Lynch out as Indiana football coach

This was the news story I wrote after Bill Lynch’s firing as football coach at Indiana. We broke the story early in the day on Twitter and then on the blog. This was the story in the paper the next day after the press conference. This story placed top 10 in the under 30,000 circulation category in breaking news in the Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest in 2010.

Link To Original

Fred Glass walked into the press conference he’d hoped he’d never have to hold wearing a somber, crestfallen look that stood in stark contrast to the joy and revelry he was engaged in in West Lafayette not 24 hours earlier.

It was evident before the Indiana athletic director even began speaking Sunday that deciding the fate of football coach Bill Lynch had worn on him, and that crashing the Old Oaken Bucket party with the dismissal of a universally respected and well-liked man was not something he took enjoyment in.

But earlier Sunday, that was what he had decided to do.

Continuing Coverage: James Madison’s 2008 Coaching Search

Just before the end of the 2007-08 basketball season, James Madison basketball coach Dean Keener resigned and the Dukes hired Matt Brady a month later. The following are several stories I wrote about the coaching search during that period.

JMU’s Keener To Resign

HARRISONBURG – Dean Keener always said that James Madison’s administration wouldn’t have to fire him, that if he didn’t get the basketball program straightened out, he’d leave on his own.

On Friday, he stayed true to his word.

With two weeks still to go in another disappointing campaign, Keener announced that he had resigned as JMU’s basketball coach effective at the end of the season.

Glass reiterates Indiana will honor scholarships

This was a news story about several high school players who verbally committed to Indiana under Bill Lynch, but were said they were told by new coach Kevin Wilson that their scholarships would not be honored. Athletic director Fred Glass had initially stated that all commitments would be honored and stepped in to say that would still be the case.

Link to original story

Several of the 22 recruits who verbally committed to Indiana for the Class of 2011 while Bill Lynch was still the football coach wavered on their commitment to some degree when Lynch was fired. Some have already committed elsewhere.

Shafer Johnson did neither.

“As long as they don’t give up on me, I won’t give up on them,” he said days after Lynch’s termination.

But on Sunday, the senior defensive tackle from Southfield Christian in Michigan said new head coach Kevin Wilson told Johnson he had, in essence, given up on him.

“Coach Wilson told me I’m not a good fit for their scheme,” Johnson said. “I’m pretty much no good going there.”

Marist Sues JMU’s Brady

The following are two news stories about Marist’s suit of Matt Brady for violating his contract by recruiting players to James Madison who initially committed to Marist. The first story is about the suit itself and the second story is a defense of the suit by Marist’s athletic director

Marist Sues JMU’s Brady

HARRISONBURG – Matt Brady ‘s first recruiting class helped him break James Madison’s string of losing seasons. Now, it has him embroiled in a lawsuit.

Marist College confirmed Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit seeking monetary damages from the Dukes’ second-year basketball coach, claiming he violated his contract by luring players to JMU whom he previously recruited at Marist.

Johnny Napp Benched

This is a news story about a James Madison basketball player who had to decide between his country music career and his senior basketball season because the use of his likeness on the album cover was a violation of NCAA rules. He eventually decided to quit basketball. This story placed third in its category in sports news story in its circulation category in the Virginia Press Association awards for 2006.

If John Naparlo wants to play basketball this season, he has to stop cowboying up and partying down for a while.

The James Madison senior, whose stage name is “Johnny Napp,” has not participated in any of the Dukes’ first four practices because of NCAA eligibility problems caused by his budding country music singing career.