Ankeny girls’ basketball coach Nate Tobey has resigned from his position after leading the Hawkettes to their most successful season since the split into two high schools.
Tobey guided Ankeny to the semifinals of last week’s Class 5A state tournament in his third season with the team. The Hawkettes finished with a 16-9 record, which equaled the most wins in the last 13 years for the program.
Tobey said the biggest factor in his decision was his family.
“I have two younger kids at home, and they are starting to be involved in activities,” he said. “I just want to make sure I’m being able to be a dad first and a husband first. I’ve been coaching basketball for 11 seasons in a row, and I just want to take a step back for a couple of years and be a dad and think about what I want the rest of my career to look like.”
Tobey was an assistant under Ankeny boys’ coach Brandt Carlson for several years, helping the Hawks to the Class 4A state title in 2020. He took over the girls’ program in 2023 after Dru McAnelly resigned.
Tobey led Ankeny to a 13-10 record in his first season. The Hawkettes reached a regional final before falling to Valley, 39-36.
Ankeny went 10-13 in Tobey’s second season and again reached the regional final, where the Hawkettes dropped a 43-37 decision at Waukee Northwest.
Ankeny finally got over the hump this season. The Hawkettes routed Sioux City East in a regional final, 60-30, to qualify for state for the first time since 2013.
Ankeny then rallied to beat Cedar Rapids Washington in a Class 5A quarterfinal, 57-44, before falling to eventual champion Johnston, 49-39, in the semifinals.
“I have a lot of great memories,” said Tobey, who compiled an overall mark of 39-32. “So many great relationships, and that was really difficult to leave behind. I really appreciate my assistant coaches and (Activities Director) Mike Bakker. They’ve just been so supportive and helpful, and they were really the driving force to helping me get us to where we got.”
Ankeny will graduate five of its top six players, including standout guard Jayla Williams, who was named to the Class 5A all-tournament team. Reagan Baldwin, Ainsley Kiene, Kyla Schaapveld and Allison Hawkins will also depart.
“This senior group was so instrumental in all of our success,” Tobey said. “I’m looking forward to still following their college careers as they move on to the next level.”
Tobey said he might coach again in the future.
“I’m open to it, but honestly I’m just looking forward to shutting down that part of my brain for a little bit and coming back to it and seeing what I really want to do,” he said.