Donald Silveri, coach of nationally prominent junior...

Donald Silveri, coach of nationally prominent junior college basketball teams at Erie Community College in Buffalo, said he changed the grades of as many as 15 players to help them gain athletic scholarships to four-year schools.

Silveri resigned last week after guiding his teams to the National Junior College Athletic Assn. tournaments the last three seasons. He was New York’s coach of the year the last two seasons.

Silveri, admitting his actions were wrong, said he altered the grades to give the players the chance to qualify for scholarships at Division I schools. He said the players did not know their grades were being changed.