Commentary on Eastside Basketball Coach - See article below after the Letter to the EditorSent To the Editor of North Jersey Herald News Dear Editor, After reading Adam Zagoria’s article on the naming of Donald Davis as head basketball coach at Eastside High School (“Davis to Coach Eastside”, November 22, 2007) I feel it necessary to point out a discrepancy in a statement contained in the article and, quite frankly, in your coverage of the Paterson Public Schools. Athletic Director Jerry Thompson, in commenting on the legal action that removed Tommy Patterson from the head coaching job, said the action was “…purely self-serving. It had nothing to do with the kids…’ Hiding behind the students of the District is typical of the Glascoe administration. Tommy Patterson lost the coaching position because the District, once again, refused to follow the law with regard to selecting coaching positions. It is that simple. Whether the Parent/Alumni Committee had its own agenda or its favorite son candidate is an irrelevancy. The STATE OPERATED DISTRICT of Paterson failed to follow the laws of the State of New Jersey! It was for that reason and that reason alone, that Tommy Patterson was removed from the head coaching position; he does not hold the proper certification to coach in a public school. This issue was not about Jerry Thompson, or Tommy Patterson, or Tony Reed, or Michael Baker, or Marvin Baugh. All of these people are fine individuals who are concerned for the kids at Eastside. No, this issue was about the lack of regard, knowledge, and compliance with the laws of the State of New Jersey by the Glascoe administration. The Herald consistently allows this administration to hide behind the kids. “Children First” is the motto you have bought into 100%. One must ask, when will you start to demand that the Glascoe administration follow the law? What kind of model does this administration present to our students when it consistently fails to teach adherence to the laws of our state? The Herald must challenge actions of the Glascoe administration when they violate the law. Allowing statements such as the unfortunate one by AD Thompson, must be challenged and corrected, not ignored or condoned because you blindly support this administration. Sincerely, Peter A. Tirri, President Paterson Education Association Davis moves to hardwood Replaces Patterson, who stays on at JV level
Thursday, November 22, 2007
By ADAM ZAGORIA HERALD NEWS Eastside has a new boys basketball coach just in time for the 2007-08 season, and school officials didn't have to look very far to find him. Donald Davis, who has been the school's football coach for 18 years and last year served as the JV basketball coach, will take over the Ghosts beginning at Friday's first practice. Former head coach Tommie Patterson, who was forced out in July after one season at Eastside, will remain on staff as the JV coach. Eddie Hill, an assistant under Patterson, will also remain as the freshman coach. "(Davis) has never been a head basketball coach but he has a wealth of basketball experience," Eastside athletic director Jerry Thompson said. "He's been here for 20 years doing football. His resume had more basketball coaching positions on it than football. "He's always been involved with AAU (basketball) on one level or another. He really understands the concept of coaching high school sports." Davis, who leads the football team into today's annual Thanksgiving game with Silk City rival Kennedy, was not immediately available for comment. The basketball coach position pays about $8,000 annually. ZAGSBLOG -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adam Zagoria on sports, recruiting and rock 'n' roll. Visit the blog Four people applied for the job, with three interviewing. Former Eastside assistant Tony Reed also interviewed, but Thompson declined to publicly name the other person. Eastside finished 14-12 last season and made a run to the North 1, Group 4 semifinals. During the offseason, 5-foot-8 junior guard Karon Abraham, Passaic County's leading scorer last season at Manchester, transferred to an academy in Paterson and will suit up for Eastside. The Ghosts are loaded at guard with Abraham, Bryant Lewis and Antoine Alexander at the core to complement big man Jaron Gardner. Patterson, a Kennedy graduate who had previously been the head coach at Paterson Catholic, was removed as head coach in July when New Jersey Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy ruled that he did not have the proper teaching credentials when he was hired before the 2006-07 season. Davy's decision came after a group led by Eastside graduate Myron Baugh and calling itself the "Paterson Eastside High School Parent/Alumni Committee" fought Patterson's hire, ultimately filing a complaint with the state Department of Education. Baugh's group hoped that Reed would ultimately land the job. "What they did, it was purely self-serving," Thompson said in July. "It had nothing really to do with the kids. If they saw the work that (Patterson) is doing right now with the kids, they would understand that he is the best person for the job. Whether they like him or not, he's doing a good job. "What they did is self-serving, and to say that it is not would be false." Patterson, 38, continued to coach various Eastside players on AAU and summer teams, leading those teams to some strong results, including an appearance in the championship game of the Fall Ball League at Kennedy, where the Ghosts upset Paterson Catholic in the semifinals before losing to New York power Rice in the final. He said he thought twice about re-joining the staff under Davis, but ultimately thought it was in the best interest of the kids to do so. "I didn't want to just leave them hanging out, so I thought it would be in the best interest of the kids," Patterson said. "I could've had an assistant job with Coach (Jim) Ring (at Kennedy). He was offering and (Lakeland coach) Bill Conlee wanted me to come over. I just thought it was best for me" to return to Eastside. Patterson said he was looking forward to coaching the JV team and helping the varsity with practices. "I think that's going to be pretty fun, too," he said. Patterson will begin taking classes in January at Bloomfield College with the aim of earning his teacher's certificate, and will start volunteer teaching in December 2008. That could preclude a return to a head coaching position for 2008-09, but he hasn't ruled out taking a head coaching position sometime in the future. "Some day if an opportunity presents itself, I would love to," he said. Blog: northjersey.com/zagsblog |