Covenant coach who beat Dallas Academy 100-0 is fired
[SIZE=-1]06:04 AM CST on Monday, January 26, 2009[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]By BARRY HORN / The Dallas Morning News[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]bhorn@dallasnews.com [/SIZE]
The Covenant School fired its girls basketball coach Sunday, the same day he posted a message on a youth basketball Web site saying he disagreed with school officials who had publicly apologized for the team's 100-0 victory over Dallas Academy.
In reporting the firing, Kyle Queal, Covenant's head of school, emphasized that former coach Micah Grimes "now only represents himself" when discussing the game, which has become a national talking point. Queal said he could not say whether the firing was a direct result of the posting and declined to answer any questions.
In a statement posted Sunday on www.flightbasketball.com, Grimes offered his first public comment since the story was first reported.
"I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel 'embarrassed' or 'ashamed,' " part of the post says. "We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy."
Grimes also included the quarter-by-quarter scoring on his post: 35, 24, 29, 12.
At the end of his post on the Web site, which identifies him as co-founder of Flight Basketball, Grimes wrote, "So if I lose my job over these statements, I will walk away with my integrity."
Grimes did not teach or work at The Covenant School. He was in his fourth season as girls basketball coach, having built the program from a 2-19 record his first season to a state championship contender last season. Covenant, which plays larger out-of-district schools, is 6-3 this season and undefeated in its Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools district. It has informed TAPPS headquarters that it has chosen to forfeit the Dallas Academy game.
Grimes responded briefly to an e-mail request for an interview, indicating that he might speak at a future date.
On Thursday, Covenant posted a statement on its Web site that said it "regrets ... the outcome of the game with the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball team. It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened. This clearly does not reflect a Christ-like and honorable approach to competition." It was signed by Queal and Todd Doshier, chairman of the school's board of trustees.
That was also the day the national spotlight began focusing on the game, following a report in The Dallas Morning News on the 100-point shutout on Jan. 13.
Dallas Academy coaches and administrators say Covenant kept the pressure on until it reached 100 points midway through the fourth quarter.
Until Sunday, Grimes hadn't made any public comments since he e-mailed The News on Wednesday night. In that e-mail, which was also sent to Queal and athletic director Brice Helton, Grimes called scoring 100 points "unfortunate."
"It just happened," he wrote. "Please know Covenant intended no harm against them. I see this as a real learning opportunity, so we can prevent this from happening in the future."
Grimes said in his Sunday post that his team stopped applying full-court defensive pressure after the score reached 25-0 three minutes into the game, then dropped into a relatively benign zone defense and began resting its starters in favor of its three bench players.
Dallas Academy coach Andrew Lott agreed that Covenant stopped pressing at that point but returned with an alternate press later in the game.
"I am 100 percent sure," said Lott, who estimated that his team was able to take seven shots all game.
Dallas Academy, renowned for its work with students who have learning disabilities, is winless this season and has not won a game in at least four seasons.
"He's entitled to his opinion," Lott said of Grimes' assessment of the game. "If you ask 10 people about it, you might get 10 different answers."
Lott said his team did not videotape the game, hosted by Covenant, but he is certain Covenant did.
"Maybe we could look at the tape," Lott said.
Cheryl Bugg, whose daughter is one of Covenant's top players, said she didn't want to talk about the firing.
She said the parents of the team's eight players met with school officials Saturday and outlined three goals for the program:
"We want to represent Christ with the highest respect, we don't want to humiliate anyone ever and we want our students to be enthusiastic in everything they do."
Also Online
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...ws/stories/012609dnspocovenantnu.2781526.html
[SIZE=-1]06:04 AM CST on Monday, January 26, 2009[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]By BARRY HORN / The Dallas Morning News[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]bhorn@dallasnews.com [/SIZE]
The Covenant School fired its girls basketball coach Sunday, the same day he posted a message on a youth basketball Web site saying he disagreed with school officials who had publicly apologized for the team's 100-0 victory over Dallas Academy.
In reporting the firing, Kyle Queal, Covenant's head of school, emphasized that former coach Micah Grimes "now only represents himself" when discussing the game, which has become a national talking point. Queal said he could not say whether the firing was a direct result of the posting and declined to answer any questions.
In a statement posted Sunday on www.flightbasketball.com, Grimes offered his first public comment since the story was first reported.
"I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel 'embarrassed' or 'ashamed,' " part of the post says. "We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy."
Grimes also included the quarter-by-quarter scoring on his post: 35, 24, 29, 12.
At the end of his post on the Web site, which identifies him as co-founder of Flight Basketball, Grimes wrote, "So if I lose my job over these statements, I will walk away with my integrity."
Grimes did not teach or work at The Covenant School. He was in his fourth season as girls basketball coach, having built the program from a 2-19 record his first season to a state championship contender last season. Covenant, which plays larger out-of-district schools, is 6-3 this season and undefeated in its Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools district. It has informed TAPPS headquarters that it has chosen to forfeit the Dallas Academy game.
Grimes responded briefly to an e-mail request for an interview, indicating that he might speak at a future date.
On Thursday, Covenant posted a statement on its Web site that said it "regrets ... the outcome of the game with the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball team. It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened. This clearly does not reflect a Christ-like and honorable approach to competition." It was signed by Queal and Todd Doshier, chairman of the school's board of trustees.
That was also the day the national spotlight began focusing on the game, following a report in The Dallas Morning News on the 100-point shutout on Jan. 13.
Dallas Academy coaches and administrators say Covenant kept the pressure on until it reached 100 points midway through the fourth quarter.
Until Sunday, Grimes hadn't made any public comments since he e-mailed The News on Wednesday night. In that e-mail, which was also sent to Queal and athletic director Brice Helton, Grimes called scoring 100 points "unfortunate."
"It just happened," he wrote. "Please know Covenant intended no harm against them. I see this as a real learning opportunity, so we can prevent this from happening in the future."
Grimes said in his Sunday post that his team stopped applying full-court defensive pressure after the score reached 25-0 three minutes into the game, then dropped into a relatively benign zone defense and began resting its starters in favor of its three bench players.
Dallas Academy coach Andrew Lott agreed that Covenant stopped pressing at that point but returned with an alternate press later in the game.
"I am 100 percent sure," said Lott, who estimated that his team was able to take seven shots all game.
Dallas Academy, renowned for its work with students who have learning disabilities, is winless this season and has not won a game in at least four seasons.
"He's entitled to his opinion," Lott said of Grimes' assessment of the game. "If you ask 10 people about it, you might get 10 different answers."
Lott said his team did not videotape the game, hosted by Covenant, but he is certain Covenant did.
"Maybe we could look at the tape," Lott said.
Cheryl Bugg, whose daughter is one of Covenant's top players, said she didn't want to talk about the firing.
She said the parents of the team's eight players met with school officials Saturday and outlined three goals for the program:
"We want to represent Christ with the highest respect, we don't want to humiliate anyone ever and we want our students to be enthusiastic in everything they do."
Also Online
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...ws/stories/012609dnspocovenantnu.2781526.html
will adversely impact the self esteem of LOSERS! 