The boy's basketball program at Newport (Calif.) Harbor High School has been suspended indefinitely in the wake of what law-enforcement officials are calling "criminal threats" made toward coach Larry Hirst and his wife, Sheridan. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Newport Beach and Huntington Beach police departments are investigating the matter, and possible suspects include individuals associated with the boys' basketball program, Newport Harbor High principal Michael Vossen said.
Vossen made the decision to cancel the rest of the basketball team's season, citing "the severity of this incident, and for the safety of our staff members."
Hirst, meanwhile, has retired from the sidelines. "The decision was based on what I thought was best for Newport Harbor High School, the Boys Basketball Program and my family," read a statement the 28-year coaching veteran released last week. "After all these years it seems that my 'old fashioned/old school' ways were not reaching the bar that our staff and players had set over the years."
During his 16-year run at Newport Harbor, Hirst guided the Sailors to the playoffs 12 consecutive years. But the program struggled recently, including a 7-17 finish this past season.
"The vast majority of our parents and students understand the lines of civility; clearly the lines of civility were lost in this instance," Vossen told the Times. "I'm just extremely upset that we lost a really good coach as a result of this."
Hirst and his wife are teachers at Newport Harbor. Because of the investigation, he declined to detail the threats, telling local media only that the threats involved physical harm toward him and his family.
