Greg Sparling on Leave from Alaska

[CWU Wildcat Nation]

https://www.newsminer.com/sports/uaf...981b487ff.html

Coach Greg Sparling has been on leave from the UAF basketball program since mid December. Any Alaska folks have any insider info on this?

[CWU Wildcat Nation]

never mind, i see the discussion in the other thread

[Goods]

Have we heard anything new on this? I figure it's just a formality at this point, but a quick google search only brings up the January ADM article.

[northernGNAChoopfan]

UAF is usually very quiet about press releases with any sort of negative reflection on the the university. There is a new writer at our local newspaper who's covered the Nooks really well this year and that's where I saw the information about Sparling, although I had noticed him absent once or twice before the newspaper article. I suspect there won't be any big press release, but rather the announcement, or quiet announcement of a new head coach. I will share the news out if I see it.

Meanwhile, there were a LOT of new coaches in the GNAC this year; MSUB's Fennelly moved up from Durham's asst to head coach, SPU's Fazio, NNU's Hawkins, and then UAF's situation where it wasn't a planned coaching change. I suspect UAF will not be alone next year in having a new head coach. I'll be curious to see what happens at WOU in their women's program as well as whether our women's coach will stay. This year, she did not have an assistant coach, only a volunteer student assistant. I assume this is because they just couldn't find a good hire, but I have no idea... I just hope both programs can get some good coaches hired who thrive in the Fairbanks environment and can stabilize the programs and then start to figure out the recruiting challenges and build the programs up. If they do it right, that takes some time; relying too heavily on JUCOs or DI drop-downs hasn't really worked out well for any teams most of the time. We'll see...

[tsull]

UAF is usually very quiet about press releases with any sort of negative reflection on the the university. There is a new writer at our local newspaper who's covered the Nooks really well this year and that's where I saw the information about Sparling, although I had noticed him absent once or twice before the newspaper article. I suspect there won't be any big press release, but rather the announcement, or quiet announcement of a new head coach. I will share the news out if I see it.

Meanwhile, there were a LOT of new coaches in the GNAC this year; MSUB's Fennelly moved up from Durham's asst to head coach, SPU's Fazio, NNU's Hawkins, and then UAF's situation where it wasn't a planned coaching change. I suspect UAF will not be alone next year in having a new head coach. I'll be curious to see what happens at WOU in their women's program as well as whether our women's coach will stay. This year, she did not have an assistant coach, only a volunteer student assistant. I assume this is because they just couldn't find a good hire, but I have no idea... I just hope both programs can get some good coaches hired who thrive in the Fairbanks environment and can stabilize the programs and then start to figure out the recruiting challenges and build the programs up. If they do it right, that takes some time; relying too heavily on JUCOs or DI drop-downs hasn't really worked out well for any teams most of the time. We'll see...

Two weeks after the men's season ended and a month after the women's forfeits, both coaches are still on the official roster. I have no insider information. It appears both are returning, though our admin oddly doesn't report firings. They hired a men's soccer coach and after a year he was gone. No announcement. Just do the generic, "We thank Joe for his service and wish he and his wife Betty and their family well in their future endeavors."

We're D2, but we do a lot of things small high schoolish, unfortunately. I'm not sure what they're afraid of.

[CWU Wildcat Nation]

Have we heard anything new on this? I figure it's just a formality at this point, but a quick google search only brings up the January ADM article.

I have a source I talked to at the GNAC Championships who gave me some insight. But since I can't verify this accusation, I don't want to post it here of what I heard he did, especially since I don't really have the full details. But it sounds like he was placed on administrative leave or suspended. I'll leave it at that.

[northernGNAChoopfan]

I have a source I talked to at the GNAC Championships who gave me some insight. But since I can't verify this accusation, I don't want to post it here of what I heard he did, especially since I don't really have the full details. But it sounds like he was placed on administrative leave or suspended. I'll leave it at that.

Yes, I have also heard some things through the years and have also held back on posting those online, because it's unneccessary and unfair. The newspapaer was clear that he was on administrative leave, but they did not state whether it was punative or not, only that an investigation was ongoing. Do I think he'll return as our head coach? No. But I have absolutely no inside intel on what's going on and why it's taking so long and I would assume that the longer he's out, the less likely it is that he will return... Nothing else to say.

[Goods]

Well, I'm a big fan of the dude, he was such a supportive community member beyond his coaching. Hope he lands somewhere so he can finish his career well. I assume he's got a few more years to go before retiring. I don't know how he manages his teams on a day-to-day basis, obviously he must've done something wrong, but again, let's see him land somewhere that's good for him and his family.