As a member of Lakewood High School’s Division I girls state basketball champions, then as a 1,000-point career scorer at Western Michigan University, Danielle Alberts learned the commitment it took to be a great individual and team player.

In her one year as a head coach at Garfield Heights High School and two seasons as the controls of the program at Perry, those thoughts have only been reinforced. In order for her players to get the joy out of the game she desired for them, she had to be equally committed to displaying that same level of enthusiasm for the game.

Only now, Alberts finds that she can’t give the full measure of devotion to the game she feels is necessary to be at the head of a program, at least at this point in time. The arrival of Edward Michael Alberts III, the first child of she and her husband, Edward, in late spring has caused a bit of a reassessment of her priorities.

Thus, the decision to resign as the Pirates coach has been made by Alberts. She leaves having compiled a 13-30 record.

It is not without a sense of sadness and the realization that the fire to get back on the court has not been extinguished. It’s just that Alberts feels she needs some time away from the sport.

“Part of it was having a new child, but part of it was that it was getting to the point where the game wasn’t as enjoyable for me as it should be,” the 30-year-old Alberts said. “If I couldn’t enjoy it, how could I expect the girls to enjoy it?

“I wanted to make this decision before it was too late to make a change. I didn’t want the girls to suffer if I wasn’t enjoying it. I enjoyed working with the girls and I enjoy working with the other teachers and coaches in the district. I just decided to take some time off.”

Alberts will be retaining her job as a middle school intervention specialist, working with students in special education classes. Not coaching will be a tough adjustment, though.

“Basketball has been such a huge part of my life,” she said. “I hope to get back to it within a year or two or three. I’ve already told (athletic director John) Dorko if they need help at any level, I’ll still be around.

“I’ve already talked to the girls about my decision and I’ve told them if they even need to just talk, I’m there to listen and try to give them the best advice I can. I plan to be at a few of their games, too.”

The group she is leaving behind is ready to get to the next level competitively, Alberts believes. The Pirates improved from 5-16 her first year to 8-14 last season.

“I hope they can find a coach that brings an energy to the court,” she said. “I think these girls have a desire to step it up to the next level. I hope they can be inspired to get even better. I think we made some steps in the right direction these two years.

“I think the girls have a goal of winning the (Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division) and I think they can accomplish it. I think they’re committed to it. I think there’ll be good leadership from seniors like Maddie Dugan, Courtney Sailors and Kelsey Tsipis.”

Alberts isn’t discounting the importance of wins and losses, but feels there is a lot more to basketball than that.

“It’s not just about the wins and losses,” she said. “It’s about the experience. I hope I gave them some good experiences.”