Serra head coach Craig Gianinno has resigned. Reasons are not entirely clear. There are conflicting versions.
Serra coach out
- Thread starter colhenrylives
- Start date
Question: Will he coach during the post-season or is he so fed up he's out, gone and won't look back?
He didn't coach the last game so it appears he is done.
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Arguably the most stressful high school job in Northern California. It's a testament he made it through 8 years.
From his Face book Page
After careful thought and deliberation, I have decided to step down as the Serra baseball coach. I have been pondering this decision for some time. For 8 years, I have devoted my heart and soul to the Serra baseball program. We have had many successes as a program on and off the field. More than the championships, the memories of working with the players will last me a lifetime. I cherish the relationships I have with many of my players and former players. In the last year, it has become clear to me that the cost of coaching the Serra program was weighing heavily on my family. Like many modern high school programs, the job is made very difficult by external factors. Rather than continue on this path, it is time for me to change direction and allow someone else to take over.
I will always be grateful for having had the opportunity to coach such fine young men.
God bless you all, Craig
The problem with the post above is by all intentions he is a balls to the wall TEAM guy who would never leave the team the day of the most important game of the season. IE had they beat SHC - and had VC lost then Serra wins the WCAL, but that did not happen.
But he always led by example and adversity was something he relished. He handled the death of Calvin Riley with aplomb and it galvanized a Serra team that had lost many impact hitters and tough players to graduation. In spite of what the FB post says above, it was not in his character to walk unless of course he was asked to resign and if one does - they pretty much allow you to save face and post whatever non-truths one wishes to post. His proactive guest speaker night was an all out success culminated with Augie Garrido on March 1st was a memorable highlight.
Most likely lack of depth from prior teams, the Halpin leaving, not having Asst. Coach Goethals from 2016 all contributed to something. That something may have been a difference of opinion or a misinterpreted phone call or message, who knows. All we know is this happened sometime Friday morning and although it does not appear he was fired - he probably was, using different verbiage.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/05/...oach-steps-down-before-regular-season-finale/
It never worked with Ray Mac in 2009-10 and like you said it is a BAD policy at any school and a creepy policy at Serra.
(a) Good player leaves team or quits team
(b) "Calm62Rookie above" brought up the word policy" and he meant and I concur that in NO way should a roster position player or pitcher anywhere in the program have parent or relative on the coaching staff. I mean go ahead and do it - but - good luck.
This was a no win situation for any coach from the outset. The firestorm that erupted when Jensen's hand picked successor was passed over was not a personal attack on Gianino but whoever got the job. You had better be incredibly successful when the majority of the baseball alumni want your head on a stick. Successes are written off and mis-steps are not forgotten.
With its 3-1 loss to College Park today, Serra has lost seven of its last eight games. That certainly didn't help the unpleasant situation in San Mateo.
By not having a parent be a coach, I assume you mean not have a parent be an assistant coach. If the rule included head coaches, then Jesse Freitas Sr. wouldn't have coached either of his boys at Serra, Pete Jensen wouldn't have coached his son, etc. I think a perk of coaching at a Catholic school is your kid can attend for free or at a discount? It stands to reason if you were a head coach and your kid attended there, you'd want to at least have the option of coaching him or not.
When a coach does not have a dog in the fight it raises the level of competition among teammates. Let's be honest at the end of the day even if you try your hardest to be fair you are still a father and will go out of your way to give your child an edge. Even if you are a star player but the coach's kid is competing for the same spot behind the scenes the player is competing against two people. I have seen it many times in many different sports and levels. Just my 0.02
Well, one day he may coach at his own alma mater....wouldn't that be special?
I'm not sure why there is talk about parents coaching kids in this situation. Did any of the on field coaches have kids in the program??
I saw Giannino coach his daughters in the PPSL this year and he showed no favoritism at all-
I think the bigger issue is we have a guy who has gotten positive results on and off the field for his team and players and a guy with 700 wins on the girls basketball board both forced out by parents and the administrations who fear them.
