AL ATTLES was 35-56 overall in four seasons as Benicia's head basketball coach. He has been let go; the school confirmed it is searching for a new coach. Steve Guertin/Staff

By Steve Guertin
Sports Editor

Al Attles III has been let go as head coach of Benicia High School’s boys varsity basketball team after four seasons with the Panthers.

Attles went 35-56 overall and 18-32 in the Solano County Athletic Conference and had said he hoped to come back this winter to guide a young team with lots of potential.

He was disappointed to be let go, he said.

“I wish Benicia the best,” Attles said. “I think they have a good opportunity to move forward in the future. I’d like to think my tenure at Benicia helped the team with their relevance.”

Benicia had by far the youngest team in the SCAC last season, often playing five freshmen at the same time. The Panthers didn’t win a single game in the SCAC and went 4-21 overall, prompting the school to make a change.

“We wanted to move in a different direction,” Benicia High Athletic Director Craig Holden said, refusing to comment further on the matter except to confirm the search for Attles’s replacement is under way.

“Considering we were so young last season, the kids were competitive in most of our games,” Attles said. “It would have been nice to see where that incubation process would have led to.

“I certainly respect the administration’s ability to move forward any way they want. I don’t begrudge them going where they want to go.”

Attles had only one winning season with the Panthers, going 12-6 in 2008-09. That season also marked Benicia’s only postseason appearance under Attles, a first-round loss to Wood in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs.

Attles thanked his former players for always working hard, and thanked their parents for showing him support during his four-year tenure.

“I had a good time,” he said. “I thought my passion for kids spoke for itself. I thought I treated the kids fairly and I was always concerned for their well-being.”

Sharing is caring!