After two seasons, Shanece McKinney Sims has parted ways with Foley varsity girls basketball upon accepting a new role as the Columbia High School head girls coach.

She joins the Eagles as just the fifth head coach in program history and will aim to bring them their first winning season since 2014-15.

The now former Lions head coach took the moment to thank the school, former players, assistant coaches, the community and more as she explained her departure from the program further. All of that before ending with, “Go Lions” one last time.

“As I reflect on the past two seasons, my heart is filled with so much gratitude,” McKinney Sims stated in a social media post. “Thank you to Foley High School for the opportunity to lead, grow and be a part of something special — As always, the needs of my family come first and in this next season of life, being closer to family and community is what my heart is calling me to. This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one. Foley will always hold a special place in my heart.”

The Mobile native and Leflore High legend went 39-15 with the Lions, claiming the 7A Area 2 title in 2024-25 on the way to the eighth Elite Eight appearance in program history. She coached a pair of third-team All-State selections as well in Keiyonla Knight and Amiyah Carvin.

McKinney Sims led LeFlore to a Class 5A state championship as a junior during her days as a player, and earned 5A Player of the Year honors as a senior. She continued her career at LSU from 2010 to 2014, becoming a full-time starter as a senior while averaging 7.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.

Following college, she spent time at the professional level both domestically and internationally. She was part of the New York Liberty during the 2014 season and later had training camp opportunities with the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever. Overseas, McKinney Simms built a career across Europe and Asia. One of her career highlights came in Turkey, where she helped Cankaya secure a regular-season league title.

In addition to her playing career at higher levels, McKinney Sims worked in the junior college ranks with Coastal Alabama before turning to high school coaching.

As of now, Foley has yet to release information on McKinney Sims’ replacement.