PRESS & DAKOTAN n MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2011 PAGE 9 USD’s Search For New Football Coach Comes With A Wrinkle Press&Dakotan BY JEREMY HOECK (thus, coaches) will be a kind of handcuff on the search. The school will not be able to guarantee a candidate [email protected] a long-term contract, which might conceivably be seen as a red flag by an applicant. DAILY DOSE Until the state changes the policy, at least for athletic coaches — that would cause fairness complaints, Our state is embarking on new territory when it comes to Division I athletics. though — USD and SDSU will be hamstrung by only being able to promise a coach a 1-year contract. And in I’m not talking about conferences or opponents or tournaments. No, I mean that for the first time since both the case of USD, such contracts don’t exactly come with a lucrative salary. Meierkort’s annual salary was Daily opinions from the P&D South Dakota State and the University of South Dakota joined the D-I ranks, one of the schools is in the mar- $95,366, according to the latest state information, while his counterpart John Stiegelmeier at SDSU earns Sports Staff on local and na- ket for a head coach in one of the two money sports (basketball or football). $111,339 per year. Over the next few weeks, USD will begin screening candidates for a head football coach — after Ed Still, you’ve got to think the allure of a Division I coaching position at a school that beings playoff eligible in tional high school, college Meierkort was fired last week. 2012, not to mention upcoming improvements to the DakotaDome, might be enticing enough. and professional sports. Yet, as USD will find out, the state’s Board of Regents policy of offering only 1-year contracts for educators Either way, USD — and its counteparts to the north — is about to find out. Aberdeen Girls Interstate 1, 2012 determines their category. Syracuse Fires Assistant Hoops Coach Winners from those age groups will advance Kansas Fires Coach Gill After 2 Years Hoops Tourney Dec. 2-3 to the state level, which will be held in Pierre on SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Syra- had placed Fine on paid adminis- ABERDEEN — The Aberdeen Family YMCA Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — individual who wants only the cuse University fired associate trative leave when accusations will host the 31st annual Girls Interstate Basket- For more information, contact Ray Kooistra at Turner Gill arrived at Kansas after best for the young men he head basketball coach Bernie first surfaced. ball Tournament on Dec. 2-3. 665-5587. taking a perennially downtrodden coaches.” Fine on Sunday in the wake of an Two former Syracuse ball The tournanment is open to girls in grades 3- program at Buffalo to unimagin- Gill was hired by Zenger’s pred- investigation of child molestation boys were the first to accuse 8 and will include teams from the tri-state area. Rosenblatt’s Bleachers Go able heights. He’s leaving after a ecessor, Lew Perkins, and given a Teams are guaranteed three games unless two-year stretch in which the Jay- five-year, $10 million contract that allegations against him. Fine, who has called the allega- scheduling dictates otherwise, and individual To Iowa School “At the direction of Chancellor tions “patently false.” hawks slipped back to their famil- was befitting of a high-profile awards will be given out for first, second and third OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The outfield bleachers iar place in the Big 12 cellar. coach. But he never lived up to Cantor, Bernie Fine’s employment Zach Tomaselli, 23, of Lewis- place. at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium have been with Syracuse University has ton, Maine, said Sunday that he Registration deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 15. taken down and are on their way to a new home Gill was fired Sunday after a the expectations that came with it, Entry fee information can be found online at ab- in Iowa. meeting with Athletic Director losing the first game he coached been terminated, effective imme- told police that Fine molested Sheahon Zenger, one day after the at Kansas to lower-division North diately,” Kevin Quinn, the him in 2002 in a Pittsburgh hotel erdeenymca.org under Events, YMCA Tourna- The Omaha World-Herald reports 150 volun- ments. teers helped dismantle the bleachers Saturday. Jayhawks lost 24-10 to rival Mis- Dakota State. school’s senior vice president for room. He said Fine touched him For more information, email Dan Grewe at The bleachers will be installed at Al Leber Field souri and finished the season 2-10. The high-water mark came in public affairs, said in a statement. “multiple” times in that one inci- [email