Pembroke Part II

The Edge wrote:I agree can we please go back to bashing Londonderry parents, coaches, AD, and school administrators, and school board.

It feels like just yesterday this was happening with BG...   

@ Jeremy and @ know it all -

I do not spend time "investigating" Pembroke. I umpire games in baseball. I officiate soccer in the fall, I used to officiate basketball, now I just do boys and girls club stuff for hoops, the knees are not what they used to be at 64...

We talk. I talk with ADs before games. Several ADs in NH are longtime old friends. Do I ask thier opinions? Yup. Do I ask how they feel or what they think? Yup. Do they elaborate beyond what I ask? In many cases yes. Some no.

I am one of the only people in this forum who has worked as a coach in the NHIAA. I am probably the only person in this forum who has worked for the NHIAA as a coach and official and served on two sport committees.

I have offered insight to how the NHIAA works, what goes on, and have tired to help people see the full picture of what has happened with Pembroke beyond the emotional "they are picking on us because we win" sentiment.

I will tell you this having heard and listened to appeals for schools and athletes... The longer this takes for an answer, the worse it probably is for Dominic Timbas getting his eligibility. Usually appeals are decided on within few days. This is now a week old, no answer. That means the NHIAA is getting thier ducks in a row for the possibility of a legal case. They are going to make public statements in a careful and guarded manner to ensure they do not tip thier hand.

Believe me, there is no axe to grind with PA. I guess I won't ask questions about the - wait Jeremy you said it - the biggest sports story in NH... Right?

Without stirring the pot here, it has been another week. Has there been any further movement on the Timbas kid?

should be any day as the 14 day time frame they have is about up

Looks like Falcon was right. . . there will be a new headmaster at Pembroke Academy next year.  It was mentioned in today's Union Leader article.  It also looks like Manchester's decision to play Pembroke is not set in stone.

Union Leader: District's decision to play Pembroke irks City Officials

Huh? I thought a previous post indicated that the Mayor was great friends with the Alosa's and that's why they are playing them.

Dave Ryan seems to read the by-laws and interpreted them in a correct manner. Let's move on please.....for an AD in Manchester to talk about coming clean with the goings on in their programs is almost laughable. Collusion is not something the D1 folks want to get into and I think they would have a hard time in court proving its anything but that.

Former Falcon may never be heard from again

 

Good for Dominic Timbas for getting his eligibility back. I am happy he gets to play. Now the question is where? If he transfers he will have to sit out a year as Pembroke still has no schedule.

Now, here is my 1st told you so: “We’re not taking Pembroke off the hook by any means,” he said “In fact, we’re saying to Pembroke, ‘You need to come clean regarding your actions.’”

Donovan acknowledged that he and Ryan might have avoided controversy by delaying action until after July, by which time the NHIAA will have a new executive director and Pembroke will have a new headmaster.

“Ideally,” he said, “Pembroke’s new headmaster fires the head coach and self-imposes its own sanctions, and this gets resolved.”

I said weeks ago that this was a decision made by the new Manch district AD, not the coaches or the two AD's at Memorial or Central.

Second told you so: Reardon's "resignation" is the 1st step in Pembroke School Board cleaning house to move on from this. The only way Pembroke gets a schedule is if they remove Matt Alosa and his staff. That is the only way Timbas gets to play at Pembroke next year.

told you so.....???? "Timbas will never get his eligibility back"...."not even a case"...."no ground to stand on"... my lawyer friend told me so...I'm close to folks at NHIAA and have worked with them, they tell me never get it back....sound familiar?

For the record...the Principal at Pembroke leaving was happening before this came to light so no major news breaker there either. I love it... all the know it all's who were 100% sure he would not get eligibility back now have to eat crap salad on that and want to quickly turn to the schedule issue.

Didn't you say say the mayor and Alosa's were great friends and that is why they were now playing? You seem to be taking a lot of credit but had plenty of misinformation.

Again...Manchester ought to take care of the skeleton's in their own closets before passing judgement.
Here's hoping folks hear what Dave Ryan said and play Pembroke.

It would seem that the NHIAA did the correct thing. The rule is vague, when does the start ticking, after the 8th grade ends, the first time or the second time? The NHIAA will have to clarify and Grandfather in all the kids who wind up on the wrong side of this rule. There own eligibility sheet says when you start the 9th grade.

Kids who are juniors in High School right now with the same situation should breathe easier.

