After 31 years of coaching the Wareham High School varsity girls basketball team and 307 wins, Coach Robert Rojik is passing the ball to the next leader.

"Throughout my adult life, I've had three passions," Rojik told a group of his colleagues who gathered for a small ceremony in his honor on Monday.

Family, teaching, and basketball, Rojik said. That first passion -- family -- he eluded, is among the top reasons he is stepping down. He will continue to teach high school science..

The humble Rojik thanked his wife, Eileen, who was in attendance on Monday (and who convinced him to participate in the ceremony), along with their four children, for supporting his coaching career.

"I'd miss dinners. I'd miss family functions," the coach explained. "During February vacation, people were going to Florida, Tahiti... We were going to Plymouth" for basketball games.

Rojik also coached track for seven years prior to his work with the basketball team.

Wareham High School Principal Scott Palladino remembered when he started teaching at the high school 20 years ago. His classroom was across from Rojik's. The two would daydream about a "fictitious transfer [student] who was 6'5," the principal said with a laugh.

Amber Filkins, a sophomore on Rojik's team, said after the ceremony that she was grateful for the coach's help in her transition to high school ballplay.

"Coming in my freshman year, I was nervous about what high school basketball was going to be like," she said. But Rojik encouraged the players to "do our best," she remembered, later adding: "I'm really going to miss him."

Rojik explained that throughout his coaching career, he and his fellow coaches tried to "convince these kids that basketball was not the be all, end all."

He continued: "At the end of the day, if you can say that you've done your best, that's all that matters."

Rojik's successor has not yet been announced, though players -- including Filkins -- were involved in the interview process.

In addition to his coaching staff, Rojik thanked all of the athletes who came through the program in his time leading the team.

"We've had a lot of great athletes, but we've also had a lot of great people," he said. "I hope I've had some little impact on how they live their lives and how they see their lives."