Coach confirms reason for resignation; key basketball players leave

Head women’s basketball coach Tim Connealy—who publicly announced his resignation March 15—confirmed Tuesday, he was given the option to resign or not have his contract renewed. Connealy’s contract expires June 30.

“I was given the option (to resign) by Joel Smith, the athletic director,” Connealy stated Tuesday in an email. “I was given the option at 2 p.m. March 9, and was required to give my answer the next day by noon. The only reasons he gave were that he wanted to take the program in a new direction and that winning more ‘would have helped.’”

Connealy posted a 58-112 record in eight seasons at Chadron State.

Connealy made his resignation announcement in March along with men’s Head Basketball Coach Brent Bargen.

Bargen (78-186 in 10 years)  meanwhile, did not confirm that the circumstances surrounding his resignation were similar to Connealy’s, saying Tuesday night in an email, “it is best if I decline to comment.”

When pressed Wednesday afternoon, Bargen said, “I prefer that all questions regarding my resignation go to Joel Smith.”

Like Connealy, Bargen’s contract expires June 30.

Citing NSCS policy, Smith said he could not comment, because it is a personnel matter, but he also said that the search for both replacements is ongoing.

Questions regarding Connealy’s resignation surfaced after forward Maka Daysh, who led the women’s team in scoring two years in a row, stated in a feature piece in the April 21 edition of The Eagle that Connealy’s contract would not be renewed.

Connealy confirmed her statement saying “yes it is true.”

When Daysh heard the news about her head coach, she decided to leave CSC at the end of this term.

“My decision (to leave) was really made after Coach (Connealy) was told his contract wasn’t being renewed,” Daysh stated in the April 21 article.

She is not the only player leaving.

On the heels of Bargen’s resignation, men’s standout point guard Sharif Black, sophomore of Detroit, also said he will not return next season.

“The coach who brought me in resigned,” Black said. “We may not have always agreed with each other on the court but off the court he was a great mentor to me. A lot of people talk bad about Bargen, but he was the best person and tried to help people as much as he could.”

Black also said that when Bargen told the team, he (Bargen) appeared sad and seemed like he didn’t want to leave.

“He kept it together in front of us,” Black said. “You could tell he was just sad about the whole situation. But he knew it was time for him to go. It was a very hard thing for him to do after being here 10 years.”

Black is taking his talents to Bemidji State University in Minnesota; Daysh said she is returning to New Zealand and plans to join the police force.

Smith said the exodus of two star basketball athletes, and maybe others, is not pressuring him to make a quick decision to find replacement coaches. He said he has encouraged some athletes to delay making decisions about leaving until new coaches are hired.