Mr. Falcon, I applaud you for coming back on. I underestimated you.

Hoopfan12 wrote:told you so.....????  "Timbas will never get his eligibility back"...."not even a case"...."no ground to stand on"... my lawyer friend told me so...I'm close to folks at NHIAA and have worked with them, they tell me never get it back....sound familiar?

For the record...the Principal at Pembroke leaving was happening before this came to light so no major news breaker there either.  I love it... all the know it all's who were 100% sure he would not get eligibility back now have to eat crap salad on that and want to quickly turn to the schedule issue.

Didn't you say say the mayor and Alosa's were great friends and that is why they were now playing? You seem to be taking a lot of credit but had plenty of misinformation.

Again...Manchester ought to take care of the skeleton's in their own closets before passing judgement.
Here's hoping folks hear what Dave Ryan said and play Pembroke.

Show me where I ever said the mayor and the Alosas were friends? I did not think he would get his eligibility back - I was wrong. As for Reardon leaving - it was NOT in motion before this winter. His decision was made in March, that is a fact from people at Pembroke. Yes, the schedule is an issue. You tell me where Timbas plays if Pembroke has no schedule. It is good for him he got the eligibility back, but he is at a school that has no schedule. In addition, the two schools who "agreed" to play PA, was a single person making a decision - not the schools in question. Even the district AD said they need to fire the coach.

You show me by quoting me that I ever said the Alosas and the mayor are friends and I never return to this forum.

I haven't seen an official announcement of Reardon's resignation/termination.

By the way, what was the official ruling on Timbas?

It will be interesting to see how Mr Corbin spins the NHIAA's decision.  He certainly won't come out with complete transparency and tell the truth - that being, he HAD to grant Timbas the waiver for several reasons. He knew the single paragraph rule was vague, not clearly defined and subject to individual interpretation.  He knew that the situation would become litigious and the NHIAA would lose in a real court of law because  -  ""it has become apparent that the rule has been interpreted inconsistently among member schools""    In translation, the NHIAA knows about the dozens of senior student athletes that were kept back in the eighth grade (whose HYPOCRITICAL Athletic Directors never bothered to apply for waivers) who have been playing interscholastic athletics this entire academic school year. And that those students, by the NHIAA's own interpretation of their ambiguous By-Laws, should have been ruled ineligible.  Yet for some reason, Mr Corbin chose to overlook those dozens of students,  who's Principals and AD's CHEATED and did NOT follow the rules as Dr. Reardon and Suzanne Klink actually did, and focus on one student.   The only one it seems, who followed the rules and actually applied for the deviation.   Why should being held back specifically in the 8th grade have anything to do with his eligibility if students are still allowed to play if they'd been kept back in earlier grades? There are two boys on the Pembroke team, both older than Dom, who were kept back in grammar school, so how does Timbas being held back in a later grade give him an advantage? If Timbas had been kept back in the 1st, 4th, or 7th grade a waiver would never have been needed, yet he'd still be the same age and size he is now. Thanks to Timbas the precedence has been set and all those other juniors out there can breathe a sigh of relief. It will be interesting to see going forward, how many AD's will actually apply for waivers now that they know it's a sure thing.  

FALCON
Be honest, you didn't want him to be eligible, you swore up and down it would never happen. You say you're happy he can play then you follow it up with glib sarcasm. You realize this is a 17 year old child you are talking about, you are a 64 year old man.  As others have posted prior, for someone with no horse in the race you certainly have spent an usually large amount of time researching & investigating only PA then composing these long anti-Pembroke posts. No matter what you say and how much you protest no one believes you don't have an axe to grind with the Alosa's. You are not on the inside of what's going on at Pembroke (and apparently, not with the NHIAA either). So the crap you post as "fact" has been anything but your jaded opinion. The last  post you made before the ruling came out was " I will tell you this having heard and listened to appeals for schools and athletes..... The longer this takes for an answer, the worse it probably is for Dominic Timbas...." Blah blah blah blah blah   ..... YOU WERE WRONG  

Twenty Two, where did you read this? Is this from a press release somewhere??


""it has become apparent that the rule has been interpreted inconsistently among member schools""

This is sort of an acknowledgement that the rule will be changed. Ironically, EVERYONE already thought that the rule was very clear before Pat got out his axe to grind.

When you go to the 9th grade, the 8 semesters begin. That has always been the accepted rule.

