Good things don’t last forever, or, in the case of the University of Alberta, more than a few years.

Three seasons after inheriting a rebuilding basketball team from the legendary Don Horwood and subsequently taking it to heights that no one other than his predecessor had, Greg Francis is stepping down as the Alberta Golden Bears coach to accept the same position with the University of Waterloo Warriors and return to his home province of Ontario.

“In the long term, it was the location of where I would want to live ... I’m hopeful that it’s a good move for me and my family,” says the 38-year-old Francis, who is married with young children.

Francis furthered his reputation as one of Canada’s brightest basketball minds by coaching Alberta to a second-place finish at the national championship two months ago. The Toronto native’s departure is more disappointment than surprise to U of A athletics director Ian Reade.