Bad Press Is Good Press...Right?

[THAT S--T WAS FUNNY]

From the Orlando Sentinel....

Scott Grove planned to finish out the high school baseball season as head coach at The First Academy, a prominent Orlando private school he guided to an FHSAA state championship three years ago.

TFA administrators decided against that late Thursday, several hours after Grove notified them of his intention to resign.

“I did not agree with the direction the school was going, with what’s been happening within the athletic department, and I challenged them on that,” Grove said.

“Knowing that we are committing [rules] violations and nothing is being done set off alarms for me,” he said. “In my heart, I knew that since I teach and coach here, it’s like I’m a part of it, and I didn’t want to be a part of it anymore.” In a reply to the Orlando Sentinel on Monday, the Florida High School Athletic Association confirmed that “there have been allegations made against The First Academy athletics department.” FHSAA staffer Ryan Harrison said the school is now afforded its “due process to respond,” per policy.

Numerous sources, including Orlando area coaches, have told the Sentinel that TFA’s football program has violated FHSAA recruiting policy while also helping pay the tuition and costs of some players through a donor who has a son on the team.

New TFA athletic director and head football coach Jeff Conaway denied any wrongdoing when asked by the Sentinel about those allegations in February.

“That’s not factual at all. From my understanding that’s illegal,” Conaway said in regard to tuition payments. He also said his coaches were not recruiting players from other schools.

TFA has added transfer football players from Boone, Lake Minneola, Leesburg, Osceola and Timber Creek in recent months. Per FHSAA policy, impermissible benefits consist of any form of “arrangement, assistance, discount or benefit that is not generally available to other students in the school or their families or that is based in any way on athletic ability.”

That would include school-based financial assistance of any kind “that exceeds the amount for which a student has been approved by an independent financial needs assessment company,” gifts of clothing, equipment, merchandise or other tangible items, and free or reduced-cost transportation for athletes, among other things. Grove is the latest coaching casualty at TFA since long-time football coach Leroy Kinard resigned — according to the school — and was replaced days later last June by Conaway, who previously coached in Arkansas.

Boys basketball coach Chris Mayberry is also out after leading TFA to a 389-179 record in 20 seasons, including five final-four appearances and a 2011 state runner-up finish.

Friday was his last day as a lower-school physical education instructor, the same role Grove had held. Mayberry’s wife, Becky, is still working as a guidance counselor in TFA’s Classical School program.

Mayberry, who briefly left TFA and won back-to-back Texas state titles (2012-13) with 10th-year NBA player Julius Randle on the roster at Prestonwood Christian Academy, holds a 430-202 career record.

He opted not to talk about the specifics behind his departure in a Monday morning phone interview, saying, “It’s kind of a mutual agreement.”

“I’m resigning from TFA. It’s the right time,” Mayberry said. “I’m interested in staying in basketball, but I really don’t know what’s next at this point. We’re doing what’s best for [our] kids right now. All the decisions will be made on what’s best for them.”

The family of six includes Luke, a TFA sophomore basketball player, and seventh-grade daughter Kallie, who plays volleyball at the school.

Girls volleyball coach Joe Casalese was fired midway through the fall season. He said former athletic director Will Cohen, now the assistant head of school for Campus Operations, told him he had “lost the locker room.”

TFA’s roster included Casalese’s daughter Caroline, a junior player. The Royals were in the midst of their best season (18-11) since winning 17 games in 2018-19.

Scott Grove led the Royals as head since the 2014 season. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

 

Grove said he alerted Cohen about his decision to step down last week before the Royals were scheduled to play a home game against Groveland South Lake.

“I told them that I no longer wanted to be a part of it and that I was finished as the baseball coach, but that I wanted to finish the season for the kids,” Grove said.

Cohen told Grove that it would be his decision whether to permit the long-time coach to finish out the spring. He later informed Grove that he was no longer permitted to be on campus and could not communicate with baseball players and parents.

In an email to parents, Cohen stated, “Following further reflection and prayer, I concluded that it was best for Coach Grove to do what he had indicated and not return as the varsity baseball coach.”

Former Major League Baseball first-round pick Nick Franklin, a Lake Brantley graduate and TFA assistant, was named interim head coach by the school in a social media post.

#RoyalsBaseball Coaching Update: pic.twitter.com/ockRIZn9LR — TFA Athletics (@TFA_Athletics) April 6, 2024

“I’m saddened by the way it turned out,” Grove said. “Half my team thinks I quit on them because that’s how the school portrayed it. They just wanted to control the narrative, and they weren’t extremely truthful about that.”

Grove’s wife, Dr. Shayne Grove, resigned from her position as TFA principal on Friday.