Ironically, and not to defend Mr. Falcon, Pembroke did bring this upon themselves by self reporting, they should have (and could have by NHIAA Bylaws) told Bedford AD to F off.

Oh well Glad for Dom Timbas is eligible.

Good - glad for Dom... Perhaps if people weren't so quick to rush to judgement about wrong doings this wouldn't have gotten so nasty. It's hard to "split" the recognition that the Timbas situation is very different from the alleged recruiting situation. Some would call it recruiting - I would says it's more attracting. The attracting happens more often than folks want to admit. Why is it so hard for anyone to believe that a district a player left could be because it was a bad situation and the new "home" that has been found is a good and welcoming situation. I would say the issues in Londonderry a couple of summers ago speaks volumes. Bedford has a good coach now, but a few years ago isn't wasn't as good of a situation. Concord isn't exactly known as a basketball power. People will do what it takes to get their children in a better place in life - what is so difficult to understand about that and why is there so much anger against those that can and do that? These families aren't going from school to school to find a better situation (like allegedly happens in Manchester) - they are making life choices a few years ago and now are finding out that those choices are met with allegations of recruiting and that their children are feeling the wrath of the "powers that be". Get out your big picture glasses and stop having myopia over whether you feel your team can win against PA. Would you rather see a well played, close game or have more blowout games? Blowout games mean less time for upperclassmen on the floor and less time to showcase one's talents. Although I don't like losing - I'd rather lose 18 close games than win 18 blowout games.

Falcoln - I also spend some time behind the dish, on the basepaths, and on the hardwood, but I don't go seeking other AD's opinions on this matter. The fact that you say you do says to me you have some sort of vested interest. As a trained official aren't you supposed to keep an open mind, not have any biases, and take care of how you express you opinions? I hope you aren't in any position of power in the basketball world of NH. That could spell trouble for PA and their ability to "A" get officials assigned to their games and "B" get 'quality officials' that they are accustomed to being a highly competitive team. Same for any program that decides to play PA.

@ Jaf
Clearly reading comprehension is not your strong suit. I have not officiated basketball now for over 7 years for the NHBOA. I have known many ADs for over 20 or more years. I was a coach in NH for over 20 years in various sports. These are long time friends, I do not go seeking them out. The ADs I have spoken with are all ADs whom were either former coaches I coached with, against, or have dealt with for decades. Please save the lecture - you have no idea. I guess the biggest topic (quoting one of the bloggers on the web) in NH basketball is off limits for discussion. I will spread the word and tell them Jaf said so!

I already stated, I was wrong about Timbas getting his eligibility back. again, I thought he would not, I am wrong on that.

As for Reardons resignation, I told you that was coming. As for where Rimbas plays next season, that IS the next hurdle for PA.

1. They have no schedule. The Union Leader article yesterday clearly shows a serious hesitation to play them. Even the district AD who said yes to playing Pembroke was quoted in the article as saying they need to let Alosa go.

2. DII ADs are not going to schedule Pembroke either.

3. timabs has eligibility but no schedule at his school to play.
This is not solved yet. I am happy for Dom that he has his eligibility. But now they nee to get games for him to play.

@FormerFalcoln

I find it funny that you preach to everyone and when someone disagrees with you like JAF, you tell him that he should not question you.

Just because you say you don't search people out, with all the so-called quotes you have given on this situation, it seems that way.

What I hope is that Pembroke is given a schedule and we put this whole thing behind us.

Falcoln - Sorry I must have hit a nerve. As for the pot shot about reading comprehension - not sure where that comes from. You've noted in recent posts that you now umpire and used to officiate basketball - I was noting that I've been there too, but that doesn't mean I talk to AD's about something that doesn't have anything to do with the game I'm officiating for them. If you don't go seek out the AD's like you continually protest, then why does the topic of conversation come up so often? That I don't get, but I also don't care. I have no idea what you meant by your last sentance or two in your first paragraph. My guessing skills aren't what they used to be. Don't think I have ever said to stop discussion about something - I merely expressed my opinions. Whether you agree with my point of view doesn't matter much to me. If you thought I was lecturing that's laughable. And you're right I have no idea about who you are, what documentation the Timbas family has, what documentation Bedford has, what documentation the NHIAA allegedly has against PA, what anyone's job situation at PA is, etc. BTW: Just because you haven't officiated doesn't mean you're not involved in some other capacity and if you are then my point still holds regarding how vociferous you are regarding the entire situation and how that could affect teams, players, etc.

