After serving as the men’s basketball coach at Haskell Indian Nations University for the past three years, Jamie Morrison is moving on to take over the basketball program at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Mass.

Morrison, who will also serve as the college’s assistant sports information director, is from the Boston area and said returning to New England played a major factor in his decision to leave Haskell behind, noting that the campus is about 21â2 hours from where he grew up.

“It was a really tough decision,” Morrison said via phone yesterday, adding that the MCLA athletics department made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“That offer was just offering me a little bit more stability for my family and myself,” he said of moving from an NAIA head job to one at an NCAA Division III program.

“I really enjoy coaching at the small college level,” said Morrison, when asked about his long-term career goals. “I’d like to coach as long as I keep enjoying it. I like working with the kids. I think at this level you get the chance to get a little bit more involved in their lives. I really enjoy that type of work.”

Phil Homeratha, Haskell’s women’s basketball coach and interim athletic director, said there is no timetable for naming Morrison’s replacement.

“We’re searching and looking for people who might want to come here and coach,” Homeratha said. “We’re going to work as quickly as we can, but we’re also going to take the time to make sure we get somebody who’s a good fit and wants to be here. We’re not going to rush into it.”

After resigning, Morrison said he heard that former Lawrence High coach Ted Juneau might be a candidate to replace him. Juneau was recently hired by Haskell as a consultant to evaluate the athletics department. When reached for comment Wednesday, Juneau, whose temporary evaluating position is expected to last throughout the coming academic year, said he wouldn’t completely rule out coaching at Haskell.

“You never say never. That’s about all I’ll say on that,” the longtime educator said, admitting that there was some interest on his part.

“It’s intriguing,” Juneau said of the opening, “but I’ve got a task at hand now and so we’d have to see if it’s even feasible (to serve as coach and athletics evaluator).”

Even if Juneau isn’t a candidate, he’ll likely be involved in the hiring process as an evaluator.

Morrison said whoever Haskell decides to hire has his work cut out for him.

“I think it’s the toughest university to coach at in the country,” he said.

However, Morrison said that getting an opportunity to run Haskell’s program made him a viable candidate for the MCLA opening.

“From an experience standpoint, it’s really invaluable,” Morrison said. “A head coach at Haskell has to do pretty much everything you can imagine regarding the program – from managing a budget, scheduling, managing your kids, in-season programs, out-of-season programs, study halls, marketing, traveling. Really, it’s just given me a wealth of experience and knowledge.”