Downers North Has Lost More Than a Basketball Coach

By all accounts, Al Biancalana is an outstanding basketballcoach. He is intense, tough, fair, committed, always prepared, amotivator. In two years, he took Downers Grove North from obscurityto its first regional championship since 1987.

"He is probably as quality a coach as I have seen," DownersGrove South coach Dick Flaiz said. "He is fundamentally sound,technically superb."

"He got the most out of his kids," Lyons coach Dave Ray said."You know when you play him that he will have a game plan against youand you will have to fight and scrape your way through."

By most accounts, Biancalana also is an outstanding physicaleducation teacher. His principal once told him so. He takes aserious interest in his students. He teaches values andself-respect, not just a pick-and-roll.

"He is more than just a basketball coach," said Chris Fick, whoquit the team last summer because he wasn't sure he wanted to make acommitment as a senior, then returned to become the MVP.

"Playing basketball has been my most rewarding high schoolexperience. I got more out of my abilities because of what thecoach taught us. He taught me that nobody owes us anything. Youhave to gain everything you want by yourself and it only comesthrough hard work and dedication. He really cared about us."

Now Biancalana, 33, is out of a job. A promising career couldbe ruined. He was forced to resign - or be fired - after atwo-person evaluation committee recommended that he shouldn't beoffered tenure.

Why? Sexual harassment? Child abuse? Alcoholism? No. Hemade a negative comment about girls basketball. He took a personaltelephone call during a class, trying to help a former player. Andhe forced a tardy student to do push-ups rather than go to detention.

The review also determined he wasn't a team player, that if hewas offered tenure, the administration "wouldn't have the controlover you that is necessary, that you emphasize basketball too much."

Principal Jerome Roberts declined to talk about it. So didEmily Mollett, head of the physical education department, andassistant principal Nina Narozny, who conducted the evaluation.

They don't have to be accountable. A state statute says publicschool administrators aren't obligated to discuss hiring practices.There is no due process for non-tenured teachers, no unionprotection.

"There are no skeletons in my closet," said Biancalana, who oncecoached at Weber and Leo and won a state championship in Fresno,Calif. "My reputation has been impeccable everywhere I have gone."

"I don't think people fully understand the process," saidathletic director Duane Buturusis, who reviewed Biancalana'sperformance last year and recommended that he be rehired."Athletics weren't involved in the process."

Maybe people would fully understand the process if it didn'tresemble an inquisition. Do you fire somebody for taking a phonecall during class time or criticizing another sport?

The fact that parents staged a rally to support Biancalana andstudents, not just basketball players, walked out of class in protestand appealed to the school board says volumes about what thecommunity thinks about his skills as a teacher and coach.

"He is candid, not politically correct sometimes, and he mayhave rankled some people at the school because he is very strong anddemanding," said Jerry Fellows, president of the boosters club.

"But we found no one who complained he wasn't a good coach whowas teaching good values, that he wasn't a good teacher. He demandsa lot but we need to demand a lot from our kids. He is trying toget kids to learn, be disciplined and recognize the value ofteamwork."

No matter. Biancalana, who passed eight previous evaluationsflawlessly, is looking for another job. He might apply for thecoaching vacancies at Homewood-Flossmoor, Waukegan or Thornwood, seeka position at a junior college or might return to California.

"I'm concerned that an individual is being thrown away who set atremendous example for young people," said Michael Lackaff, whoseson, John, is on the basketball team. "He gives them goals andobjectives. As parents, we work hard to find people our kids canlook up to."

It appears Downers Grove North has lost one of those people.