@ JAF:
Said Jamie Timbas, “Without a schedule, who do we play? This has taken a toll on our family, but right now we can’t move forward.”

Manchester Central and Memorial High schools have agreed to play Pembroke. However, the New Hampshire Union Leader has reported a rift between the principals and athletic directors who boycotted Pembroke, and district administrators who overruled them and agreed to play the Spartans.

District Athletic Director Chris Donovan had harsh words for Matt Alosa in yesterday’s Union Leader, where he addressed the fact that Pembroke will have a new headmaster this summer.

“Ideally,” Donovan told the paper, “Pembroke’s new headmaster fires the head coach and self-imposes its own sanctions and this gets resolved.”

Looks like even Jamie Timbas agrees with me on the schedule issue...

From a Pembroke resident on the Monitor today:

Matt Alosa himself transferred to Pembroke for basketball reasons (I will say "allegedly" but those of us who lived it, believe it. Well known.). The town hasn't changed in that they clearly love the boost such maneuvering brings to the program and have allowed all these transfers to continue to flow through his father's basketball program. Can someone please shut this whole thing down and make some brave decisions for the right reasons? Parents: Your kids aren't "victims"if they can't play one more year of eligibility or if they have to play at school A instead of school B. I know it must be thrilling to watch your child dunk a basketball for the Spartans (instead of a kid actually FROM Pembroke who might clang one off the rim or go for an old man layup instead). And the hope some portion of college could get paid for through basketball endeavors you perceive to be best facilitated at P.A. must be enticing, I am sure. To the Pembroke kids on the bench (or not playing at all , absent those lost roster spots to transfers): Too bad, so sad. Get your parents to move you to a school most conducive to your basketball skills, or maybe join robotics or take up curling or something. To the parents moving their kids to the region for the Alosa Connection and hopeful college tuition windfall thereafter: Most of us love sports , but I hope one day we send our kids to school to learn and then encourage them to seek athletic activity (like basketball) OUTSIDE the school to avoid your sad manipulation of the system.

I agree with Falcon on that last post!

I concur with Mr Falcon:) can somebody name all the thousands of kids that have been through the Alosa's revolving door AKA money pit and turned it into a basketball scholarship? Just curious?

basketballtime wrote:I concur with Mr Falcon:) can somebody name all the thousands of kids that have been through the Alosa's revolving door AKA money pit and turned it into a basketball scholarship? Just curious?

Let's not talk nonsense. You are talking about a AAU Hall Of Fame and New England Hall of Fame Basketball Coach in Frank Alosa. Matt Alosa is a 10 year Professional player and also in the New England Hall of Fame, not to mention, as we all know one of the best high school coaches in the state. I'm sure not all the kids get scholarships, as each players is different and trying to improve themselves for whatever level they might achieve. Just to name a few scholarship D1 and D2 players that I can remember reading about as a NH and New England sports fan are:

Matt Bonner, Matt Alosa, Scott Drapeau, Dave Burrows, Steve Lavapicello (Sp), Chris Urcheart, Matt Smith, Marshal Crane, Bill Collins, John Viar, Chris Lutz, Becky Bonner, Kevin Harrington, Adam Harrington, Luke Bonner, Chris Brickley, Chad Millard, Mike Miller, Mark Dunham, Craig Shepard, Junior Rohan, Pat Manor, Mike Konovalchik (Sp), Greg LaCass, Chris Tardif, Ryan Gatchell, Jeff Perry (Football or Basketball), Derrell Collet, Alex Hall, Lyndsey Carr, Dan Rasnan(sp). These are not the Division 3 players, just the scholarship players. You can add Pat Welch, Jordan Williams, Dominic Timbas, Max Curran, and Cody Ball to list in the near future.

Probably won't hear from basketballtime again

FormerFalcoln wrote:@ JAF:
Said Jamie Timbas, “Without a schedule, who do we play? This has taken a toll on our family, but right now we can’t move forward.”

....

What did this have to do with anything about my supposed lack of reading comprehension?

Way to change the focus...

FWIW: AAU sports in general are known to be money pits regardless of which sport you're talking about - it's really a generality. However, they do provide good competition once you get to a high enough level and they allow continued focus in a particular sport if one so chooses (and/or is "selected"). Whether they send athletes on to college is irrelevant - without AAU being there the level of play in high school wouldn't be the same either - it's kind of a catch-22 situation. However - that's even further off topic - you should have started a new topic - AAU Basketball bashing.