Creighton steps down after successful run at Carroll

As he has after each of his previous seven seasons, Chuck Creighton took time after the Archbishop Carroll girls basketball season to assess what level of effort another year at the helm would require.

This time, Creighton decided, another season on the bench would be too much.

The only coach the Carroll program has had in its PIAA existence, Creighton stepped down Tuesday, leaving behind a unique chapter of Carroll’s storied girls basketball history.

“It was just time,’ Creighton told the Daily Times by phone Tuesday. “I don’t have the same time as I used to in the last eight years to commit to being a coach.’

Creighton, who will devote more time to the financial planning business he owns, posted a 178-48 record in eight seasons at Carroll. He led the Patriots to the 2009 PIAA Class AAA championship, the Catholic League’s first season in the PIAA, and the 2012 AAAA title. He also piloted the Patriots to three Catholic League titles and the 2011 PIAA Class AAAA final.

This season, Creighton steered Carroll to a 19-9 record, falling in the PIAA AAAA quarterfinals to eventual state runner-up Central Bucks West, 60-45.

Along the way, Creighton has sent a passel of players to college and produced a number of All-Delcos, including 2010 Daily Times Player of the Year Erin Shields. Creighton’s daughter, Meghan, a three-time All-Delco and member of both state title teams, just completed her sophomore season at Drexel.

Those players are the not-so-secret source of the success Creighton can claim ownership of.

“The goal was never to win state championships,’ he said. “That’s just a byproduct of the preparation and the players who dedicated the time and effort to working really hard to improve themselves individually.’

It’s not bad considering that Creighton wasn’t even the first choice for the job. The Cardinal O’Hara and Widener hoops standout, who had coached in the St. Agnes Elementary School boys CYO program and became an assistant at Carroll when Meghan was in eighth grade, only assumed the job before the 2007-08 season when Lou Becht was dismissed. Becht had been tabbed as the replacement for Barry Kirsch, who won four Catholic League titles before retiring at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season.

The interim tag vanished after a 19-8 season, and in Creighton’s second campaign, he led the Patriots to their first state title, complementing the boys team’s triumph in the Class AAA title game.

Creighton views his success as a continuation of the foundation laid by Kirsch. While his plans focus on his business, Creighton said any coaching venture in the immediate future would have to be on a “very limited, part-time basis’.

His success at Carroll leaves him satisfied in that regard.

“I think it’s been a fantastic journey,’ he said. “I’ve had great, fantastic girls and players to work with and great coaches to work with. And the other fantastic thing is the administration at Carroll, which has always supported us.’