Dexter Daily Statesman

TRCC vs. Gene Bess

Posted Wednesday, September 12, 2007, at 8:49 AM
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This is a topic that I believe will draw many bloggers!

Many of you probably read a story that ran Sunday concerning a written reprimand of famed Coach Gene Bess by Three Rivers Community College.

It seems that after a basketball player signed a three-year contract with another school, Coach Bess told that player he could no longer work out with the TRCC Raider basketball team or use the college's gym facility to work out.

Some board members and the boy's parents apparently thought that this was unfair treatment. Bess has been accused of yelling at the boy and generally being very hateful to him.

This Sunday you will see another story about the issue, because five Board of Trustee members have signed their names to a letter that I believe says far more hateful things of Coach Bess than he could have possibly said about the boy.

Isn't it a coach's discretion who works out with his players? We are talking about one of the top junior college basketball coaches IN THE NATION.

I'm not a big sports fan. Mostly I like watching professional football and can't recall ever watching a college sport game at all. But even if Coach Bess was hateful to the young man, does it really matter? Doesn't he have some right to act a little cocky and have an ego problem? I believe his record will show that the man knows what he is doing.

Maybe if Coach Bess had physically pushed the boy or spit in his face or gone around generally bad-mouthing him to everyone, I could see the need for a reprimand. However, I don't think that just coping an attitude calls for that kind of treatment from a school that you have been an employee of for more than three decades and especially a school that you helped put on the national map. Would anyone outside of Southeast Missouri even know of TRCC if it weren't for the Raiders basketball program?

What do you think?

Comments
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You are right on on your perceptions of Coach Bess Sacha! Who would know TRCC except for him and his Raiders?

He is a kind, Christian,hardworking,loyal man. I'm sure he put a lot of time into recruiting this young man,just to have him poached by ASU-yep, I bet he was upset.

What right does this player have to work out with the Raiders if he is not going to play FOR them?

If you are in your high school marching band, you can't just hang out in the college band practice and blow your tuba,then crybaby when the band director yells at you to leave-you aren't a member-get it? Your momma can't come in screeching,"my baby goes to school here and this is school property,so who says he can't play his tuba here?" Teachers (and coaches and band directors) do have a right to say who has access to their classrooms or gyms! Does the Board get involved everytime a teacher hurts a students feelings-what's their REAL agenda besides being hated by the majority of people? They have only embarassed themselves with this stunt.

I sure hope ASU is hiring a moving company & storage to haul all the baggage this player and his parents are bringing to their program!

-- Posted by Yellow Rose of Essex on Wed, Sep 12, 2007, at 10:52 AM

I believe, Sascha, that you have missed the point. The point is not whether or not Coach Bess lost his temper and was rude to a student - which was unprofessional and un-Christian-like. The point was that he was instructed by his board (the folks who sign his hefty paycheck) to apologize and HE REFUSED! Now tell me, if anyone else refused to do something their employer told them to do, would they not get a reprimand?! Any school board or college board would do the same thing - they would have to do the same thing! A question that you didn't ask in your story last week: why would two former employees - people are are apparently are anywhere near SEMissouri - why would they be so interested in what goes on at a small jr college in PB? Sure, Coach Bess is a legend and he has coached some awesome bball teams (I have a nephew who played for him). But we all have to play by the rules. I hope the Raiders have a great season

-- Posted by marine1956 on Wed, Sep 12, 2007, at 12:23 PM

marine1956 - Sacha was right on; you were off. The former deans were Bess' supervisors and wrote a very thoughtful letter about a man who they obviously care a great deal about. They stated that the actions taken against Bess were extraordinary and obviously they would not have handled the matter that way. They felt a need to stick their neck out and help an old friend. I applaud them. Compare that letter to the one that the PR department at TRCC under Judy Scott wrote. I am quite shocked that the 5 Board members even signed their name to that diatribe! The Deans came to the aid of a good man who made a little "mole hill" mistake. The college folk have another agenda!

And, do you actually think community college faculty make "hefty" checks? I understand that the legend Gene Bess is on faculty scale pay and still teaches classes.

-- Posted by Sam on Wed, Sep 12, 2007, at 3:58 PM

I just wanted to let the writer know that college athletes do not sign contracts, they sign letters-of-intent. And also, a player in Junior College can leave and go to another school at any time he choses. I am not taking sides here, but that is how it works in Junior College. Coach Bess is a good man, a great coach, and I hope everything works out for the best.

-- Posted by Coconut Telegraph on Thu, Sep 13, 2007, at 12:11 AM

Sacha Champion's response:

I apologize for the incorrect wording. As I have stated, I am not "up" on college sports and so used an incorrect term. Thank you for pointing that out. However, I never mentioned the player signing a letter of intent with TRCC, and you are also right that a Jr. College player can leave at any time. I did not say he had signed a letter of intent with TRCC. Again, thank you for point out that terminology to me so that I have that information for the future!

Yes, but Gene Bess does not go for one-year commitments. You will see other JUCOs bring them in for one year but not the old Coach.

-- Posted by Sam on Thu, Sep 13, 2007, at 11:36 AM

The article is so unprofessional and of such poor taste that it is really quite telling. Quite an indictment of how low they will go at that college is the fact that it is posted prominently on their website at www.trcc.edu. It shows that someone else is in charge of that college so that the Board members must go along with it or they lack common decency and intelligence.

