CLARENCE Wiggins has stepped down as coach of Derby Trailblazers after leading his team to the National League Division One title last season.

He is to stay with the club he helped to form over a decade ago to coach the next generation of junior players, with Jamie Maudsley, Wiggins' assistant through their title-winning season, taking over control of the senior men's side.

Wiggins, who came to the city as one of the first American player recruits in the earliest days of professional basketball in Derby in the early 1980s, has been head coach of the Trailblazers organisation since they first entered a team in the National League in 2003.

He has guided them through the divisions to the peak of last season, when he was voted Coach of the Year by his peers.

But Wiggins has made no secret of his willingness to step aside when a successor was found and the time is right for Maudsley.

Maudsley has been part of the Trailblazers' coaching set-up for many years, working as Wiggins' assistant before taking over the second team in 2008 and leading them to triple success in the Division Four Midlands League, the National Shield and the National League play-offs.

He returned to work with Wiggins last season and his meticulous eye for preparation played an important role in their success.

Maudsley's appointment ensures the vital element of continuity for Trailblazers as they look to defend their title but chairman Charlie Wright knows Wiggins' decision means the end of an era.

"Clarence has dedicated a great deal of time and effort towards developing basketball in Derby and he has been rewarded with considerable success," he said.

"I am sure everyone at the club will remain very grateful and proud of what he has achieved on our behalf. We are sorry to see him relinquish control but are delighted that he will remain involved with the club at junior level.

"I am also delighted that Jamie Maudsley has agreed to take over the head coach's role with immediate effect and I wish him every success."

Maudsley said he was looking forward to the challenge of being in charge.

"We are already striving to put together a competitive group of players and hope to work towards some of the successes Clarence's teams have enjoyed in the past," he said.

"After winning the league last season, we certainly have a target on our backs and it is up to us to respond positively to that pressure."