Austin Peay coach steps down for high school job

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- The women's basketball coach at Austin Peay is stepping down and taking a job at a high school in Alabama.

Andy Blackston announced Tuesday he is leaving to be athletic director and boys basketball coach at Madison Academy in Madison, Ala.

"A great opportunity fell into my lap for me to experience the high school level," Blackston said in a statement. "The timing is right for me and my family. I have a 2 1/2-year-old and another on the way, due in September. The college basketball circuit, especially at the Division I level, is a grind."

Blackston was 46-40 in his three years at Austin Peay. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year when the Lady Govs went 23-8 and won the conference regular-season and tournament titles in 2003-04.

He was coach at Alabama-Huntsville for two years before arriving at Austin Peay.

Assistant coach Quacy Barnes will run Austin Peay's program while the university searches for a new head coach.