Davies coach supports decision to suspend basketball season

With the majority of its players academically ineligible to play based upon its school's own stricter guidelines, Davies withdrew its boys' basketball team from the Interscholastic League this season. While he understands his players' disappointment, Patriots coach David Johnston feels the decision will only help them in the long run and wrote this letter in support of the decision:

GAME OVER, NO, GAME ON

The decision to suspend the boy's basketball program at Davies Voc-Tech has been called, by some, a case of "Game Over," when in fact, I see us getting our "Game On."
Director Victoria A. Gailliard-Garrick deserves recognition and praise for making the tough call to suspend the program and not backing up when she was questioned on it. With so many players failing in the classroom, it was the right call and I support it 100%.

Doubters may say we should have continued to play because we were eligible under the Rhode Island Interscholastic Leagues academic standards. They said we should have gone by classroom grades and not so much emphasis on the senior projects that seven senior players failed to do satisfactorily. The school provides these seniors with a number of support resources, which include sending out letters to parents informing them of the Senior Project timetable and still the message die not get through to them.

The truth is this was not just about the senior projects. All seven seniors who were dismissed from the team not only did not submit the senior projects on time, they also were in jeopardy of not passing their senior year because of failing one or more courses in the first quarter. Passing grades is a full time responsibility, whether in season or not. Of the remaining 14 boys left, 11 were failing one course and eight where failing two courses. When is enough, enough?

As much as I love coaching basketball we have a much bigger responsibility to these young boys. There is no way to justify telling these students, "Yes, you should be on the court playing basketball for your school" when in fact your academic status in school is spiraling in a downward funnel for failure.

If we had 30 students trying out for the varsity and junior varsity team, maybe we could have completed the season. Unfortunately only 21 tried out for the team, with one junior and the rest freshman and a few sophomores. We also have a responsibility for the safety and welfare of the students that are in our charge. Competing against teams twice our size, stronger, faster and more experience is a recipe for disaster and injuries not only to our players but opponents also.

Again, Director Victoria Gailliard-Garrick made the right call. I admire her courage to make a stand not only for the betterment of these young men, but for all future student athletes at Davies. The game of life is more important than the game.

Was it terrible timing for the rest of the league? Yes it was, but when is it ever a good time for a difficult decision? We didn't have control over the timing. The important thing is that we sent a strong message to our athletes: You can't be on the court or playing field if you can achieve passing grades. The air in the ball can always escape rendering it useless; your education will never desert you.

David Johnston
Boys' Head Basketball Coach
Williams M. Davies, Jr. Career & Technical High School

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)