Weeks Files Grievance Over Hiring of Walk-On Coach

Jim Weeks, former girls’ basketball coach at Costa Mesa, filed a grievance last week with the Newport Mesa School District protesting the procedure that led to the April 5 hiring of Shontell Sherwood.

Sherwood, who was 3-5 as an interim coach after Len Whitacre’s midseason resignation, has been involved with the program since 1992. She is a Newport Beach police officer.

“It’s always been my feeling,” Sherwood said, “that the administration should hire the most qualified person, whether it’s walk-on or on-campus, and qualified in all aspects of what they’re looking for, whether it’s coaching or working with the kids.”

Said Weeks: “This has nothing to do with hiring Shontell, but just the process.”

The process in question is hiring a walk-on coach ahead of an on-campus coach. Weeks said the teacher’s union feels there is legitimate cause for action.

“At any given point in time, 50% of lawyers are wrong,” said Costa Mesa Principal Andy Hernandez, who has submitted a written statement of opposition to Weeks’ claim to the district. “There’s an honest interpretation on Mr. Weeks’ side, and an honest interpretation on our side. Obviously, those two interpretations don’t coincide.

“My decision has already been made. The girls’ program is up and running and we plan to hold the course.”

Weeks, in his 24th year as a teacher at Costa Mesa, has been passed over twice in two years for the job in favor of walk-on coaches.

He was 91-70 from 1986-92 as Costa Mesa’s varsity coach before resigning; he assisted at Tustin for three years and was Costa Mesa’s junior varsity coach last season. He hopes his action will ultimately land him the varsity job again.

“I feel that as a walk-on I would not be as effective as an on-campus person,” Weeks said. “Obviously, there are some very successful walk-on coaches and I don’t want to imply that they can’t be.”

“If I wasn’t applying for the job, I thought [Sherwood] would have been been a great choice.”

Costa Mesa reached the state Division III final in the 1992-93 season under Lisa McNamee--a walk-on coach.

Weeks admitted it might be rough sailing if he gets his way.

“I think a lot of players would be OK with it, and some I would have to work hard to show them that I can do a good job,” he said. “But I think that would have been the case anyway.”

Sherwood, who consulted Weeks while preparing next year’s schedule because she wanted to be fair to him if he were hired, had a different take: “I feel bad for the kids because, when I was selected, they thought a lot of the confusion was over. [Weeks] said publicly, during our banquet, that he would support whatever decision was made by the administration. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.”

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Huntington Beach High School is among the defendants in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a junior varsity football player who alleges school officials and coaches ignored actions that might have prevented him from collapsing and falling into a coma in September.

A lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court alleges that Huntington Beach football player Edwin Ignacio hurt his head during a junior varsity game Sept. 7, that school officials didn’t get him medical attention or inform his parents of the injury, and didn’t act upon his complaints of a headache the following week. It also alleges Ignacio was encouraged to attend practices and to play in a Sept. 14 game, during which he collapsed and fell into a coma.

Doctors later removed a blood clot from Ignacio’s brain.

The suit, filed April 25, names as defendants the city, the school and its officials, the Huntington Beach Union High School District, and Bike, Riddell and Air, the manufacturers of Ignacio’s football helmet and its protective equipment.