HARRIS – Paul Anderson coached the only way he knew how.

For that, he won’t apologize.

His contract as head coach of the Bark River-Harris varsity girls basketball program was not renewed Wednesday at the school board meeting. Anderson said he suspects the contract was not renewed because of concessions he was unwilling to make.

“I don’t know the true reason why they did it, but there was the question of me bringing up some girls (from JV),” said Anderson. “I don’t honor entitlement. I don’t care what your last name is around here. I coach the game and stay true to it. I have passion for it, and ultimately, it got me fired. If the board and the community is looking for a coach for that type of entitlement for their child, they made the right decision, because that I will not do.”

Following a public comment session, a motion was made to renew Anderson’s contract. No one seconded the motion, and so the motion failed, and Anderson was dismissed without a vote.

“I was taken aback at the process,” said Bark River-Harris superintendent Jason Lockwood. “I knew there was a level of concern brought forth through the appropriate channels, but I didn’t anticipate the way it ended. There was a motion, but no second. The recommendation from the Athletic Director never made it in front of the board.”

Athletic Director Tyler Swanson said he was surprised at the result of the meeting.

“I’ve never really seen that happen before,” Swanson said. “It was my recommendation that we renewed him (Anderson), but the board chose to go in a different direction.”

‘I DON’T COACH PARENTS.’

The Broncos went 19-2 last season, falling to Stephenson in a district opener. Anderson called up freshmen Cassidy Stannard and Hailee Demers during the season and gave them playing time along with as many as 10 additional players. Anderson regularly switched five for five during a game and played as many as 11 players in each game, even at crucial moments.

Given the team’s success over the last year, and the success of the program, with a high volume of players, Anderson was shocked at the result of the board meeting.

“I thought it was good before going in,” he said. “(Superintendent) Lockwood and Swanson supported me. I stayed true to myself and to coaching the girls.

“I coach girls, I don’t coach parents,” added Anderson. “I held the girls accountable to things they did on the court, and I held the most competitive practices I could in areas where work was needed. I used our youth in the program to make our team better. My theory is that competition breeds success, and that’s tough to find at the high school level these days. Ultimately, my endless hours of work and my commitment to the program, to the girls, and staying true tot he game was my demise.”

Board member Jeanne Lippens said she was disappointed at the way the meeting proceeded.

“As a board member, I don’t agree with the outcome of what the board did,” Lippens said. “But all board members need to support that. My preference was that we at least got it on the table to discuss. I think the Superintendent wanted to clarify some of the things brought forth from the public comment.

“The recommendation from the Athletic Director and Superintendent was to re-hire Anderson,” added Lippens. “We needed a motion and a second to do that or to even discuss it. We didn’t get that second motion, so we couldn’t even discuss the item, and the recommendation was not accepted. Had we got it, I don’t know if the board would have approved it or not.”

Swanson said the position will be posted “shortly.”

In the twenty-four hours following the board meeting, much was said about what led to Anderson’s dismissal. Anderson was adamant that he was never verbally abusive toward a player and Athletic Director Tyler Swanson said there was nothing egregious that led to Anderson’s departure.

“There were some kids that didn’t get in, or didn’t get as many minutes as they wanted,” said Anderson. “But did it feel like they were being abused? Absolutely not. That is all politics or someone making a story up. It’s just false.”

The line of parents who spoke about Anderson during the public comment session represented those who supported him and others – parents of JV and varsity athletes – who raised concern.

“I think there were some concerns brought forth by the public. Some may have been valid, but a lot of it was hearsay,” said Lippens. “These were items that could have been clarified if we had that second motion, but we were not able to do that.”

Lockwood noted the allegations that were brought forth by the parent group, while none came from the athletic department.

“There were certainly accusations brought up during public comment, but they weren’t coming from the athletic department,” he said.

MOVING FORWARD

Some of the parents of varsity athletes on the team expressed support for Anderson in the day following his dismissal. Cyanne Peterson, a teacher at Bark River-Harris is the mother of JV athlete Cheridan Peterson. She said she never heard of Anderson doing anything that crossed the line of proper coach conduct.

“My daughter has gone to practices and has been coached by Paul at camps, scrimmages, and summer ball. I don’t feel he did anything that was negative,” Peterson said. “As a parent, it wouldn’t bother me. I hold my girls to a high standard, and I think sometimes they need to hear things to improve themselves and work harder. It’s holding them accountable. If you’re not going to work hard in practice, and show up, and work hard in the offseason, you don’t deserve equal or the same amount of playing time.”

Peterson said the feeling among her daughter and others on the team is one of disappointment that Anderson was not retained.

“My girls were really looking forward to being coached by Paul, and looked forward to his structure and the way he ran practices,” said Peterson. “My daughter wanted to be pushed by him. His philosophy matched ours. We liked his accountability.

“I’m nervous now. I have four girls coming up in the basketball program. My life revolves around it. Where is the program going now? What precedent are we setting for these coaches? What do these young girls have to look forward to?”

Anderson ran the team true to the team concept, that those that buy in, work hard, and put their team first, will have earned the most playing time. Anderson said learning adversity and failure in life and how to deal with each are essential skills that will come into play as kids progress into adulthood.

“In the locker room, I would often relate my decisions to later in life questions,” Anderson said. “You don’t have to like everyone on your team or be best friends, but you have to suck it up and do your work. If you want a promotion, you have to work for it. You have to put yourself separate to that person. It might not make sense now, but it will when you leave this building in a few years. It’s all to prepare them, because that’s what coach’s do. That’s what my coach did for me.”

Anderson also expressed concern at what has now become a trend of so-called parent rebellions, where coaches can be dismissed, despite having the support of the athletic department.

“I did it clearly for the love of the sport. It’s given me so much more in return as far as the good in everything that comes with it. I had great relationships with the athletes, and I’ll never forget them or the community in Bark River that treated me well,” Anderson said. “If you can find a coach that puts in endless amounts of hours and still have a 9-5 job, I just don’t think you find that any more. What coach is going to find the time? You’ll find someone that fits a mold you’d like them to be, and the coaches that don’t do that are disposable.”

Anderson said he has no plans to coach at the high school level again.

“I’ve neglected my kids long enough,” he said. “I have a 13-year old girl going into 8th grade basketball. I’m turning my attention to them now. They’ve suffered long enough. My daughter is hearing about this and reading it on Facebook, and it’s crushed her.

“I coached my last game. The position has changed over the years, and I can’t sacrifice more than I’ve already sacrificed for the girls, and for Bark River. I’m not interested.”