For weeks, speculation has been swirling that Demopolis High varsity girls’ basketball head coach Tony Pittman would be leaving to accept the same position at Eufaula High School. Thursday afternoon, Pittman squelched the rumors by telling the Times he is fully committed to Demopolis.

“Coach Pittman will be staying here in Demopolis,” he said.

Pittman does have ties to the Eufaula area and said that he had interviewed with Eufaula High officials about the position. Finally, though, the move didn’t feel right and he will return to the Lady Tiger bench for another run at the state championship.

“I decided,” he said, “that it wasn’t time to leave.”

That will be terrific news for fans of the Lady Tigers, who have seen Pittman steadily build the Lady Tiger program over his eight years with the school. Pittman has compiled a 75-17 record over the three previous seasons, took the Lady Tigers to back-to-back state Final Four appearances in 2004 and 2005, and came within one win of the state title in 2004.

However, that first state championship has proved elusive, and Pittman says his desire to bring a state title home to Demopolis was a driving factor in his decision.

“The Lady Tigers and I still have unfinished business,” Pittman says, “and I want to stay and see that happening here.”