Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 17, 1993 TAG: 9302170071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: KANSAS CITY, MO. LENGTH: Medium
FIRING ROUSES COACHES
For the first time in its 66-year history, the National Association of Basketball Coaches publicly condemned the firing of one of its members as it came to the support of Lou Campanelli on Tuesday.The NABC, signaling a new attitude concerning a coach's role in the administration of the sport, accused the University of California of treating Campanelli unfairly and called his firing "a shock to the college basketball community."
"The NABC is not a judicial body, but the association must be concerned with the treatment of its members," the NABC said in a statement.
"We can see no evidence of Coach Campanelli being granted rights that everyone deserves. If his employer had concerns regarding his job performance, he was entitled by fair standards to be informed and notified of the seriousness of those concerns in a timely manner and provided an opportunity to respond."
Campanelli was fired unexpectedly on Feb. 8. His young team, led by star freshman Jason Kidd, was 10-7 and had beaten several highly regarded teams, including UCLA and Wake Forest.
The NABC's 16-member board of directors, which includes many prominent coaches, met for almost 1 1/2 hours by conference call Monday to discuss Campanelli and what they view as a trend toward midseason dismissals.
"We will be looking at all firings," NABC executive director Jim Haney said. "Whether we like it or not, we know there are hirings and firings in this business and that the firing part may not be an aspect that's always palatable. But it's one that does exist and we have to accept that.
"As we look at these situations, we'll look to see what happened and try to support the coach."
California officials have said Campanelli was fired because of abusive behavior toward athletes following recent games.
"We appreciate the concern of the coaches association about the dismissal of one of its members," Cal athletic director Bob Bockrath said in a statement. "The reasons for relieving him of his duties have been well-documented in the local media and in some national publications, many of which were supportive of the decision, and it would not be productive to rehash all of those reasons again."
Bockrath fired Campanelli hours after meeting Monday morning with a group of six players who aired their complaints about the coach. Bockrath denied the meeting represented anything close to a player insurrection, although he said some players threatened to leave school. The NABC said Cal's action was "particularly disturbing due to Coach Campanelli's history of success at James Madison University and at Cal."
The NABC noted Campanelli's record at Cal was 123-108, that he had earned postseason berths in four of his seven seasons, and that 18 of 23 senior student-athletes had graduated.
"Two who have not graduated are presently completing their degrees," the NABC statement said. "Coach Campanelli has had no reported NCAA violations - quality freshmen and sophomore student-athletes have been recruited. Eighteen months ago, Campanelli signed a new five-year contract to coach the team through the 1996 season.
"After beating UCLA on Jan. 24, Coach Campanelli received a communication from director of athletics Bob Bockrath commending him for the good work he was doing," the NABC said.
The NABC has no real clout within the college community and is trying to increase its presence in the rules- and policy-making process.
The statement also praised interim head coach Todd Bozeman for being "supportive and loyal to Coach Campanelli and his program" as an assistant.
"The NABC board acknowledges the authority of any institution's administration to hire and fire coaches," Haney said. "The NABC does not contest that role.
"What the board is concerned with is that the coaches be provided due process, as all other employees of the university would be provided."