Coach steps aside after verbal confrontation with officials

A Winnipeg high school basketball coach has agreed to step away from the team after a verbal altercation with officials led to his expulsion from the sidelines during a game last weekend.

Iggy Grinevsky, a long-time bench boss at Garden City Collegiate, was directed to leave the gym Saturday during the varsity men’s championship game of the Nick Laping Invitational against tournament host St. Paul’s High School after protesting a foul call late in the fourth quarter.

In a video posted on YouTube, Grinevsky is shown storming the court and getting face to face with an official. He was separated from the referee and escorted out of the gym by a spectator and an assistant coach.

Garden City was trailing St. Paul’s 82-72 with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter at the time of the incident.

“We’ve seen the video and had discussions with the (Garden City) principal (Howard Kowalchuk). At this point, the coach has decided it’s best if he steps away for a while,” said Brian O’Leary, superintendent for Seven Oaks School Division, in a phone interview with the Free Press Wednesday. “I would say at this point indefinitely.”

O’Leary added the decision was mutual between Grinevsky and the school.

“Coaches having words with a referee is something that probably occurs in lots of sports a lot of the time. It’s usually dealt with by the referees or the sport association. In this case, I wouldn’t make too much of it,” he said.

No verbal complaint was issued to the Manitoba High School Athletics Association and no written report was recorded by the referees, who were hired through the Manitoba Association of Basketball Officials. The MHSAA does not take the lead on disciplinary action unless an issue occurs in a zone or provincial championship.

Chad Falk, executive director for the MHSAA, said it will continue to investigate the matter internally, however.

“As this happened during a tournament, the school would take the lead on any disciplinary actions and the MHSAA also has the right to add any supplemental discipline or penalties,” Falk said.

“The MHSAA regularly sends out messaging regarding respect (for student-athletes, coaches and officials) through our Weekly Update e-blasts which go out every Tuesday morning to approximately 4,000 teachers, coaches, athletic directors and administrators across Manitoba. In fact, this messaging was included in the one that went out (Tuesday).”

The Free Press was unable to reach Grinevsky for comment.

The latest MHSAA power rankings have Garden City ranked fourth in the province among AAAA men’s programs.

– Staff