Leading off today: The day began with a girls basketball coach on the cusp of making NYSPHSAA history. It ended with him making a mess of the postgame and of his legacy.
Acting quickly after a stunning incident on the sideline following a 43-37 loss to LaFargeville in the Class D championship game on Friday at Hudson Valley Community College, Northville Central School District Superintendent Sarah Chauncey fired coach Jim Zullo, Capital District media outlets reported.
In a video snippet that nearly immediately garnered national attention, Zullo could be seen yanking the ponytail of senior player Hailey Monroe on the Northville sideline following the game.
Monroe, who appears to be crying at the time, was lined up with the team when grabbed her by her hair, jerking her a step backward. A Falcons teammate immediately intervened, shielding Monroe while also confronting the 81-year-old coach.
The district promptly posted a statement on its website:
"The Northville Central School District is aware of, and deeply disturbed by, the conduct of the coach of the girls' varsity basketball team during the Class D New York state championship game. We hold our coaches to the highest standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and respect for our student-athletes, and this behavior is completely unacceptable.
"The district is committed to ensuring that this type of behavior has no place within our programs, and we will continue to uphold the values of respect and integrity that our athletes, families and community expect and deserve. This individual will no longer be coaching for the Northville Central School District.
"We assure the public that this matter is being taken extremely seriously, and the district is actively addressing it. The district will be following up with the affected players and their families to provide support and outline the actions we are taking in response to this incident."
In discussing the incident, Zullo told
WTEN-TV that Monroe had directed an expletive toward him after he instructed her to shake hands with the LaFargeville players.
Zullo earned induction into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 after coaching the boys teams at Indian Lake, Little Falls, Broadalbin-Perth, and Shenendehowa to 528 victories.
He came out of retirement for the 2023-24 season to take the reins of the Northville girls basketball program and began Friday's contest with a chance to become the first person to coach boys and girls basketball teams to NYSPHSAA championships, having steered the Shenendehowa boys to the 1987 large-school crown.
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