protected]. at St. Albert Catholic Schools in Council Bluffs, “After a thorough evaluation of Gill’s second game, when the Jay- The 65-year-old Fine was in dent. Iowa. our football program, I have con- hawks stunned then-No. 15 Geor- his 36th season at his alma mater. Tomaselli, who faces sexual Elks Hoop Shoot Finals The College World Series was played at cluded that new leadership is nec- gia Tech last season. But that was He had the longest active streak assault charges in Maine involv- Rosenblatt from 1950 to 2010. The games then essary to place us on the path the only victory over a ranked Dec. 31 moved to a new stadium in downtown Omaha. of consecutive seasons at one ing a 14-year-old boy, said during The Omaha Zoo Foundation bought the Rosen- toward competing for champi- team, and Kansas would lose 17 of school among assistant coaches a telephone interview with The The finals of the 40th annual Elks Hoop Shoot competition will be held Saturday, Dec. 31, at 10 blatt property and plans to demolish the stadium onships in the Big 12 Conference,” the next 21 with Gill on the side- in Division I. Associated Press that he signed a.m. at the Summit Activities Center in Yankton. to make way for zoo expansion. Zenger said in a statement. “I line, the lone conference win com- Fine’s firing comes in the wake an affidavit accusing Fine follow- Boys and girls winners from local schools will Last month, about 90 stadium seats were come to this conclusion reluc- ing against a Colorado program of new revelations Sunday, in- ing a meeting with Syracuse po- advance to the finals in the following age cate- taken down and moved to Wahoo’s Sam Craw- tantly, because I have the utmost that fired its coach immediately cluding a third accuser. Syracuse lice last week in Albany. gories: 8-9, 10-11, 12-13. A players’ age on April ford Field. respect for Turner Gill as a quality after the defeat. SCOREBOARD AREA CALENDAR NBA Owners, Players Reach Tentative Deal North Greenville 58, at Mars Hill 32 BOWLING Northwest Missouri State 38, Midwestern Monday, November 28 WRESTLING, PREP S.F. Washington NEW YORK (AP) — After nearly Barring a change in scheduling, this week that got the broken YANKTON BOWL State 31 BASKETBALL, MEN’S Tabor at USD at YHS (7:30 p.m.); Vermillion at Lennox two years of bickering, NBA play- the 2011-12 season will open with process back on track, the sides Wayne State (Mich.) 38, Nebraska-Kearney INDUSTRIAL LEAGUE (7:30 p.m., KYBB-FM, KKYA-FM) WRESTLING, JV S.F. Washington at ers and owners are back on the the Boston Celtics at New York met for more than 15 hours Friday, HIGH TEAM GAME: H&K Oil 954 20 BASKETBALL, WOMEN’S Tabor at YHS (6 p.m.) HIGH TEAM SERIES: H&K Oil 2491 Winston-Salem 35, California (Pa.) 28 USD (5 p.m., KYBB-FM, KKYA-FM) Wednesday, November 30 same side. Knicks, followed by Miami at Dallas working to save the season. Stern HIGH INDIVIDUAL GAME: Mike Diede 268, Delta State 42, North Alabama 14 GYMNASTICS, PREP YHS/S.F. BASKETBALL, MEN’S MMC at “We want to play basketball,” in an NBA finals rematch before said the agreement was “subject to John Palu 268, Mike Kellen 264, Ryan Wever- Pittsburg State 31, Washburn 22 Washington at Mitchell (6:30 p.m.) Northwestern (8 p.m., KVHT-FM) stad 258, Don Casey 253 Minnesota-Duluth 24, Colorado State- Tuesday, November 29 BASKETBALL, WOMEN’S MMC at Commissioner David Stern said. MVP Derrick Rose and Chicago vis- a variety of approvals and very HIGH INDIVIDUAL SERIES: Mike Diede Pueblo 21 GYMNASTICS, PREP Vermillion at Northwestern (6 p.m., KVHT-FM) Come Christmas Day, they iting Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. complex machinations, but we’re 741, JJ Peterson 703, Don Casey 680, John Quarterfinals, Saturday, Dec. 3 S.F. Lincoln Palu 675, Ryan Weverstad 665 North Greenville (11-2) at Delta State (10- should be. Neither side provided many optimistic that will all come to STANDINGS: Yankton Redi-Mix 69, Dakota 2), TBA The sides reached a tentative specifics about the deal, and there pass and that the NBA season will Trailer 60, H&K Oil 55.5, Wholesale Supply 41.5, Northwest Missouri State (11-2) at Pittsburg agreement early Saturday to end are still legal hurdles that must be begin Dec. 25.” Yankton Redi-Mix #2 38, H&K Oil #2 32, Smidt State (10-1), TBA New Haven (11-1) at Winston-Salem (12-0), Tennessee 6 5 0 .545 226 212 N.Y. Jets at Washington, noon Captain & Crew 29, KPI-JCI 27, Don’s Auto 27, Jacksonville 3 8 0 .273 138 200 Oakland at Miami, noon the 149-day lockout and hope to cleared before gymnasiums are The league plans a 66-game sea- Steiner’s Locker 26 TBA Wayne State (Mich.) (12-1) at Minnesota- Indianapolis 0 11 0 .000 150 327 Tennessee at Buffalo, noon begin the delayed season with a open again.