Spartans men’s basketball head coach fired
It was just another practice for the Trinity Western University men’s basketball team on December 13, 2007, until their head coach did not show up to lead them. After a practice led by their assistant coaches, the team found out that Stan Peters had been fired as their head coach, effective immediately.
Right: Stan Peters [UComm]
“It was a complete shock,” said a member of the basketball team, who wished to remain anonymous. “There wasn’t much time to comprehend [what had happened.]“
One member of the coaching staff resigned immediately in support of Peters.
When asked why the decision was made, Blair Whitmarsh, Dean of Human Kinetics, said, “We wanted to move the men’s basketball program into a new direction, and we felt it was time to make that change.”
He added, “The decision to do it mid-season was to take advantage of the recruiting season and to do a nation-wide search for a new coach.”
Director of Athletics, Murray Hall, declined comment.
The team’s record this season was 4-and-8 when the decision was made. This could be due in part to major injuries to two starters Brian Banman and Jon Schmidt, causing them to sit out the season. Other minor injuries throughout the team were also prevalent this season.
In the meantime, an interim head coach, Pat Lee, has been hired to finish off this season with the team. Lee, a TWU alum, is a former coach for the University College of the Fraser Valley, and Whitmarsh describes him as “one of the most well-known names in basketball in B.C.”
Left: Pat Lee [Photo: Tasha Reifschneider]
At first, the team was not supportive of the idea of hiring a new coach.
“As players we wanted to finish the season with our assistant coaches… [but] our voice wasn’t heard very much,” the team member said.
The other two assistant coaches and the team manager also resigned when Lee was brought in.
The team felt that the whole matter was handled poorly. The player said, “A lot of people view this as being a very class-less decision.”
Another CIS West coach in the Lower Mainland, who wished to remain anonymous, said he felt the same way: “[Some of] the coaches in Canada West feel some sympathy and allegience to Stan, and feel there was some wrongdoing there.”
He added that the timing of the firing was the main issue.
“Firing a coach mid-season because of wins and losses does not happen in our conference,” he said, “and generally does not occur within our profession unless there is a gross misconduct.”
Despite the unfavorable circumstances, the team also understands that good can come out of this situation, and that sometimes it is necessary to make changes. As the player noted, Pat Lee came into a “tough situation,” but “the guys have responded well.”
The team had to adjust quickly to the changes, and has since only had two wins in six games.
Another issue raised by the firing is the TWU Spartans Athletics’ program called the Complete Champion Approach, which seeks to develop athletes on many different levels – academically, as leaders, personally and spiritually – not just in athletic performance.
According to the basketball team member, “Stan intentionally followed the Complete Champion Approach” and “poured his heart and soul into the team.”
The fellow CIS West coach agreed. “We’re paid to win,” he said, “but at the end of the season we’re paid to create leaders.” The coach added that he felt Peters exemplified that, calling him a “quality guy and a gentleman.”
The unexpected release of their head coach caused the team to question “what athletics at Trinity should be all about.”
Whitmarsh assured that “our goal is to be a team that develops young men to be strong Christian leaders [who] are successful on the basketball court and academically and we want our team to have a following from the community.”
Essentially, Whitmarsh said, we want “the best situation [we can have] to give us the best possible chance of success.”
Whether or not this coaching change will render the hoped-for success remains to be seen.
With reporting by Lauren Thompson
2007-2008 Spartans Men’s Basketball Stats
October 25 @ UBC, Loss
October 27 @ UVic, Loss
November 02 @ Regina, Loss
November 03 @ Brandon, Loss
November 09 Lethbridge, Win
November 10 Calgary, Loss
November 16 @ TRU, Loss
November 17 @ TRU, Win
November 23 Winnepeg, Loss
November 24 UM, Win
November 30 @ UCFV, Loss
December 01 @ UCFV, Win
Post Stan Peters’ firing:
December 17 @ Westmont, Loss
December 19 @ Azusa, Loss
January 04 UVic, Win
January 05 UVic, Loss
January 11 UCFV, Loss
January 12 TRU, Win
January 18 @ USASK, Loss
January 19 @ UA, Loss
CORRECTION: The photo caption in the print version of this story is incorrect. Former coach Stan Peters is actually featured in the picture on the left, while the interim Pat Lee is shown in the inset on the right.
Short version: caption should read Left: Stan Peters, Right: Pat Lee.
My apologies.
Noted, and thank you for pointing out the error. I had to change the filenames of the images themselves, so I ended up switching their places rather than changing the left-right order. So left is still Pat Lee, but it’s the right photo, I think. Thanks again!