EOCHS athletic programs grapple with loss of coaches

By Joe Ragozzino
Sports editor
School districts throughout the state have felt the sting of decreased state aid, particularly for athletic departments.
For the 2010-2011 school year, East Orange Campus High School athletic director Abdul Hasson said a total of 13 coaching positions have been eliminated as a result of lowered aid.
Those positions came from programs with four or more coaches. Boys’ soccer and cross-country did not see any loss of coaches, said Hassan.
In particular, both the boys’ and girls’ basketball programs each lost a varsity assistant coach. Both teams last season captured their respective State sectional tournament championships.
Hassan said he is unsure how severe it will be for those programs that lost coaches.
“We will see,” he said.
Hassan acknowledged that EOCHS and the rest of the districts in the state have no control over how much money they can receive.
“We just have to make do with what we have,” he said.