“I’ve lived at the baseball field for the past 28 years of my coaching career because that’s the passion I have for it,” Grove said. “If it’s over, it’s over. I feel I’ve impacted a lot of kids, and that’s why I did it.”

Grove, who led Colonial to a state runner-up finish in 2000 and Timber Creek to the state semifinals in 2010 and 2012, was in his 11th season at TFA.

He went 555-191 overall since 1998 and 219-60 while with the Royals, which included a 2021 FHSAA Class 3A state championship and 2014 USA Baseball National High School Invitational title.

“It’s a shame it has to end this way,” Grove said. “I did everything I could possibly do throughout my coaching career, and at least I can say I’m walking away with dignity and doing things the right way.”

Longtime The First Academy boys basketball coach Chris Mayberry, holding the ball, celebrated his 400th career win in 2022 with his wife, daughters and sons, who all have strong ties to TFA. They are from left: Ansley, wife Becky, Cole, Kallie and Luke. (Courtesy The First Academy).

This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email staff reporter J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com and varsity content editor Buddy Collings at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.

[Floridaatlantic1]

On 4/12/2024 at 8:18 PM, THAT S--T WAS FUNNY said:

From the Orlando Sentinel....

Scott Grove planned to finish out the high school baseball season as head coach at The First Academy, a prominent Orlando private school he guided to an FHSAA state championship three years ago.

TFA administrators decided against that late Thursday, several hours after Grove notified them of his intention to resign.

“I did not agree with the direction the school was going, with what’s been happening within the athletic department, and I challenged them on that,” Grove said.

“Knowing that we are committing [rules] violations and nothing is being done set off alarms for me,” he said. “In my heart, I knew that since I teach and coach here, it’s like I’m a part of it, and I didn’t want to be a part of it anymore.” In a reply to the Orlando Sentinel on Monday, the Florida High School Athletic Association confirmed that “there have been allegations made against The First Academy athletics department.” FHSAA staffer Ryan Harrison said the school is now afforded its “due process to respond,” per policy.

Numerous sources, including Orlando area coaches, have told the Sentinel that TFA’s football program has violated FHSAA recruiting policy while also helping pay the tuition and costs of some players through a donor who has a son on the team.

New TFA athletic director and head football coach Jeff Conaway denied any wrongdoing when asked by the Sentinel about those allegations in February.

“That’s not factual at all. From my understanding that’s illegal,” Conaway said in regard to tuition payments. He also said his coaches were not recruiting players from other schools.

TFA has added transfer football players from Boone, Lake Minneola, Leesburg, Osceola and Timber Creek in recent months. Per FHSAA policy, impermissible benefits consist of any form of “arrangement, assistance, discount or benefit that is not generally available to other students in the school or their families or that is based in any way on athletic ability.”

That would include school-based financial assistance of any kind “that exceeds the amount for which a student has been approved by an independent financial needs assessment company,” gifts of clothing, equipment, merchandise or other tangible items, and free or reduced-cost transportation for athletes, among other things. Grove is the latest coaching casualty at TFA since long-time football coach Leroy Kinard resigned — according to the school — and was replaced days later last June by Conaway, who previously coached in Arkansas.

Boys basketball coach Chris Mayberry is also out after leading TFA to a 389-179 record in 20 seasons, including five final-four appearances and a 2011 state runner-up finish.

Friday was his last day as a lower-school physical education instructor, the same role Grove had held. Mayberry’s wife, Becky, is still working as a guidance counselor in TFA’s Classical School program.

Mayberry, who briefly left TFA and won back-to-back Texas state titles (2012-13) with 10th-year NBA player Julius Randle on the roster at Prestonwood Christian Academy, holds a 430-202 career record.

He opted not to talk about the specifics behind his departure in a Monday morning phone interview, saying, “It’s kind of a mutual agreement.”

“I’m resigning from TFA. It’s the right time,” Mayberry said. “I’m interested in staying in basketball, but I really don’t know what’s next at this point. We’re doing what’s best for [our] kids right now. All the decisions will be made on what’s best for them.”

The family of six includes Luke, a TFA sophomore basketball player, and seventh-grade daughter Kallie, who plays volleyball at the school.

Girls volleyball coach Joe Casalese was fired midway through the fall season. He said former athletic director Will Cohen, now the assistant head of school for Campus Operations, told him he had “lost the locker room.”

TFA’s roster included Casalese’s daughter Caroline, a junior player. The Royals were in the midst of their best season (18-11) since winning 17 games in 2018-19.

Scott Grove led the Royals as head since the 2014 season. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

 

Grove said he alerted Cohen about his decision to step down last week before the Royals were scheduled to play a home game against Groveland South Lake.

“I told them that I no longer wanted to be a part of it and that I was finished as the baseball coach, but that I wanted to finish the season for the kids,” Grove said.