I saw Giannino coach his daughters in the PPSL this year and he showed no favoritism at all-
I think the bigger issue is we have a guy who has gotten positive results on and off the field for his team and players and a guy with 700 wins on the girls basketball board both forced out by parents and the administrations who fear them.
That final sentence seems about right. It's very likely he was told to resign.
Very tough situation that I'm sure have multiple layers to it. Some talked about already here and others still behind the scenes.
It has been a weird year in the WCAL
It has been a weird year in the WCAL
I am not so sure. I think the difference might be Coach Freitas and Coach Jensen were on campus teacher/coaches + the player and the type of assistant or head coach. It was a no brainer for a Jesse Jr, or a Jimmy Freitas to be the QB. In other words there was zero politics PLUS you are talking late 60's early 70's. Having the option to coach ones son may be true but think of the pitfalls? And I doubt there was free tuition. Besides when you go off to CSM and then to LSU like his son did, you're talking D1 talent. The now current ex-coach hired Ray MacDonald for the 2009-10 season and he had just been "dismissed" as head coach for Notre Dame High School. He may or may not have had a son somewhere in the baseball program.
I still believe "calm62" brought up a great point.
Actually, Jimmy Freitas as a freshman on the frosh team was beaten out by Randy Gomez for the QB spot. Gomez had a cannon for an arm and later played Division I college football and in the major leagues as a catcher. But by sophomore year Gomez had been moved to DB and Jimmy became the JV quarterback.
IMHO in any sport if a coach has a kid on the team and is playing a prime position but not holding their own it is an automatic red flag and it is the AD's job to identify and correct otherwise future perspective students will start looking elsewhere due to another case of "politics". No one will say it but 99% will think it!
Unless something happened with McDonalds kid 4 years ago nepotism in HS sports needs it's own thread-
Just scanning the thread here, this problem wasn't about nepotism (he had no kids at Serra). This problem was about the unrealistic expectations of parents. When you sign your kid up to go to Serra, it is no mystery that making the baseball team is very difficult, and playing regularly even more so.
So if your kid isn't playing, instead of complaining, maybe you should consider sending your son to a school where the baseball competition is not so high.
Coach G is a great coach and a big loss for the program.
So if your kid isn't playing, instead of complaining, maybe you should consider sending your son to a school where the baseball competition is not so high.
Coach G is a great coach and a big loss for the program.
Do we know precisely why Gianinno quit at this time? If administration asked him to bail, why? And why now?
I would agree that the Serra admin set up any next coach back then not named Kmak by NOT "finding" something to teach....anything so that he could have been quasi-on-campus. When you are constantly driving through the gates each day one never knows who has ones back or vice versa.
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He quit at this time I'm guessing because he was given an option of stepping down or being fired - most likely due to something that took place on Thursday - the night before. Because all things being equal - which they weren't - this particular Coach's DNA - doesn't lend itself to walking away from his troops or the brotherhood for which he preached. IMO - he should have not done the Facebook thing, and laid low - until he was willing to be interviewed. Through his 8 years it seemed like the assistant coaching staffs on all three levels were always changing up which can hurt continuity. A Head Coach who is a good delegator can over-come a lot of trivial stuff that eventually turns into a Mountain. It appears that most of this was about playing time. A 24 player roster in the WCAL is brutal and as always, as in other schools, it appears that mommy and daddy got bent over their sons playing time.
WCAL is a well respected league and one othe toughest. Going to be interesting to see who will be the coach next year also in Mountain View. Will both teams bring a new Augie Garrido like in 1973? I hope all teams can learn from this year you will never have 100% fairness but you can have rules like no parent coaches and coaches only deal 100% with the players not the parents. Teach kids to stick up for themselves and teach parent coaches to back off and let your kid gain some real life experience.
If he was in fact terminated, it had to be so serious that the administration could not wait 2 or 3 weeks for the season to end. The same decision makers at Serra already went through this last time with his hiring so they would not expose themselves to another public spectacle unless it could not be avoided. I think this had to be more than a playing time issue, that could have waited until summer and then quietly announce his leaving. To have this happen in season is very strange as many have said.
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