Mary G. Montgomery girls basketball coach Matt Bosarge has resigned, citing a mental health issue.

Bosarge stepped down 10 days after his team’s 41-31 loss to Prattville in the South Regional in Montgomery on Feb. 18.

“It’s definitely a real thing,” Bosarge said. “I think mental health is something that is misunderstood.”

Bosarge said he has been battling dizziness and anxiety.

“I knew I wanted to coach this season,” he said. “We had such a special group returning.”

This year’s MGM team won 14 games and made the Sweet 16 for the first since 1997.

“We had such a great team,” Bosarge said. “They all played important roles, not everybody could be the scorer, and they realized that. We had defense, rebounders, unselfish players. They all made it work.”

Bosarge took the MGM job six years ago when he was right out of college.

“I was young and just wanted a chance,” he said.

The Vikings didn’t find much success in Bosarge’s first few of seasons.

“About the third season, things started to turn around and click for us as a program,” he said.

MGM won double digit games in the third and fourth years under Bosarge before winning just two games in 2021-2022.

“It was a combination of injuries and team chemistry,” he said.

The Vikings bounced back this past season, going 14-8 overall, including an eight-game win streak, and finishing 7-0 at home behind stars Ivy Klezmer and Daysha Broughton.

Bosarge plans to continue teaching at MGM.

“I love the Semmes community,” he said. “I’m thankful for the administrators here and the incredible support system I have around me.”

Returning to the court is also a possibility in the future.

“Maybe in a couple of years I’ll coach again,” he said. “Right now, I want to focus on my health and spend time with my family. My faith is something that I hold near and dear to me. I serve a mighty God, and I’m believing in great things through all this.”

Other coaches from the area have also reached out and expressed dealing with similar emotions.

“I have shared with people that getting help is not a sign of weakness,” he said. “It’s not about being tough. Just being honest and taking care of yourself is the most important thing.”