An Ohio boys basketball coach was unceremoniously let go after three full decades at the helm, with the school he has served saying only that his “coaching style” no longer fit what the school hoped its program would develop.
As reported by the Journal-News, a newspaper serving the greater Dayton area, longtime Bishop Fenwick High School (Franklin, Ohio) boys basketball coach Pat Kreke was informed that he was not being retained for the 2019-20 season during a meeting with the Fenwick administration on Friday. His departure means the school will need to bring in a new coach for the first time in three decades.
Kreke finished his 30 seasons at Fenwick with a career record of 380-306.
“There’s no doubt I was angry and stunned,” Kreke told the Journal-News. “I still believe that I’m the best person to be in charge of the program.”
Fenwick athletic director Michael Coleman reportedly told Kreke that the program needed a transformational coach, insinuating that Kreke’s coaching style was no longer a fit for this generation of player and the school.
That’s a major decision to make for a team that has maintained success in recent seasons; Fenwick reached the Division II district finals before they eventually fell to Archbishop Alter High School (Kettering, Ohio).
The 2018-19 Bishop Fenwick team finished with a 15-10-1 record, the program’s fourth straight season with a winning record.
Now, Coleman and the Fenwick administration will have to find someone to take the mantle after a legend.
