Mike Rich, one of South Jersey's most successful high school boys basketball coaches, has been fired from his position by the Haddon Heights School District.
Haddon Heights athletic director Joe Crump confirmed the decision Thursday afternoon.
“I cannot comment, but I am disappointed in this decision,” Crump said.
District Superintendent Carla Bittner declined to comment, citing a personnel decision.
In an exclusive interview with NJ Advance Media, Rich said he believes the circumstances surrounding a rally at his home last September were the reason for his firing. At the time, Rich had not yet been officially approved by the board as a coach for the program, as the contract is year-to-year. He was approved in November.
“I was fired because the Haddon Heights superintendent and school board felt that I was being irresponsible as a parent and that I made poor parenting decisions while my daughter and friends were together at my home. ,” Rich said Thursday.
“I'm still a little shocked. This is a bad dream…worse than a bad dream. To be judged as a parent…kids make mistakes, teens make mistakes, parents… Make mistakes. No one got hurt, no one got hurt. Would I, playing quarterback on a Monday morning, look back and do something different? Probably. But I I feel anxious about being judged by board members and the superintendent about my child-rearing.
“This is not only disturbing for me, but also for the other teachers in the district. If a parent's children do something bad outside of school, you're going down a slippery slope. Why does the school board have the right to judge them and their position as teachers in their district?Board members have a lot of power, but if a board member Allowing staff members to do this is a whole different level of authority.”
Rich declined to comment further on the details of the meeting, but said he was not given an opportunity to discuss the situation with the superintendent or school board members.
“I have emailed the superintendent, principal (Warren Daneza), and school board chairman (David Retsch) several times and requested a meeting to hear my opinion, but I have not been granted the opportunity to do so. “I was told,” Rich said. . “I'm not even allowed to defend myself or explain what happened. I wanted it to be during the recess or at the board meeting. Then I told the superintendent, the principal, the school board chairperson, this… I wrote to discuss the consequences of the species' actions. I received no response.”
NJ Advance Media obtained a copy of a letter from Rich that stated:
“I spent every minute of the weekend thinking about how I could make this situation right. Not only reporters but also coaches approached me. I appreciate their support and support on my behalf. While I appreciate their discomfort, I want to do better than just convey my “side.” For 17 years, there was no “side” because HHSD and I were a team with the same goal of raising strong adults ready for the world.
“I think this is salvageable because I want to continue that journey together and I don't feel there was any adverse action on my part as a coach. Also, what I did as a parent is , which I believe unfortunately happens on a regular basis among HHHS staff and officers.
“I have requested to be placed on probation or a performance plan. But I want to take it a step further. I have taken a training course on personal and professional expectations as a coach. I would like to offer to take the course at my own expense in order to do so.Also, I would like to return for a one-year probationary period, but instead of collecting the stipend, I would like to donate the entire amount to HHSD. I would like to donate to the REACH program. The REACH program has meant a lot to me over the past few years, and I am honored to be able to coach for free to benefit the district and the program.
“Please submit my offer to the BOE. I will follow up by the end of the week.”
Mr. Bittner acknowledged that he had not had any communication with Mr. Rich, but the superintendent said: Some sections welcome public comment. ”
The Haddon Heights School Board's next monthly meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12th.
Rich has a career record of 428 wins and 289 losses in 27 seasons, which ranks him tied for 20th on South Jersey's all-time wins list. Heading into this season, Rich ranks sixth all-time among active coaches.
The winningest coach in program history, Rich won 278 games in 16 seasons at Haddon Heights. His last game was on February 6 against West Deptford. On February 11, 2022, he passed Randy Jess as the program's all-time leader.
Rich, a 1989 graduate of Camden Catholic, got his first coaching opportunity at age 23. That season, he led Paulsboro to his 1996 Group 1 state championship. He then coached at Gateway before taking the job at Haddon Heights.
Rich won his 400th career game on January 5, 2023, in a nail-biting 45-44 decision in his return to Paulsboro.
“I had a plan for myself and the program,” said Rich, who informed his players of the decision late Thursday afternoon. “When his son came to Haddon Heights and left after graduation, I was looking forward to coaching his son in a few years. We also had plans internally for someone to take over.”
Haddon Heights finished 14-13 overall this season.
While we understand that the X's and O's are an important part of a coach's resume, Rich's actions off the court show just how influential he was. He ran free clinics, frequently helped players with personal issues, and was a community leader among other worthy causes.
After his historic victory two years ago, Crump said: “Mike is a great coach, but beyond that, people don't realize how much he does for the kids. To some, he's like a second father. …It goes way beyond basketball. Obviously, he's had a great career and won most seasons. But what's even more impressive is what he does for kids off the court. It’s about being there.”
Mr. Crump stood by his statement Thursday.
“You can hire a new coach, you can have him sit on the bench and throw X's and O's, but you don't know if you're going to take a player off the court who did what Mike did,” Crump said. “Not in today's world.”
Kevin Minnick can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kminnicksports
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