School board approves basketball coach's resignations

There was no comment from the Whitefish School Board last week in approving the resignation of Whitefish boys basketball coach Curtis Green.

Green submitted his letter of resignation April 5. He also will step down as dean of students at Whitefish Middle School at the end of the school year. The board OK’d both resignations with unanimous approval of the consent agenda.

The circumstances that led to the coach’s resignation were not discussed at the meeting. The Pilot reached out to Green for comment but he did not return the phone call.

Whitefish Superintendent Heather Davis Schmidt said she couldn’t address the reasons behind the resignation.

“I can’t speak to personnel issues at all,” she said Wednesday. “He has a right to privacy.”

She added, “Curtis did a great job working with our students in many ways and we wish him the best of luck.”

Hired in July 2014, Green coached the team for two season and went 16-26 overall. He was hired as the dean of students at the beginning of the current school year.

Some students and parents were emotional at the meeting in providing eleventh-hour endorsments for Green, saying losing the coach would be a step back for the basketball program.

“The man is a good coach, he cares about kids,” said Stewart Cardon, parent and WHS Booster Club board member. “You have to support your coaches if you want to build a program.”

Alex Keuylian said Green took him under his wing as a timid freshman new to the school district.

“Coming here and meeting coach Green, it made me stop wanting to move back to California,” he said. “It made me thank God my parents put me in this school and I get to call myself a Bulldog.”

Junior Zander Wold noted that if Green is replaced he will have had numerous head coaches in his four years at the school.

Mark Casazza resigned as head coach at the end of the 2013-14 season after five years leading the Bulldogs. Whitefish then hired Josh Downey, but he resigned two months later without ever coaching a single game. Green came on board for the 2014-15 season.

“I don’t see how you can build continuity when you’re going through coaches that fast,” Wold said.

Rick Smith, a retired teacher and coach, asked the trustees to dig deeper into the reasons behind Green’s resignation.

“Somebody with authority has to look into this,” he said. “We should be begging [Green] to stay instead of kicking him out of here. Let’s work with him if he has some problems. It’s not going to solve our problems to bring in a new basketball coach, that’s not going to do us any good.”

“I know you’ve heard one side of the story and you haven’t heard the other side.”

Not all in attendance were there to speak in favor of retaining the coach.

Parent Chad Silliker told the board that while he respected the players for speaking up for their coach, he said he was the voice of “the other half of the team” in support of Green’s resignation.

“I hope you guys can put a decision together based on the information that you’ve been given, rather than the comments tonight,” Silliker said.