RIMERSBURG — Josh Meeker was conflicted.

With a wife and two young children at home, the Union girls basketball coach was missing out on valuable time with his family when he was in the gym, running his team in practices and games.

Still undecided about his future, a few words from his mother made gave him an epiphany.

“She said, ‘Josh, you can always go back into coaching,'” Meeker said. “‘You can never go back and spend time with your kids when they are young.' It just hit me right in the face.”

So, Meeker, who posted a 207-65 record in 10 years as the Damsels' coach — including three Butler Eagle Girls Coach of the Year awards and three District 9 Class A titles — resigned as girls basketball coach at Union.

“I had actually debated it at the end of last season,” Meeker said. “It came down to my two children or the girls. It was a tough decision.”

But it was one Meeker said he had to make.

Meeker and his wife Tina welcomed a boy, Caleb, to the family just six months ago. The couple's first child, Eliana, is 2.

“With the practices and the road games, I would get maybe 15 minutes with my kids a night,” Meeker said. “That was my No. 1 reason (for stepping down). My No. 2 reason was I couldn't give the time and commitment to basketball that I used to.

“I used to eat, breathe and sleep basketball,” Meeker added. “I used to watch film at night, look up new plays on the Internet.”

Meeker could no longer do that, and he said he felt he was doing his players a disservice.

“I told them, ‘I cheated you guys,'” Meeker said.

Union had its first losing season under Meeker this year, going 8-14 and missing the playoffs.

“I'm not saying we had that record this year because of that,” Meeker said. “But it didn't help.”

Meeker said he didn't make his decision known until the last day of practice because he didn't want to become a distraction.

Still, rumors swirled for most of the season that this would be Meeker's last.

“I didn't want to say I was leaving, and then flip-flop later,” Meeker said.

Union will be searching for two basketball coaches.

The boys coach at the school, Karen Davis, is also stepping down.

Davis had coached the girls program until Meeker took over 10 years ago.

Meeker has many fond memories of his decade-long stint.

Even though the Damsels won district championships and reached the PIAA semifinals in 2006, Meeker remembers the little things with just as much fondness.

“There's so many great memories,” Meeker said. “The girls at practice just having fun. How much they enjoyed the game. I don't want to downplay the fun we had when we were at our best, but those are the things I will remember.”

Like an email he received several years ago from a former player that gave him chills.

“She wrote it took her a few years to realize what I was trying to do teaching the stuff that had nothing to do with basketball,” Meeker said. “But she got it and thanked me for it with a beautifully written email. That's the greatest feeling, knowing you made an impact beyond the game.”