Cohen told Grove that it would be his decision whether to permit the long-time coach to finish out the spring. He later informed Grove that he was no longer permitted to be on campus and could not communicate with baseball players and parents.

In an email to parents, Cohen stated, “Following further reflection and prayer, I concluded that it was best for Coach Grove to do what he had indicated and not return as the varsity baseball coach.”

Former Major League Baseball first-round pick Nick Franklin, a Lake Brantley graduate and TFA assistant, was named interim head coach by the school in a social media post.

#RoyalsBaseball Coaching Update: pic.twitter.com/ockRIZn9LR — TFA Athletics (@TFA_Athletics) April 6, 2024

“I’m saddened by the way it turned out,” Grove said. “Half my team thinks I quit on them because that’s how the school portrayed it. They just wanted to control the narrative, and they weren’t extremely truthful about that.”

Grove’s wife, Dr. Shayne Grove, resigned from her position as TFA principal on Friday.

“I’ve lived at the baseball field for the past 28 years of my coaching career because that’s the passion I have for it,” Grove said. “If it’s over, it’s over. I feel I’ve impacted a lot of kids, and that’s why I did it.”

Grove, who led Colonial to a state runner-up finish in 2000 and Timber Creek to the state semifinals in 2010 and 2012, was in his 11th season at TFA.

He went 555-191 overall since 1998 and 219-60 while with the Royals, which included a 2021 FHSAA Class 3A state championship and 2014 USA Baseball National High School Invitational title.

“It’s a shame it has to end this way,” Grove said. “I did everything I could possibly do throughout my coaching career, and at least I can say I’m walking away with dignity and doing things the right way.”

Longtime The First Academy boys basketball coach Chris Mayberry, holding the ball, celebrated his 400th career win in 2022 with his wife, daughters and sons, who all have strong ties to TFA. They are from left: Ansley, wife Becky, Cole, Kallie and Luke. (Courtesy The First Academy).

This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email staff reporter J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com and varsity content editor Buddy Collings at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.

All the recruiting deniers here should read this article. Of course if they win a million games, TFA with all their new found transfers should never be bumped up to a higher division because that would be punishing winners.  

[nolebull813]

So did they give players special scholarships not accessible by the general public or not? 
 

If so please post link. 

[nolebull813]

Can someone post a link of the evidence of recruiting violations and not heresy from rival coaches? 
 

Im not saying they are innocent. Actually  I am. Innocent until PROVEN guilty 

[Perspective]

6 hours ago, nolebull813 said:

Can someone post a link of the evidence of recruiting violations and not heresy from rival coaches? 
 

Im not saying they are innocent. Actually  I am. Innocent until PROVEN guilty 

I think it was a coach from their own school (albeit from another sport) that was calling the school out. 

[nolebull813]

14 minutes ago, Perspective said:

I think it was a coach from their own school (albeit from another sport) that was calling the school out. 

He left because he didn’t want to get with the times? Can’t teach an old dog new tricks I guess. 

[THAT S--T WAS FUNNY]

3 hours ago, nolebull813 said:

He left because he didn’t want to get with the times? Can’t teach an old dog new tricks I guess. 

Or maybe he left because he values his integrity. 

[Floridaatlantic1]

11 hours ago, THAT S--T WAS FUNNY said:

Or maybe he left because he values his integrity. 

No, all the recruiting cheaters say that no school in the entire state ever illegally recruits. Its just a coincidence that a school gets like 15 transfers in one year. Then that team pummels teams in same division that dont cheat and everyone cries when we say bump them up. 

[nolebull813]

Some old coaches don’t want to get with the times. No issue there. Things change. The dynamics and landscapes change. You can’t coach kids the same as you could in the 80’s. You couldn’t coach kids in the 80’s the same as you did in the 50’s. Perfectly fine. 
 

You either adjust and update your coaching philosophy or you get annoyed and retire. Again no issue there. 
 

But just because a coach realizes job security can hinge on how well you attract talent, doesn’t mean he lacks morals and values. I call bullshit on that 

[Lake Sumter Observer]

There's a lot more to it, but if everything TFA has been accused of is true, what they have done is truly inexcusable.  

[CoachGraham]

4 hours ago, Lake Sumter Observer said:

There's a lot more to it, but if eve/rything TFA has been accused of is true, what they have done is truly inexcusable.  

What all have they been accused of?

[nolebull813]

1 hour ago, CoachGraham said:

What all have they been accused of?

Attracting talent and helping kids gets a better education and athletic experience 

[Perspective]

6 hours ago, nolebull813 said:

You either adjust and update your coaching philosophy or you get annoyed and retire. Again no issue there.

"Choosing to break the rules is not a coach philosophy; it's cheating." 

