6 Members Of Hoops Team Quit, Complain Of Running, Offense

BIRCH RUN – The Birch Run boys basketball team lost Friday to Essexville Garber, dropping its official record to 5-8.

The “new” Birch Run Panthers, however, 0-1.

Birch Run suspended six players from its varsity boys basketball team after the players boycotted Wednesday’s practice.

According to Birch Run Athletic Director Phil Periard, there was a dissatisfaction with the coach Perry McCord’s offense and the amount of running required in practice.

“They tried to get all 11 to boycott practice, but five decided not to,” Periard said. “I’ve never had this happen since I’ve played, coached or as an athletic director.

“A player can quit if they’re not happy. They can sit down with the coach and talk about the situation if they’re not happy. These six did not ask for any meeting. The boycott was totally unexpected.”

According to Periard, the players have not asked for a meeting since their suspensions from the team, nor have they offered to apologize.

McCord has coached at Birch Run for more than 15 years and has 166 wins.

“He has a winning record and runs a real positive program … we’ve always been competitive,” Periard said. “He’s been a great coach. When all is said and done, the kids learn more than basketball.

“He teaches right and wrong, working hard, learning how to function in society.”

To compensate for the missing players, Birch Run moved players to the varsity from the junior varsity team and players from the freshman team to the JV team.

The new Birch Run varsity team lost Friday to Essexville Garber, 54-51. The old Birch Run varsity team lost the first meeting against Garber, 59-41.

“They’re enjoying it,” Periard said. “We’ve got some real tough games coming up and they know it. Everybody is excited about the future. It’s going to be a positive end to the season.”