Coach’s actions under fire
A Waikato high school has been stung $1500 in fines after the school’s high-profile coach and board of trustees chairman fielded an ineligible player three times at a basketball tournament.
And coach Jeff Green, whose daughter played for the team, would not say if he or the school paid for the infringement which torpedoed the team’s chances and left parents furious.
Basketball New Zealand chief executive Iain Potter confirmed an ineligible player was part of Fraser High School girls’ team during the secondary schools nationals held in Palmerston North on October 1-6. The move sunk the team’s chances as it forfeited three games and left them at the bottom of the table.
Potter said it was uncommon for player eligibility issues to arise at tournaments as such matters were resolved prior to any event.
Green didn’t respond to numerous requests to speak to Stuff about the incident. In response to questions via email he replied only with a single word – ‘‘incorrect’’.
A school source, who declined to be named, said Green fielded the player three times during the Palmerston North tournament.
Fraser was fined $500 for each of the three games.
The source said Fraser High parents were upset and angry at Green’s actions. It cost students about $500 each to attend the tournament.
Garry Carnachan, executive director of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council (NZSSSC), said the organisation was awaiting the outcome of a Basketball New Zealand disciplinary process before it decided whether to take any action against Fraser High.
Carnachan said the council could impose sanctions on Fraser High under its integrity framework.
Possible sanctions range from a written warning to the temporary exclusion of a school or team from a NZSSSCsanctioned sport.
The council also has the power to permanently or temporarily exclude an individual from a sport.
‘‘We notified the school that we were aware of the incident and that if it was proven it would be a breach of the integrity framework’’, Carnachan said.
The council is in ‘‘constant touch’’ with Basketball New Zealand over the incident, he said.
‘‘If the outcome of the Basketball New Zealand process satisfies us in terms of an outcome appropriate to the breach, then we probably won’t do anything else because it would be a waste of time.’’
Fraser principal Virginia Crawford did not respond to requests for comment.
New Zealand School Trustees Association board president Lorraine Kerr said Green’s actions as a coach are ‘‘completely separate’’ to his role on Fraser’s board of trustees.
It was important to reserve judgment until after the incident had been resolved, Kerr said.
‘‘If in his [Green’s] capacity as a board member there was something going on in terms of the decisions within the school, then there would be repercussions because boards are required to sign a code of conduct in their capacity as a board member,’’ Kerr said.
Green is credited with turning Fraser High School into a force in national secondary school basketball but is no stranger to controversy.
A game involving the Green-coached SuperCity Rangers and the Taranaki Mountain Airs came under investigation by the TAB due to an unusual finish to their National Basketball League game on July 20.