A New York girls’ basketball coach has been fired after a video surfaced of him yanking one of his player’s ponytails during a recent game.

Jim Zullo, the former coach of Northville High School’s girls’ basketball team, was fired for the actions that took place in the final moments of their New York Class D state championship loss over the weekend.

A recent article from the Times Union detailed the coach’s actions and the response from the school administration. Below is an excerpt from the Times Union article.

“I deeply regret my behavior following the loss to La Fargeville Friday night in the Class D state championship game. I want to offer my sincerest apologies to Hailey and her family, our team, the good folks at Northville Central Schools, and our community. As a coach, under no circumstance is it acceptable to put my hands on a player, and I am truly sorry. I wish I could have those moments back. I am grateful for the opportunity to have coached girls’ basketball at Northville for the past two years, especially last season, which was a difficult time for our family. I am super proud of every one of these young women and what they accomplished.  I know each of them will go on to do great things and I wish them well.”

The post New York girls’ basketball coach apologizes after pulling player’s hair appeared first on Coach and Athletic Director.

Twelve-seeded Liberty was trailing fifth-seed Oregon, 78-46, during the final minute of Friday’s first-round match-up. Liberty went to sub in little-used sophomore guard JC Shirer Jr. to give him a chance to get some playing time in the NCAA tournament.

The clock continued to run, and neither team attempted to stop it. That is when one of the game’s referees stepped in and gave Shirer Jr. his chance to take the court.

A recent article from MSN.com detailed the referee’s feel-good actions. Below is an excerpt from the MSN.com article.

Referee Roger Ayers was well aware of what was going on and made sure Shirer Jr. got his moment. Ayers whistled play to a stop and pretended to clean a wet spot on the floor, allowing an appreciative Shirer Jr. to check into the game.

Thanks to his move, Shirer Jr. will always be able to say he got to play in March Madness. That might not have been true if Ayers had simply let play go.

Shirer Jr. had only played 42 minutes all season prior to Friday’s game and had only played in two games this calendar year. Most of his time on the floor came late in blowouts during the nonconference schedule in November and December, so it is easy to see why this opportunity was so cool for him.

Ayers’ move will likely get a much more positive response compared to what another official did in a different game Thursday.

Late in the game, as Louisville began to find a rhythm and mount a comeback, head coach Pat Kelsey stepped out onto the court and started barking at referee Brooks Wells, who ultimately called a technical foul.

That ended any momentum the Cardinals had created and led to fan outrage with one throwing a water bottle onto the court, delaying the game for several minutes.

During the delay, Kelsey and referee Ted Valentine exchanged words near the announce table and that prompted further outrage from the fans. As the heckling of Valentine continued, he turned to the crowd with a taunt of his own.

The post Referee stops game to allow back-up to enter NCAA tournament appeared first on Coach and Athletic Director.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), 31 states and the District of Columbia will use shot clocks by the 2026-27 season.

A recent story from AL.com detailed the AHSAA’s potential major shake-up to its basketball seasons. Below is an excerpt from the AL.com article.

The committee voted that shot clocks could be used in area play if all area teams agree on it. This past season, the shot clock could be used in non-area games if both coaches agreed.

Also, in a unanimous vote, the committee voted to use shot clocks in the 2026-2027 regionals and final four. This postseason included no shot clocks.

The other significant change would be a move to district play and district tournaments to replace the smaller area play and area tournaments.

The post AHSAA close to implementing high school shot clock rule appeared first on Coach and Athletic Director.

The Massachusetts father filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the MIAA and the Somerset Berkley Regional School District for “violating the rights of my daughters and countless other female student-athletes.”

The incident allegedly took place in November 2018.

A recent article from The Boston Herald detailed the parent’s complaint and the incident that sparked the complaint. Below is an excerpt from The Boston Herald article.

The parent is calling for the feds to investigate the MIAA and the school district for “noncompliance with Title IX and with President Trump’s recent executive orders on protecting women and girls from gender ideology.”

Title IX violations should lead to canceling federal funds from these organizations and schools, the father wrote in his complaint.

The parent’s youngest daughter in November of 2018 was reportedly severely injured by a male player when she was playing in a field hockey tournament game against Somerset Berkley.

“This male player shattered my daughter’s thumb when he whipped a shot toward the goal during the game,” the father wrote in the complaint. “My daughter suffered significant pain from this injury and was forced to miss her freshman ice hockey season because of it… This boy should never have been allowed to play against my daughter in a girls’ tournament game, and his presence on the field led directly to her injury and loss of competitive opportunity.”

The Walpole all-girls field hockey team lost to the Somerset Berkley team with two male players in the state tournament semifinals. Then the next year, Somerset Berkley again beat Walpole in the state semis.

This Title IX complaint comes after the Department of Education last month announced a Title IX investigation into the MIAA after a viral high school basketball game when a reportedly transgender player injured three girls.

A Swampscott High School boy player’s shot struck a Dighton-Rehoboth High School player in the face, sending her to the hospital with significant facial and dental injuries. The incident led to shrieks and tears all over the field hockey pitch.

The viral shot from the male player led to calls for gender rule changes for high school sports, especially when it comes to girls’ field hockey.

To read the full story from The Boston Herald, click here. 

The post Massachusetts father files Title IX complaint after daughter’s injury by a transgender athlete appeared first on Coach and Athletic Director.

Jennifer Keane, a Section 8 assistant coordinator and director of athletics at the Wantagh School District, rushed to the referee’s side during a high school basketball game between Floral Park and West Hempstead at Farmingdale State College.

The referee collapsed four minutes into the game from an apparent heart attack.

A recent article from ABC7-NY detailed the incident and the athletic director’s quick actions. Below is an excerpt from the ABC7-NY article.

“I remember kind of slowing down. And one coach from West Hempstead says, ‘Joe, are you okay?’ And I said, I can’t catch my breath right now,” said Joe Gaskin.

“The next thing I know, I’m looking up and I didn’t recognize this person. I’m saying wait I’m supposed to be refereing. And I looked over and then I saw Jen and I said to her, I said, Jen, I’m so glad to look at your face and I’m not seeing God,” said Gaskin.

Seconds after Gaskin fell to the ground at Farmingdale State College, three nurses, a doctor, and his friend, Jennifer Keane, had rushed to his side.

This is the second time Keane saved someone from having a heart attack.

Keane is the section eight assistant coordinator and director of athletics at the Wantagh School District.

“The AED was brought to me I just kept kind of like talking to him, Joe stay with us, come on Joe we got you, Joe,” Wantagh said.

The makeshift medical team administered the AED and chest compressions and Gaskin’s pulse returned.

Gaskin is now recovering at Mount Sinai and is hoping to be able to go home on Saturday.

His father, who was also a referee, was about the same age as Gaskin when he died of a heart attack.

Gaskin says he knows how lucky he was that day to be surrounded by people who were so quick to jump into action.

To read the full story about the New York athletic director from ABC7-NY, click here. 

The post New York athletic director saves life of referee suffering heart attack appeared first on Coach and Athletic Director.