Frankie Smith tendered his resignation as the head coach of the Bell County boys basketball team on Monday.

“I just felt like it was time to for me to move on,” said Smith. “I decided it was better for me to do it as quickly as possible out of fairness to the players. They deserve to get someone in here quickly and to be able to get familiar with him as quickly as possible.”

In two seasons with the Bobcats, Smith led Bell County to a 35-23 record while going 19-20 in region play and 5-9 in district play.

“I had two good years here at Bell County,” said Smith. “I love it here. I love the players, I love the winning culture here, I love it all. But, I felt like it was the right time for me to move on and pursue other opportunities.

“The kids here are special, which made this decision extremely difficult. This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I think that this team is headed in the right direction, and I’m excited to see what they accomplish next season. I will always be keeping up with how they do, no matter where I go. I’m going to miss it here. I’m going to miss the kids. I’m very thankful for my time here, and I wish Bell County nothing but the absolute best in everything they do.”

Prior to his time at Bell County, Smith coached Christian County for two years. During that time, he put together an impressive resume with the Colonels. The year before Smith arrived at the school, the team finished with a 14-11 record and was eliminated in the first round of the 8th District tournament.

Smith arrived for the 2015-16 season and made an instant impact. In his first year at Christian County, he led the Colonels to a 29-3 record. The team won the district and regional title before losing in the Sweet 16 to South Laurel.

Smith had a stint as a college head coach as well — coaching five years at Saginaw Valley State before resigning from the position in 2012. He was also an assistant coach at Miami University (Ohio). He also won a Class AA West Virginia state championship in 1998-99.