I thought this week I might try to put the Coach Doug Ogle controversy in a little perspective.
Lots of Coach Ogle's supporters feel as if he's being unfairly persecuted. I can understand that.
Some people want him to lose his job. I can see where that would be unsettling if you were a friend or supporter of the coach.
These people seem almost shocked that anyone would question the coach's ability or competence.
But come on, this is Indiana, after all. And in Indiana, we love us some basketball.
So what is happening here with regard to the basketball coach is far from unusual. Frankly, it's probably more the rule than the exception.
I remember back in March 2005 when Triton ran Mike McBride out of town.
They voted to suspend him during the season. His team was 4-13 at the time. Before that he was 6-15, 14-10 and 13-10.
McBride was a Triton grad and played basketball at Bethel. He was an assistant at a couple of bigger schools before taking over at Triton. He would have completed his fourth year of coaching when he was suspended and subsequently resigned.
I would have resigned, too. Why work some place where they don't appreciate you?
Problem with McBride was, he was looking to the future and some parents and players couldn't handle it.
McBride was giving playing time to some promising freshmen ahead of some juniors and seniors.
So the slighted players and parents went to the school board and complained that McBride was "verbally abusing" the kids.
Nobody said he was vulgar or anything, just that he "verbally abused" the kids.
I guess that means he yelled at them. And made them sad.
So anyway, the school board danced with the sad parents and players and booted the coach. It was a raw deal.
Interesting to note what happened to those freshmen players in whom McBride saw so much promise: They won the state championship this year.
And how about that Jack Edison over at Plymouth? You may remember him. He was in town last Monday after somebody gave him a call and asked him to speak in support of Coach Ogle.
(Edison was my gym teacher at Plymouth High back in the day. He was pretty tough on us. I hated those leg lifts and climbing the rope.)
Anyway, he coached at Plymouth for 34 years amassing 545 wins against 251 losses. That's a winning ratio of .685.
He had two state championships and a state runnerup, three semistate championships, 18 sectional championships and 11 NLC championships.
In 2007 he was named national coach of the year.
He retired on his own merit in 2007, largely because his No. 1 assistant was his son, Michael. He wanted Michael to follow in his footsteps.
The school board wanted that, too, and gave the job to Michael. But before Michael could coach his first game in the 2007-2008 season, he got caught looking at some naughty Web sites on a school computer. Michael no longer coaches or teaches at Plymouth.
(I bet Michael got taken to the woodshed by his dad over that one. And I thought those leg lifts were bad.)
Assistant John Scott took over and coached the Pilgrims to the semistate this year.
Scott didn't want to be the permanent coach. He told the school board he'd help out and coach for one year.
So Plymouth, finding itself in need of a varsity basketball coach, gets a resume from none other than the legendary Jack Edison.
The school board won't even give the guy a courtesy interview. Honestly, how bogus is that?
And coach craziness isn't peculiar to the northern part of the state.
How about that coach from 3A Scottsburg, way down yonder by the Ohio River?
Brady Wells was dismissed by the school board last month on a 5-0 vote.
He had one of the best coaching records in Scottsburg Warrior history.
In 11 seasons, he was 157-89. He had four conference titles, the most recent in 2007. His teams won three sectionals and one regional.
But he was canned at the end of this season when his team posted an 8-12 record. The Scottsburg athletic department Web site also notes that 2008 was a season that "saw players leave the team."
Players leaving the team. Hmmm. Not enough playing time, maybe? Yelling and sadness?
It's interesting how people get whipped up over this stuff. What makes these coaches so irreplaceable?
Word has been making its way around Warsaw that some teachers are threatening to strike, and some coaches are threatening to quit, and some people are threatening to file lawsuits if the school board replaces Coach Ogle.
Now I don't pretend to know the complete ins and outs of any of these situations.
But I know one thing for sure. Anybody who's surprised or upset that there is a contingent of people who want a new coach at Warsaw doesn't know much about Indiana high school basketball.
