After 22 years at the helm of the Pella High boys basketball team, Mark Core is stepping down.

Wanting to spend more time with his family, Core has accepted the same position with Des Moines East. His wife Mary works for the Pinky Swear Foundation, with her office in Des Moines, and she is also very active in many capital city organizations.

Core compiled a 361-102 record at Pella, and took 11 of his 22 teams to the state tournament, winning the school’s only state basketball titles in 2002 and 2003.

Pella Athletic Director Dale Otte tells KNIA/KRLS Sports that he wishes nothing but the best for Coach Core and his family, saying that it was an honor to work with him.

“He’s fulfulling a family promise and it’s what’s best for their family so I’m very happy for Mark that he’s able to do that,” Otte says. “Obviously, for us as a Pella High Community, it’s a tough loss.”

He says that a search will begin immediately to find Core’s successor.

“Let’s keep in mind that we’ve got a very good social studies teacher that we’re going to lose in the classroom, so we’ve got two big shoes to fill that Mark has left his footprint on,” Otte says.

The Little Dutch are coming off of a 22-3 season that included a Little Hawkeye Conference championship, Core’s 10th, and a trip to the state tournament.