Leading off today: Williamsville East baseball coach Chris Gruarin has stepped away from the position "until further notice," according to a statement from AD Melissa Spada on Saturday.
The Buffalo News reported the development for the embattled coach, quoting from the statement:
"I wanted to let you know that Head Coach, Chris Gruarin, informed the Williamsville East administration and District Leadership that he will be voluntarily stepping away from the team until further notice. Coach Gruarin took full responsibility for Tuesday night's game against Hamburg and recognizes the impact this has had on the student-athletes and community."
Gruarin became embroiled in controversy following the paper's report detailing how the Williamsville East team tanked Tuesday' regular-season game against Hamburg, resulting in a more favorable seeding for the Section 6 Class AA baseball tournament. Turning a 7-0 lead into a 14-7 loss enabled the Flames to set up matchups against two teams from Buffalo Public Schools, which historically have not fared well vs. suburban counterparts in the postseason.
Eighth-seeded Williamsville East opened sectionals with a 16-0 win Saturday vs. Olmsted/Culinary/Emerson and will face No. 1 Hutch Tech in the quarterfinals.
Opinion
Chris Gruarin's decision -- if it was in fact his decision -- to step away is a start in rehabilitating the reputation of the Williamsville East baseball program. However, that cannot be the end of it.
While there is undoubtedly a process to follow, the district cannot realistically allow Gruarin to return to the team this spring -- or any other season, for that matter. What transpired against Hamburg was a stain on Western New York high school sports, and the coach does not deserve the ability to return. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt by suggesting he did not engineer Tuesday's farce, he was certainly in a position to stop it.
Gruarin can rehabilitate his reputation in the coaching ranks down the road. For now, however, he has broken faith with his players and the parents who rightfully expect that the principles of ethics and integrity within the district do not cease to exist with the afternoon dismissal bell.
Minor changes coming to basketball rules
Slapping the backboard while defending against a shot attempt will no longer draw a technical foul in boys basketball following
a change suggested by the National Federation of State High School Associations Basketball Rules Committee during its annual meeting and approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
However, the action will continue to be treated as a goaltending violation.
In another change regarding basket interference, the ball will be considered to be on its downward flight once it contacts the backboard on a legitimate shot attempt; it will be goaltending if a defensive player touches the ball after that point. The change simplifies officials' determination whether a shot was still ascending and out of the cylinder.
In another action, the committee announced that bench decorum will be a point of emphasis for the 2025-26 season.
"How can we help coaches and officials know that communication is a two-way street?" asked Billy Strickland of Alaska, chair of the basketball Rules Committee. "It just needs to be done a proper manner.
Industry news
One of the hardest-working people in the high school media world is at it again. Kevin Devaney Jr. has taken the role of national sales manager at SportsEngine, which is NBC's foray into live streaming of youth sports.
The move is a natural progression following BBC's purchase of LocalLive, where Devaney started seven years ago. He began at The Journal News in 1998 and at MSG Varsity in 2010, and Devaney is on speed dial for seemingly every coach and AD in the tri-state area.
The migration to SportsEngine begins this summer with the installation of new cameras and technology at the schools that enrolled in LocalLive. Much of the content will remain free to view.
"SportsEngine wants to do this all while protecting the primary things that allowed LocalLive to evolve into what it is today: Relationships," Devaney wrote. "They believe strongly in my own personal connection to the athletes and communities, and the unparalleled service our entire team has given to our partner schools."
• Stephen Haynes, like Devaney a big helping hand for the New York State Sportswriters Association, has changed Gannett addresses from the Poughkeepsie Journal to LoHud.com.
