Charlotte-area high school coach resigns weeks after reaching state championship game

Bradley Gabriel, who coached Lincoln Charter to the boys 1A state title game earlier this month before losing in the final to Wilson Prep, has resigned as the school’s head basketball coach.

Gabriel made the announcement on Facebook and it was confirmed by Daniel Schmitz, the school’s athletic director.

Gabriel said in his Facebook post: “As of now, I plan to stay and teach as I love Lincoln Charter School .... This year put a lot of things in perspective for me and I thought it was time to give the keys to someone else.”

Jamie Seitz, Gabriel’s close friend and his assistant coach, died of COVID-19 at age 51 on Dec. 27, midway through the school’s season.

Lincoln Charter, located in Denver about 25 miles northwest of Charlotte, had dedicated the season to Seitz, who had also been an elementary school PE teacher at the school and whose son, Carter Seitz, was a senior who started at center for the basketball team. Gabriel had taken several days off from teaching and coaching in late February, missing a late-season game, to help process his emotions over Seitz’s death, he told The Observer in early March.

At Lincoln Charter, Gabriel’s teams were 197-40 since he was hired in 2013. The school won the 1A state championship under Gabriel in 2017.

“We are extremely blessed to have had such a great coach work at Lincoln Charter,” Schmitz said. “His family has been a huge part of our community. He built a great program.”

Schmitz said the school has not yet determined who will replace Gabriel as the head coach. Gabriel said in his Facebook post that he wanted to spend more time with his family but added: “I’m not sure if I’m done coaching.”

This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 2:37 PM.