Opinion

There’s an old saying that the most popular person in a professional football league city is the team’s back-up quarterback. After all, unless your quarterback is a superstar, the reason your team is losing must be the quarterback’s fault. Of course, the second-string quarterback must be better.

I guess the same train of thought applies to high school basketball coaches. Pretty much whenever a squad doesn’t have a banner season, parents and fans start pointing fingers at the head coach. It’s always thought that someone else could do a better job.

It was disappointing that the Wolf Point School Board decided not to renew the contract of the school district’s head boys’ basketball and girls’ basketball coaches last week. It could be argued that the two individuals can still be rehired, if they decide to reapply for the position. I hope they each decide to reapply, but it’s hardly a vote of confidence when trustees don’t support you at the initial meeting.

If the coaching decision goes a dierent way, it will hard to imagine others being as dedicated as Cole Hanks and Cody Larson have been. They seek the best and work countless hours for the players and program.

The idea of having a committee of community members interview and recommend the coaching hire is a good one. Maybe it will result in better support regardless of the decision. My hope is that the commitment made by the current coaches isn’t forgotten.