Roosevelt Coach Resler, Star of Heart of the Game, Fired; Administrators Won't Say Why

Bill Resler, beloved coach of the Roosevelt High School girls basketball team, which was featured in the documentary Heart of the Game, was fired on the eve of the season, reports the Times' Craig Smith.

Roosevelt administrators aren't saying why, at least not publicly. Privately, according to Resler, they're telling parents he held forbidden offseason practices, which Resler denies.

Smith cites previous complaints against Resler that he encourages rough play and sometimes swears. Ummmm.

I never saw the documentary, but the few times I've seen Resler's teams play I've liked what I've seen. Even in close-fought games, his players are smiling, enjoying themselves--a far cry from the average high school basketball team, which runs primarily on fear of their coach screaming at them. Resler, at least when I've seen him, is having fun, not screaming.

You'll inspire a fair amount of devotion that way, and it seems Resler has:

Resler said he was "flabbergasted" and "bitterly hurt" by his firing. He said he felt better when he got home Friday night and found that the team had toilet-papered his home and put up a sign on his door with a three-word message: "We love you."

Resler, incidentally, is a tax professor at the UW, it's not like he needs the job or has aspirations of becoming a college coach. I think we can rule out any blatant cheating like we saw at Sealth.

Resler supporters are making rumblings about legal action, so we suppose the truth will eventually come out.

Of course, whether this is the result of a rule-breaking coach or a power-grabbing administrator, it's the players who are getting their season ruined. Ah well, it's a good life lesson to learn: Shit flows downhill.

Image via KING-TV