Whitefish hoops coach resigns

Whitefish High School’s new boys basketball coach is on the way out before he even coaches a single game.

Josh Downey submitted a letter of resignation last week, two months after he was hired away from Bigfork High School.

The resignation comes on contentious terms, with Downey telling the Pilot he was forced out and left looking for work. He says school administrators vowed to help him find a job in Whitefish — whether within the school district or community — if he accepted the coaching position. But, he says, they gave up on fulfilling those promises shortly after he was hired.

Whitefish athletic director Aric Harris, however, says no such promise was ever made. According to Harris, Downey’s contract “clearly stated” the coaching job wasn’t linked to a teaching position.

Downey resigned in May as Bigfork’s head basketball coach and athletic director to take the Whitefish position. He led a talent-laden Vikings squad to the Class B state championship and a perfect season last year.

Downey says he was coerced into signing the Whitefish coaching contract without any real job security.

“Whitefish offered me the [coaching] job, and put me in the position to accept or not accept,” Downey explained.

“They did say they can’t guarantee a teaching job and that I’d have to go through the hiring process. I understand how that works.”

But, Downey said, once he signed the contract, the district stopped helping him find employment.

“So I quit my $65,000 a year job in Bigfork because they were going to help me get a job. Now I’m unemployed,” he said.

The stipend for the head basketball coach at Whitefish is set at $5,657 for the 2014-15 school year.

According to Harris, the district tried its best to help Downey secure work, both within the district and the private sector.

“We just didn’t have anything available,” Harris said. “We looked above and beyond, but couldn’t come up with anything.”

“We really looked at what needs we have, but were unable to make it work.”

Harris said the budget simply wouldn’t allow the district to create a new position.

“We can’t sacrifice the classroom — academics are first and foremost,” he said.

“We wish [Downey] the best moving forward,” he added.

Last month, Downey hosted a basketball skills camp and took a dozen players to a camp at Gonzaga University.

“I volunteered my time and personally paid for one kid to go,” Downey said.

Downey claims the district told him to resign or else they would terminate his contract after he was unable to secure employment.

“They’re twisting it like I’m walking away from the kids, and I’m not,” he said.

“This was dangled in front of me and taken away,” he said.

Whitefish already is moving on to its next coach.

According to Harris, Phoenix-based coach Curtis Green has made a verbal commitment to lead the boys team next season. Green was one of Whitefish’s finalist during the first round of interviews when Downey was hired.

“We strongly considered him the first time,” Harris said.

Harris planned to recommend the school board hire Green at its Tuesday meeting.

Green coached at Raymond Kellis High School in Phoenix the past seven years. He resigned from that position in May.

He played four years of college basketball at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, and played for the Sacramento Kings in the 2006 NBA Summer League.

Green is certified to teach physical education and health, and has a background in business. He is expected to sign a contract with the district that states the basketball coaching job isn’t tied to a teaching position, similar to Downey’s contract.

Green is set to move to Whitefish by August, Harris said.