CHOCOWINITY — After 18 years of roaming the hallways of Southside High School, athletic director and head basketball coach, Sean White, will be leaving the school after the school year. Coach Andrea Quinnerly will take over athletic director duties.

White was mostly known for coaching basketball for a large portion of the time he was with the Seahawks after joining Southside in 2001.

White helped out with quite a few sports at Southside as well, until ultimately becoming athletic director and head basketball coach years later.

“I’ve done a little bit of everything except been a head varsity coach or a coordinator and that was fine with me. Football was not my forte, but I enjoyed it.” White said.

White was the JV basketball coach before becoming athletic director in 2008. In 2010, he was the varsity basketball head coach where he remained for nine years. Of course, White’s favorite memory at Southside had to come from the hardwood.

“Donshae Miller, I coached him for three years on Varsity. I pulled him up as a sophomore. He’s the only player I’ve ever called up during the playoffs. I put him in with four or five minutes left, and he scored his first three points,” White said. “Fast forward to his senior year, we’re playing Northside here on this court against Bam (Adebayo). (Miller) scored 38 points that game, and scored his 1,000th point in the third quarter. So his first points were a three-pointer, and his 1,000th point was from a three-pointer.”

White had two sons go through Southside, Kyle and Kevin White. Kevin graduates from Southside this year and will attend Campbell University next fall.

White talked a lot about how his wife, Shannon. “She’s had my back the entire time I’ve been here (At Southside) through all the late nights, the constant work, and she never complained,” White said.

This time, it was his turn to give back, and follow her to the job she wants in Swansboro; a job in which she was handpicked for, according to White.

White has a couple of options for where he will continue his teaching and coaching career, in which will likely be at a middle school so he can continue to come check on the Seahawks’ football team on Friday nights.

“It’s a family atmosphere here,” White said. “I think we’re at a really good point right now school wise. We all get along good, we’ve got some great kids here … I’ll miss the coaches obviously, my co-workers, and the kids. They’ve been coming up hugging me all week because they know it’s close to the end.”

Despite his departure, White, as well as the rest of the staff at Southside is fully faithful in Coach Quinerly or “Coach Q” doing a good job in the new athletic director role.

“I talked to (a lot of coaches) about who might be a good replacement, and all of them brought up Coach Q’s name,” White said. “I told them I always felt the same way. I talk to him, I see how he carries himself and how he handles himself around the kids and other people, and I think he’d do a great job.”

Coach Q was encouraged by all of his peers referring his name to the open athletic director’s position.

“It feels great,” Quinnerly said. “Of course, I’m going to do everything I can to do a good job, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because so many people do have that faith in me and you don’t want to let anybody down.”

It was one of Quinnerly’s goals to become athletic director due to his love and passion for sports.

“I just love all sports. If there’s a winner and a loser, I want to be a part of it,” Quinnerly said. “Having my hands in on all of them, going to watch and support all the coaches and the kids, that’s what I’m going to enjoy the most.”