After making four straight state-tournament appearances in the 1990s, the Bothell High girls basketball team went nearly a decade without a trip to the big show — until Rich Klee led the Cougars back there in 2007.

When Bothell returns next time, it won’t be under Klee’s direction.

Klee resigned his post as the head girls basketball coach after three seasons, highlighted by the 16-10 2007 season with one win at the state tournament. Klee, who will continue teaching at Bothell, said he left to spend more time with his family, including his two sons in second grade and kindergarten.

“I think the thought process was two elementary age kids, and something had to give between teaching, family and coaching,” said Klee, who went 26-43 in his three seasons. “This year, I started to do AP (advanced placement) U.S. history, which is pretty demanding, and it was tough to do year-round coaching, which is what basketball is.”

After graduating guards Erin Barclay and Kaitlin McBride — who both went to play in college — from the state team, Bothell went 2-19 overall last season.

“I didn’t like to walk away from a season that didn’t go the way we wanted, or the type of season we want Bothell basketball to be,” Klee said. “But at the same time, it was a definitely time.”

Klee said he expects to coach at some level again in the future, but to what extent is still to be determined. It will not be a position that is a “year round” position like high-school varsity is, he said.

“There’s a couple of coaching opportunities out there that I may or may not do next year,” Klee said. “I don’t think anybody knows what the head coach has to do. Even if I was stepping down to a junior high or ‘C’ team, you put in a couple of days during season only and you’re done with it, versus hours upon hours of what a head (high-school varsity) coach has to put in.”