Coach banned, fined for cheating
The chair of one of Waikato’s largest high schools has been hit with a coaching ban after being caught cheating.
Fraser High School board chairman Jeff Green, who coaches the school’s boys and girls teams, was caught fielding an ineligible player three times at a national basketball tournament and fined $1500 along with the ban.
When asked about the episode, the school, whose Board of Trustees Green leads, said it had never been fined for fielding an ineligible player.
But Basketball New Zealand confirmed Green admitted the breach and accepted personal liability for the $1500 fine.
The scandal torpedoed the girls’ chances at the national tournament held in Palmerston North in October as it forfeited three games.
Basketball NZ also imposed three $500 fines.
Green has been a high profile figure in NZ basketball for several decades and is credited with turning Fraser High School into a force in national secondary school basketball.
He coaches the Auckland-based Super City Rangers and was the inaugural coach of the NZ Breakers.
In response to an Official Information Act request filed by Stuff, Fraser High School said it had never been fined or paid a fine for fielding an ineligible player.
Green was copied into the school’s emailed response along with Fraser High’s principal Virginia Crawford and the Education Ministry.
Green has not responded to requests to speak to Stuff about the incident.
In response to questions via email he replied only with a single word – ‘‘incorrect’’.
Basketball NZ communications manager Joe Wallace said Green himself accepted personal liability for the $1500 fine.
‘‘Mr Green has personally accepted fault for the issues that arose,’’ Wallace said.
‘‘A suspension from coaching secondary school teams has been imposed – two years with one year suspended subject to satisfactory behaviour.
‘‘The process was finalised in December.’’
The New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council (NZSSSC) earlier said it was awaiting the outcome of the Basketball NZ disciplinary process before it decided whether to take any action against Fraser High.
However, Wallace said Fraser High faced no further sanctions.
‘‘Schools Sports New Zealand determined that the matter had been sufficiently dealt with through Mr Green admitting fault and accepting the suspension and fines.’’
NZ School Trustees Association board president Lorraine Kerr said Fraser High School had handled inquiries into Green correctly.
It wouldn’t have been appropriate for the board to elaborate on the fact Green had paid the $1500 fine, Kerr said.
‘‘It would not have been in good taste for them to be talking about an issue outside of what is going on around the board table,’’ she said.
Kerr said board members and chairs need to have mana in their community. It was up to the Fraser High community to decide if Green’s suspension impacted his standing within the school.
‘‘We want our leaders to be role models in order for our kids to aspire to be these people. How can you do that if outside of your role as a trustee there’s something else going on?’’
A Fraser High parent, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Green’s actions had cast a negative light on the school.
She was unaware if Green had offered any explanation or apology to parents and players.
‘‘I do support the school and it’s a fantastic school and I would like to see its reputation maintained but this was really poor judgment on [Green’s] behalf,’’ the parent said.
‘‘To be honest, I think the school could have done more to support those parents who I know previously raised concerns when this first came to light. And by pushing it on to external agencies, it didn’t show that they can actually govern.’’
It cost students about $500 each to attend the October tournament.
The parent said her children’s interest in basketball had waned following the tournament fallout.
‘‘If you think about fair play, it wasn’t in the best interests of the school to put out a player who was ineligible.’’