/s/ Annoyed and retired

[nolebull813]

36 minutes ago, Perspective said:

"Choosing to break the rules is not a coach philosophy; it's cheating." 

/s/ Annoyed and retired

Link to the broken rule please. 

[Perspective]

36 minutes ago, nolebull813 said:

Link to the broken rule please. 

 

“Knowing that we are committing [rules] violations and nothing is being done set off alarms for me."

Quote from the former (as of a week or so ago) baseball coach at the high school in question (in the article at the beginning of this thread).   Admittedly, he was not one of the football coaches, but between he and his wife (who was the principal of the school), they seemed to have a lot of insider information.  Note also, that he uses the word "we," referring to the school he was coaching. 

Do I have any direct knowledge of cheating?   Nope.   But when I see this much smoke, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there is some fire burning in there somewhere. 

[Ray Icaza]

On 4/15/2024 at 8:32 PM, THAT S--T WAS FUNNY said:

Or maybe he left because he values his integrity. 

Thank you and that integrity included his wife that happened to be the principal at said school also deciding to leave.

[Floridaatlantic1]

23 hours ago, nolebull813 said:

Some old coaches don’t want to get with the times. No issue there. Things change. The dynamics and landscapes change. You can’t coach kids the same as you could in the 80’s. You couldn’t coach kids in the 80’s the same as you did in the 50’s. Perfectly fine. 
 

You either adjust and update your coaching philosophy or you get annoyed and retire. Again no issue there. 
 

But just because a coach realizes job security can hinge on how well you attract talent, doesn’t mean he lacks morals and values. I call bullshit on that 

So let me get this straight. Since you need to cheat to win, All coaches today need to start cheating and illegally recruiting because they know its what needs to happen to compete  in todays game. Thats messed up faulty logic. How about punish the rulebreakers in the first place. 

[Floridaatlantic1]

15 hours ago, nolebull813 said:

Link to the broken rule please. 

A insider called out the school and coach and lost his job for it but that is not enough evidence that some shady crap was going on. wow, I bet criminals wish you were on the jury because no one would ever be convicted. 

[KeemD321]

27 minutes ago, Floridaatlantic1 said:

A insider called out the school and coach and lost his job for it but that is not enough evidence that some shady crap was going on. wow, I bet criminals wish you were on the jury because no one would ever be convicted. 

The coach resigned. Finishing up the current season 

[nolebull813]

44 minutes ago, Floridaatlantic1 said:

A insider called out the school and coach and lost his job for it but that is not enough evidence that some shady crap was going on. wow, I bet criminals wish you were on the jury because no one would ever be convicted. 

What did he say specifically? That football players were being admitted via the scholarship feature that average joes can’t attain? The laws have changed and ANYONE in the state of Florida can apply to go to a private school. So maybe football players are given extra help with their application process. That wouldn’t mean other kids can’t apply. The scholarships are all done through the state. If the school wants to admit kids in a priority of how they can benefit the school I don’t see an issue with it. Private schools rely on money. Public schools just get millions of dollars thrown at it regardless of how incompetent or safe the school is. So I’m still not seeing the problem with kids wanting to get a better education coming from public schools that could be failing them. 

[nolebull813]

And when it comes to here say, and “he said, she said” people tend to believe the story that they agree with. The side of the story they would take regardless. 

[Floridaatlantic1]

It seems like a lot of turnover at many positions in that school. New coach needs to rent some apartments for players and give some 100 dollar handshakes to make it in today Florida  high school football.  Oh wait, no one recruits illegally here in Florida... my bad

[nolebull813]

40 minutes ago, Floridaatlantic1 said:

It seems like a lot of turnover at many positions in that school. New coach needs to rent some apartments for players and give some 100 dollar handshakes to make it in today Florida  high school football.  Oh wait, no one recruits illegally here in Florida... my bad

Sink or swim!!!!!!!!!!

[nolebull813]

Imagine if they decided to play with a bunch of kids who would never play a down of athletic competition a day in their life after high school and the school starts becoming a door mat for everyone to beat up on. 
 

And then they get a reputation of being an athletic laughingstock. And enrollment goes down, and they have financial troubles. 
 

But hey, at least they appeased some message board goobers 

[Floridaatlantic1]

5 minutes ago, nolebull813 said:

Imagine if they decided to play with a bunch of kids who would never play a down of athletic competition a day in their life after high school and the school starts becoming a door mat for everyone to beat up on. 
 

And then they get a reputation of being an athletic laughingstock. And enrollment goes down, and they have financial troubles. 
 

But hey, at least they appeased some message board goobers 

So cheating is ok as long as you reach your goal. End justifies the means.  Quite Machiavellian of you. It this belief that is destroying our country today. As long as you get yours, screw everyone else mentality.