garvin declined to respond to Wright's claim when contacted at home, although Johnson did acknowledge speaking with Wright about the personnel matter.

"He and I had discussions, but his decision to leave was his own," he said.

In the end, Wright claims the pressure to remove him had more to do with politics and less to do with his winless record against Calhoun County.

"Really, when it comes to being 0-5 against (Calhoun County), I don't really think that was a major factor," he said. "I think it basically came back to politics. I don't like that 0-5 record versus Calhoun (County) and I know three of those games could have went either way. So the idea at being at the Bi-Lo Center and hearing what we heard from (Calhoun County) fans as well as H-K-T fans and how exciting that game was and a couple of free throws here and there, I know that when it came to this year's team, we were the only team who had an opportunity to beat them. So if you are at that playing freshman and sophomores, I give my kids all the respect and props in the world."

In fact, Wright believes he would have still been forced out even if the Trojans regained the state title.

"I feel like in the back of my mind, if we would have got past (Calhoun County) and beat Baptist Hill, I think it still would have went down," he said. "That's the first thing some of my kids asked. (I told them) 'In my heart, I hoped so (to be able to return), but behind the scenes and watching this, I don't think that would have been the case no matter what the outcome was.'"

Since Wright's decision, fellow coaches like Swansea's Jacob Smith and the man he succeeded, Hartsville's Aric Samuels, have reached out to him for support. He's also been encouraged by other possible coaching opportunities and is currently weighing his options.

As for the players he's leaving behind for the new coach, Wright plans to continue to support them from a distance.

"I told my kids no matter who they bring in, no matter what you do, this is my team," he said. "I built this team right here. All these guys that are playing for the next few years have only been coached by me. So therefore, I know what they're capable of doing and I'm going to be looking from a distance and rooting for them.

"I want to go watch a 1-A championship with H-K-T in it and win it," he said. "But I also told them to hang around and watch your former coach win a state championship next year. So that's going to be fun."

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