It didn’t have to be this way, a coach and her staff watching the team — one that they had raised from the ashes — from the bleachers.

Sherice Ajifu says there was no choice. The Mid-Pacific girls basketball coach, who led the Owls to the Division II state championship last season, resigned on Sunday after several days of crisis within the program. It came down, she said, to “core values.”

Calls to MPI athletic director Scott Wagner were not returned earlier in the week.

“I don’t want to put anybody on a hot seat, but I’ll say this: we decided to resign due to a lack of administrative support,” Ajifu said Thursday night. “It has nothing to do with a kid. It’s about (lack of) administrative support.”

According to sources, the problem began with disciplinary action of reduced playing time for one of the players who didn’t show up for practice.

When the player attempted to return to practice after temporarily quitting the team, Ajifu required the player to apologize to the team, and that’s when the player balked. Her father then complained to administration, and Ajifu and her staff didn’t get the support they expected.

“Some things transpired over the weekend, a shift in the administration’s stance, and we just didn’t agree with it. We weren’t allowed to build our program according to our core values,” Ajifu said. “As coaches, we’re educators, so we need to teach the kids that we have to take a stand. Perhaps there’s a lesson in there for the girls.”

Wagner issued a statement to the newspaper on Wednesday saying Ajifu had resigned. “We are grateful for her years of service to the school, and her efforts in bringing the team to its state championship win last season,” Wagner said. “The team is currently moving forward in anticipation of another great season of girls basketball at Mid-Pacific.”

Lisa Russell, a faculty member at Mid-Pacific, is currently serving as interim head coach.

Ajifu is a former MPI basketball player. At the players’ request, Ajifu and her staff attended the Owls’ game on Thursday night against ‘Iolani, which won 77-50.

“We want Mid-Pacific to be successful. As an alum, it’s a little bit disheartening. Our core values are what I learned on our campus. It’s been a tough week on campus, an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “We’re not part of the school (now), but how do we help them heal? And they have finals next week. That’s the most important thing, focusing on these kids. Being at the game was tough for all of our staff, but that’s what the kids wanted and we wanted to honor that.”

Last year, in Ajifu’s first season at the helm, she led the Owls to the Division II title. The team moved back to D-I of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu this season and was ranked at No. 10 in the Star-Advertiser Girls Basketball Top 10.

“It just boils down to where are we going as a school? What’s the direction? As coaches, we owe a lot to the school as alumni,” Ajifu said. “Is the philosophy different? It’s hard to support that.”

Ajifu called it a hectic week. It’s far too early to speculate about the future.

“Right now, you know coaching takes up so much time and energy. It’s a huge commitment. The way things are in this world today, I think I’m hanging up my hat,” said Ajifu, 31. “I don’t see coaching in my future.”