Coach’s Decision to Leave Creates Ball of Confusion

Anger, confusion, surprise and shock. All were descriptions of what Troy players were feeling last weekend after the resignation of Kevin Kiernan as coach of Orange County’s top-ranked girls’ basketball team.

Kiernan’s decision, based on what he said were “philosophical differences” with the Troy administration but termed “personal reasons” in his resignation letter, took a heavy toll on players who reached the Southern Section championship game last season and had won 57 of their previous 63 games.

“There’s a lot of anger right now,” said junior guard Alicia Komaki. “I can’t say at whom, but it’s not directed toward Coach Kiernan.”

Principal Charles Maruca personally received Kiernan’s resignation on Friday, and then Kiernan, the Times’ Orange County coach of the year last season, told his players.

“Right after we found out, we thought about not playing [Friday],” said sophomore Amanda Livingston, who scored nine points that night in a 67-42 victory over Huntington Beach in the Troy tournament championship game. “He wouldn’t want us to do that.”

Said senior Kianey Givens-Davis: “He’s been such a big part of my life, it’s hard to imagine going to practice without him. I’m confused as to why it happened now, and why it had to happen at all.”

One answer may lie with Tim Schilling, father of former player Stefanie Schilling, a senior. After his daughter quit the program days before the season began, he approached the school’s administration without his daughter’s knowledge, he said, and criticized Kiernan, saying the coach provided “no positive reinforcement.”

“The program burned her out the way [it] was run,” Schilling said. “I always left it up to her. Anytime she wanted to walk away, she was free to do that. When she did, I felt a responsibility to let the school know what the program was all about. . . . For being high school girls, I felt it was inappropriate.”

Kiernan indicated Schilling’s departure had “indirectly” figured into his decision.

“I can’t comment on anything Schilling says,” Kiernan said. “I don’t think it’s right to volley back and forth in the paper about accusations from a disgruntled parent.”

Troy now has more than one disgruntled parent. Cheryl Livingston, Amanda’s mother, holds Maruca accountable for creating this situation. Other parents--Greg Spence, Audrey Davis, Rich Wallace, and Tom Rinehart--and booster president Charlotte Oshiro agreed. Their feeling is that the administration made demands on Kiernan to accommodate Schilling’s claims.

“I have a really big problem with the principal, who didn’t have the courtesy to call the parents and ask their opinions of these allegations, and didn’t have the courtesy of asking the players one-on-one,” said Cheryl Livingston, whose only complaint of Kiernan was that his practices tended to run long. “The school didn’t follow through with its due diligence. I think the principal overreacted in making demands on Kevin without speaking to the other families involved.”

Kiernan’s open-door practice policy has allowed him to be viewed by several parents, including Wallace, whose daughter, Heather, is a junior. “I’m absolutely comfortable with [Kiernan’s] coaching style,” he said.”

Veronica Johns-Richardson, an all-county player who will play college basketball at Colorado, said she was “disappointed and upset, and there’s not one girl on the team who isn’t.

“No one said being No. 1 is easy,” Johns-Richardson said. “There are some who can do it, and some who can’t. The ones who can [do it] are on the team. The ones who can’t, aren’t.

“We don’t have the athletes like [Harbor City] Narbonne and [Riverside] North, and we’re not a basketball factory like Brea with the Polcats bringing up players. We have to overachieve. That’s why Coach Kiernan pushes us. Other teams have better players, we just work harder.”

THE DOW JONZ

Whose stock is up and down this week:

* Rosary. Down. Experienced squad inexplicably squandered 18-point lead to Edison, only to steal 54-53 victory on Jenise Karcher’s free throws at the end.

* Kirsten von Tungeln, University. Up. Broke her school record with 32 rebounds in 46-37 loss to Thousand Oaks on Friday.

* Foothill. Up. Had Brea Olinda on the ropes, leading by six with 2:55 remaining. Ladycats were saved by a 17-0 run. Foothill added an overtime victory over No. 8 Irvine, 61-56. Kristen Mann is averaging 31.1 points.

* Alicia Mountford, Huntington Beach. Up. Freshman point guard didn’t have a turnover against Capistrano Valley, the first time in 139 games coached by Bill Thomson that his point guard had been perfect.

* Corona del Mar. Up. Overmatched, but outscored Troy in the second and fourth quarters in a 64-40 loss.

LOOKING AHEAD

Among the interesting matchups this week:

* Tonight, it’s too bad this isn’t a doubleheader at one site. No. 1 Troy plays host to No. 3 San Clemente, and 10th-ranked Irvine plays host to No. 4 Esperanza.

* The championship games of the El Dorado Gary Raya Coed Classic and the San Clemente Holiday Hoopla take place Saturday.

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If you have an item or idea for the girls’ basketball report, you can fax us at (714)966-5663 or e-mail us at martin.henderson@latimes.com

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TOP 10

Orange County Sportswriters’ Poll

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Pos. School (League) Rec 1. Troy (Freeway) 4-0 2. Brea Olinda (Orange) 3-1 3. Rosary (Serra) 3-0 4. San Clemente (South Coast) 5-0 5. Esperanza (Sunset) 3-2 6. Woodbridge (Sea View) 8-0 7. Huntington Beach (Sunset) 3-1 8. Edison (Sunset) 3-2 9. Foothill (Century) 6-2 10. Irvine (Sea View) 3-2

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