-- Posted by Sam on Thu, Sep 13, 2007, at 7:24 PM

While a student at TRCC, I never had Gene Bess as an instructor. The instructors I did have were always supportive and encouraging. If I had told one of them I was leaving TRCC to accept a scholarship at a four-year university, I believe they would not only have congratulated me, they would have asked what they could do to help me make the transition. But not Bess. Instead, this "good Christian deacon of the Baptist Church" yelled at, berated and barred from the gymnasium a young athlete who accepted a basketball scholarship at ASU. Rather than considering what was best for this young man, it seems Bess was more concerned with the fame a winning team would bring him. That's not my definition of a good Christian.

-- Posted by mlfrancis55 on Fri, Sep 14, 2007, at 1:15 PM

According to today's DAR newspaper,Coach Bess,on his own, prior to the Board's involvement, had apologized and reconciled with the player and his family,the Christian thing to do.He isn't perfect (neither am I)the only perfect man on Earth I believe was publicly crucified.

I wasn't present when any of this happened,but I wouldn't want to waste my time recruiting someone who was only going to play for a year.Did he take a spot that could have gone to someone who wanted to play at TRCC?

Would you like to get in trouble at work,for something that had been dealt with,then have it "leaked" to the press and the Boosters? What is TRCC's privacy policy as regards to personnel action? The newspaper alleges they were given the entire letter of reprimand (after the "leak") by Dr.Kimbrow,TRCC's acting President,then the Board had to respond to letters of support for Coach.

What is up with all this? I'm so glad I'm not an employee of TRCC,any and everything could become news,if you tick off the Board.

Can someone explain this mess?

-- Posted by Yellow Rose of Essex on Fri, Sep 14, 2007, at 7:58 PM

If the player was that good, he should have been happy to have him for a year and thanked him for the time he had participated in the program and helped him attain a scholarship with a larger program if he thought he was worthy. The coach may be losing it a little.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Fri, Sep 14, 2007, at 9:13 PM

I.B. - you obviously are ignorant about TRCC and the Raiders. Unlike the competition Bess doesn't promise playing time - he rewards those who work the hardest - he doesn't lie - he requires commitment and discipline and on and on. Perhaps posters who are ignorant (without knowledge of a particular subject) should read this book before making uninformed comments - http://www.genebess.com/. In it you will find out what is really important to Coach Bess. If the young man had made the wise decision he may have had a dozen division I choices after his sophomore year. No one will ever know exactly what happened because Gene Bess and the young man and his family have made up if you will. Maybe a D-I coach pressured him into signing - who knows - we will never know for sure.

-- Posted by Sam on Sat, Sep 15, 2007, at 8:50 AM

What do you expect with people like Steve Cookson on the board. NUFF SAID!!

-- Posted by Dynaflow on Sat, Sep 15, 2007, at 8:52 AM

Just saying, it's Junior College. Why not move up if you have the chance. He doesn't actually owe the College one thing. I am not making an uninformed comment. I am making a comment on how I feel. I have no alleigance to TRCC or any other College or University. Why not allow a kid to move up. The coach can find another Junior College level player tomorrow.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Sat, Sep 15, 2007, at 10:45 AM

Feelings vs. facts then. The Junior College name went out in the 60s; it is community college now. I would like to say so much but this is no longer about the young man. TRCC is on a witch hunt.

Go to: JUCOJUNCTION.COM; click on Messages; click on Region XVI for some interesting reading. More than 3,500 people have read it.

-- Posted by Sam on Sat, Sep 15, 2007, at 12:07 PM

I guess it is still OK to say Junior College. What does JUCOJUNCTION.COM stand for? Whose facts? The only thing I think I know for sure is that I see a young man who wanted to go to another school for a better opportunity and was apparently berated for it. Is that a fact or did this not happen?

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Sat, Sep 15, 2007, at 6:20 PM

I think people fail to realize that this young man's dad also played for Gene Bess, and his sister played for TRCC for 2 years as well. I also think Gene was looking out for his best interest. He knew another year of getting the considerable playing time at TRCC would equal many more scholarship offers. The young man is a good ball player, but he is no Tyler Hansbough. I will be surprised if he sees the floor at ASU, but who knows. I also believe that Coach Bess did indeed pass up some talent for this young man's 2 year committment. Shame on TRCC for making this a public issue.

-- Posted by bearcatmom on Tue, Sep 18, 2007, at 7:54 PM

Record gives no one the right to be hateful or cocky to another person. It seems to me that the coach was looking out for his own interest. The same thing the young man was doing. I say the shame is on any coach who would berate a young man for this even though I can understand him not being able to work out with the team or use the facilities if he is no longer part of the team. It would be an equal shame if you knew it happened and did nothing about it.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Tue, Sep 18, 2007, at 8:28 PM

Read the latest happenings at TRCC about the $130,000+ embezzlement. Those are the same people who tried to WITCHHUNT Coach Bess out of there.

Someone needs to look into what is happening over there.

-- Posted by Sam on Thu, Sep 27, 2007, at 7:27 PM

Now we're talking real meaningful problems.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Sat, Sep 29, 2007, at 8:55 PM