BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
Edinburg Vela boys basketball coach David Keith looked around and realized he needed to make a change.
Keith has always lived the mantra, “Faith and family first, and then everything else.”
On Monday, he made a decision based on that philosophy when he turned in his letter of resignation, leaving Vela after one season.
“Vela is a great place. ECISD is an awesome school district,” Keith said. “If my intention was to coach next year, I believe that I am in the perfect spot. … My experience here has been incredible. But, what I found was I wasn’t having enough time with my own kids at home.”
Keith and his wife, Rosette, have three children living at home. Liv is 11, and the 13 year-old twins Callie and Gavin are entering junior high school next year.
“They are about to start junior high sports, and I wasn’t going to have time to get to all the events,” Keith said.
Keith also hopes to spend more time with his stepdaughter, Sidra, who is 22 and currently attends Texas State.
Keith said the decision weighed on him. He took time to think about it before committing.
“I felt like family had to come first in this decision,” Keith said. “It wasn’t an easy decision. It was a process. I’ve got a great crew around me, and God has provided me with some great friends and a great family. My wife and kids are amazing, and they have been so supportive. I just realized that at this point, I have to take some time for them.”
Keith said he knows leaving Vela is going to be hard. His job was a dream job, and his first year showed promise for what his program could become.
“I guess it boils down to if I am going to have a regret for my future, my regret is not going to be that I didn’t get to spend time with my kids,” Keith said. “It will be that I didn’t get to coach.”