I attended Monday night's four-hour Warsaw School Board meeting with over 200 Doug Ogle supporters. I left that meeting even more convinced that it would be a travesty if Doug Ogle would be removed as the leader of the Warsaw basketball program. Those of us in attendance were amazed as the parade of community leaders, local basketball legends and many other men and women of integrity spoke up in favor of Doug Ogle and his knowledge of the game of basketball.
Jim Kessler, Jack Edison, Aaron Wolfe, Matt Moore, Tracy Furnivall, Steve Hollar, Jeff Grose and David Wayne - what do these names mean to those of us who know about the game of basketball? They represent phenomenal individual basketball careers, legendary coaches at the collegiate and high school level, Mr. Basketball and Hall of Fame careers at their respective colleges. Each one of these legends stood up and spoke about the respect he has for Doug Ogle. Each spoke of his respect for Coach Ogle's character and his knowledge of the game.
Jack Edison (former Plymouth coach) spoke of scouting and preparing for a Doug Ogle-coached Warsaw team months before he would normally prepare for a game because of the respect he had for an Ogle-coached team. Jeff Grose, who played in the Big Ten and for a National Coach of the Year, said that over the past three years Doug Ogle taught him aspects of the game. Each one of these men, all of whom possess an extensive wealth of basketball knowledge, spoke of the respect he has not only for Doug Ogle's knowledge of the game, but also his talent for communicating and teaching the game to his players. The character and integrity of Doug Ogle are impeccable. How this man has handled the circus around his program caused by a small and vocal minority amazes me.
The consistent question, "What has Doug Ogle done to be fired?" was never answered Monday evening. The man has a career record of 78-54, his teams have won the sectional title two of the past three years, and he exceeded all of the goals and recommendations set forth by the WCHS administration. Each and every administrator at WCHS who stood up voiced his/her support for Doug Ogle.
If this board votes to remove Doug Ogle without a written evaluation from an administrator or a written or verbal recommendation to terminate him, it will be an unprecedented act in the state of Indiana. The board will be in violation of their own written bylaws. Because of this situation, termed the "Theater of the Absurd" by Al Lesar of the South Bend Tribune, our community has been the subject of extreme criticism (www.sbtinfo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID). I implore the members of this school board to vote with the overwhelming majority of the community they pledged to represent, and keep Doug Ogle in his current position. At this point, a move to keep Doug Ogle may be the only way to save the tradition and reputation of Warsaw basketball.
