Kamehameha girls coach criticizes Kroeger firing
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
The head girls basketball coach and a former head boys basketball coach at the Kamehameha Schools yesterday sharply criticized the Kamehameha administration for firing boys head coach Micah Kroeger.
Girls head coach Clay Cockett said a group of basketball coaches was denied a meeting with principal Tony Ramos to learn the reasons for Kroeger's dismissal six weeks after co-athletic director Blane Gaison had given him a vote of confidence.
Kamehameha graduate John Sabas, who was head boys' coach from 1976-81, said, "This leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. I'm very bothered by the way it is being handled."
Kroeger, 25, a former University of Hawai'i standout in his first year as a head coach, was suspended for several days, including one game, in February after his players boycotted practice. He was reinstated for the final games of the season and in mid-April, Gaison said, "Micah will be back (next season). What happened is water under the bridge. . . ."
Cockett said yesterday, "My understanding was that they conducted an investigation (when Kroeger was suspended) and he was reinstated and corrective measures and conditions were reviewed and agreed upon that would permit positive growth for the whole program, for returning players and for Micah as coach.
"Apparently, that initial decision was not accepted by a small group of parents. They objected again and the school allowed another investigation for the same reason." Cockett said.
"I am extremely disappointed that the school has decided to fire Micah."
Ramos and Gaison could not be reached for comment yesterday. Kroeger said his attorney advised him to decline comment.
Cockett and Gaison were part of the selection committee that recommended hiring Kroeger last September after 19-year head coach Jim Winchester was let go.
"Micah demanded discipline," Cockett said. "He wanted to change the attitude of the boys players. We've got some prima donnas up there, whose parents perpetuated their prima donna status.
"Micah was trying to get them more focused on the team concept."
A boycott of a practice by the entire team and some parents' complaints, including that Kroeger was overly strict, led to his short suspension in February.
Kamehameha finished fourth of seven teams in Division I of the private-school Interscholastic League of Honolulu with an 8-6 record.
Cockett said that after Kroeger was fired last week, "a number of coaches in the boys basketball program tried to meet with the administration to get an explanation, but we weren't allowed to. Dee Meecham, one of our coaches, asked Mr. Ramos (Kamehameha principal) if we could meet with them . . . (Meecham) said he was told there was nothing to explain and we were turned down in our request for a meeting."
Sabas, a 1965 Kamehameha graduate and basketball all-star, said, "Having been a young coach myself and having made mistakes myself, I feel for Micah.
"Education is a lifelong process," Sabas said. "Someone in their 20s can use the education as much as someone in their teens. I'm certain Micah would have learned and progressed favorably with proper support and guidance.
"It sounds like the school is being pushed into a corner by some disgruntled parents who are having more say than they should have. . . . The parents and their kids should be reminded that it is an honor to wear the blue and white and if they don't like it, they should go to another school. . . ," Sabas said.
In addition to his former job at Kamehameha and other enterprises, Kroeger works for The Advertiser in the circulation department, and formerly was a part-time sports clerk.
