Practice That Got T.C. Williams Basketball Coach Fired Appears to Be Ongoing

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- One of the reasons given for the firing of T.C. Williams varsity basketball Coach Bryan Hill just before the start of the season was that he held a practice on a Sunday.

Never mind that it wasn't even an official practice since the team requested it themselves -- Hill was juggling his Saturdays, tutoring algebra students for the school.

But now, the T.C. Williams junior varsity basketball team just held a practice on a Sunday, according to a message sent this past weekend by a coach to parents of team members:

All, Good job today. We have A lot of work to do. If you want to work on your game, I'll be doing workouts tomorrow, Sun 9-10:30@Lee district 6601 Telegraph Rd, Alexandria, VA 22310 bring confirm if attending. Coach Mike You are receiving this message because you are a member of the T.C. Williams Titans- JV.

Patch asked Alexandria City Public Schools for comment, on why one coach would be fired for the practice while it appears to be business as usual. This was the response from an ACPS spokeswoman:

Just checked and no coaches practiced with students on Sunday. If students choose to get together on their own that is their choice. It's only an official practice if coaches are present. There was no official practice on Sunday.

ACPS hired an interim coach for the varsity basketball team after firing Hill, who was revered by the team and their parents. Hill said he was told he had violated rules by holding a practice on a Sunday and also because he gave a team member a ride home, after no one came to pick him up.

An ACPS school board member had complained for the past year about Hill and some say he was behind the firing (it was one of his boys who got the ride home). The board member said he was just a concerned parent (he has two boys who play sports at T.C. Williams, and has said he was unhappy with Hill).

Anyone in authority who could shed some light on the issue has said that "it's a personnel issue." Hill, parents and students disagreed with the firing and said so through the media as well as at an ACPS school board meeting and in letters to the school.

Two of the people who were part of the decision to let the coach go are leaving the school. One, Athletic Director Steve Colantuoni, has retired from ACPS and reportedly gave waivers to four players on the varsity basketball team before leaving, a practice not tolerated by Hill. Principal Jesse Dingle, who also was a decision-maker in the firing, has also announced he'll be leaving at the end of the school year.

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