CHESHIRE, Mass. — Hoosac Valley High School's principal Wednesday declined to discuss the reason why the school's very successful varsity girls basketball coach will not be returning for an 11th season.

 

Late Tuesday night, The Berkshire Eagle reported that Ron Wojcik, who led the Hurricanes to seven Western Massachusetts titles and the last two state championships, will not be offered a contract for the 2020-21 season.

 

On Wednesday afternoon, Hoosac Valley Principal Colleen Byrd responded to an inquiry from iBerkshires.com by saying, "Thank you for your email; we do not comment on personnel issues."

 

Wojcik on Wednesday confirmed that he was not offered a chance to help the Hurricanes defend the co-state championship they were awarded when this March's state title game was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said that, like all high school coaches, he understands that the positions are hired "at will," and that schools do not have to show cause to remove coaches at any time.

 

When pressed for whether he was given a reason for this decision by the district, Wojcik said he did hear concerns from administrators about the number of players in the girls basketball program, specifically the lack of a junior varsity team this year.

 

Part of the problem, he said, is that five eighth-graders who would have been strong candidates for the Hurricanes program enrolled at McCann Tech. In September, he asked the school to apply for a waiver to allow seventh-graders to play in the high school program, as they did for Hoosac Valley's girls soccer team in the fall, but that request was denied in a vote of the Berkshire County League schools.

 

In 28 years of high school coaching, Wojcik also has, like most coaches, heard complaints about playing time for specific student-athletes.

 

"Every program has that, every sport," he said. "In basketball, it's more pronounced because you only have five kids on the floor, and normal teams play seven or eight in tournament games. We were fortunate over the years that we had a lot of big victories and could get everyone in. But when it comes to tournament games down the stretch, it's not always possible."

 

On the sidelines of Hoosac Valley athletic events, iBerkshires.com sports editor Stephen Dravis has heard rumors that Wojcik told players in the basketball program that they could not participate in non-basketball sports in the spring. On Wednesday, he categorically denied those rumors.

 

"I've always encouraged my boys players and girls players to do whatever they want outside of basketball," said Wojcik, who previously was the boys varsity basketball coach at Pittsfield High. "I think that is healthy.

 

"To be successful, you've got to put your time in with basketball, and we've had a lot of kids play AAU basketball. … Some of them played a lot of basketball. But that wasn't me dictating. I think it's a choice the kids made.

 

This winter's Hoosac Valley girls basketball varsity roster of 14 included two players from the school's 2019 varsity softball roster, two on the girls varsity lacrosse roster and three student-athletes who qualified for the Central/Western Massachusetts Track and Field Championships. In fall 2019, seven girls who went on to play basketball played high school soccer; several more ran cross country.

 

Bill Robinson was a successful boys basketball coach at Hoosac Valley and raised three daughters who played for Wojcik in the winter. He said Wednesday that he is proud of the legacy Wojcik built at the school.

 

"The experience these girls gain in handling various situations such as handling pressure situations, learning about working hard to achieve a greater good both individually and as a team ... are invaluable," Robinson said. "Generally sports teaches character and prepares you for life's battles. Our girls have learned through Ron and his staff how to defeat adversity, prepare for victory and be consistent. These are valuable lessons and experiences."

 

For his part, Wojcik said he is as proud of the relationships he built with former players as he is of the bonds he has formed with students as a high school teacher.

 

"The championships are nice, and some people associate that with your legacy, but I think every coach would tell you it's the closeness and connections with kids that really matters the most," Wojcik said. "College coaches would tell you the same thing.

 

"I've heard [in the last 24 hours] from so many kids, former players thanking me for everything we as a coaching staff did for them."

 

And he is not sure whether this marks the end of his time on the bench.

 

"I enjoy coaching, enjoy working with the kids, enjoy teaching," Wojcik said. "I wouldn't close any doors right now, but I'm not going to actively pursue anything either. I'm going to see how it goes."