It’s always hard to leave home, especially when you’ve been there most of your life. That’s how Gans Lady Grizzlies coach Laney James feels, but she’s leaving.

James was hired last week as the new assistant high school girls basketball coach at Fort Smith (Ark.) Southside.

“It was definitely a tough decision,” James said. “Gans is like my home. I went to school there my whole life. I was blessed enough for the administration to give me the chance to come back and take over the (girls) programs for three years. It was a big decision (to leave). I knew everybody there (at Gans). (Coaching at) Gans definitely helped me get my foot in the door and start off right as a head coach.”

However, it’s been a once-in-a-lifetime experience to get to coach at her alma mater.

“It was definitely a blessing,” James said. “That’s for sure.”

James said the major reason for taking the Fort Smith Southside girls basketball assistant coach job was she felt it was time to “expand” her coaching horizons.

“I just felt like it was time to expand myself and improve in some areas in coaching and learning more (coaching) skills,” she said. “It was a hard decision. We’re smaller (at Gans), and they’re really big. It’s a different state. I just decided to take a leap of faith to expand in my coaching, and, hopefully, get better and better every time I move up.”

She is very excited about what the new venture has in store.

“I’m very excited, but nervous,” James said. “It’s a really big difference, but I’m very excited (to be) working along side head coach Robert Brunk (who coached at several places in Sequoyah County and the surrounding area). He’s a great guy. I’ve known him for a while just whenever I played. He used to coach against Gans whenever I played. I’m just really excited to get started with them, and get a whole new experience in. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Another new thing about the new coaching job at Southside will be that James only has to coach high school girls basketball, not softball or track. With the Lady Grizzlies, James was coaching all three sports.

“This will be the only sport I’ll have — high school girls basketball,” James said. “I am excited (about coaching just one sport). It’s going to be different. I feel that I’ll have a lot more free time, but it’s going to be so different because I was used to coaching every sport — and I loved every sport. Basketball is my main gig that I like, so I’m excited to be able to give my 100 percent focus on that — and just get better at that.”