Chico Furtado, who guided Kalaheo to five straight O'ahu Interscholastic Association girls basketball championships from 1998 to 2002, has stepped down as head coach after 10 seasons and will be replaced by former Mustang standout Ryan Hogue.

Furtado will remain as head coach of Kalaheo's boys team, also a perennial OIA and state title contender.

"I'm tired," Furtado said yesterday. "I decided before the season that this would be my last year, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to distract the team. Actually, I intended to give up the girls program after I took over the boys (in 2002), but it was never a good time. I had a young class of girls coming in, and I wanted to see them through graduation."

Kalaheo won the OIA's first two girls basketball championships in 1977 and 1978, but then went 20 years without a title until Furtado guided the Mustangs to the league crown in his second season.

They proceeded to win four more OIA titles in a row, and in Furtado's first five seasons, Kalaheo played in the state championship game three times.

He also had been Pete Smith's top assistant in the boys program since 1991, and took over for Smith after the 2001-02 season. Furtado said the daily grind of the dual coaching role eventually took its toll.

"It starts in November and doesn't end until the end of July (with summer league), and there's an overlap of three weeks (in February)," Furtado said. "Mentally and physically, I just got tired."

Furtado said he will continue to operate his Hawai'i Select summer program, in which he takes a team of top girls players to Las Vegas to compete in a national tournament. The Hawai'i Select team has won its division two years in a row.

Hogue, 24, was a standout for Kalaheo and the University of Hawai'i-Hilo. He teaches at Kalaheo and has been the JV boys coach the past two seasons.

"I've always wanted to coach, since I was 16 years old," Hogue said. "It should be fun."

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.