‘I just want to tell the truth’

Burgess speaks out for other coaches on his dismissal at St. Bede

LASALLE — Tim Burgess walked into St. Bede Academy to check his mailbox on March 11 after attending an Tri-County all-conference meeting. When he walked out, he was no longer the varsity boys basketball coach at St. Bede.

Burgess said he was called into the office of St. Bede superintendent Ted Struck and informed by Struck he did not

intend to bring him back as head coach next year.

That move became official six weeks later during Wednesday’s board meeting when the Academy board of directors approved Struck’s recommendation by a 5-2 vote.

Board members Jim Perona and Father Luke voted against Burgess’ dismissal.

In a prepared statement, Academy athletic director Bernie Moore said Thursday morning, “We appreciate the five years of effort that Tim Burgess has given St. Bede, but at this time, the board of directors at St. Bede Academy has determined that the boys’ basketball program should move in a different direction.”

Burgess, who had been let go as head coach at Ottawa High School in 2002 after eight seasons, didn’t want to just stand back and take it this time. He no longer wanted to give the standard line from a fired coach saying he was leaving to spend more time with his family or simply say no comment at all.

He wanted to “tell the truth” behind the actions that led to his dismissal for all the other coaches out there who have gone through similar circumstances.

He sat down Friday afternoon in LaSalle with members of the local media to “tell the truth” of what went down. He said his intentions were not to be vindictive, because he still holds St. Bede close to heart.

“I went there, played there, coached there and my daughters go there,” said the 1982 SBA graduate.

Burgess, 44, said he asked Struck the simple question on March 11 of why he was being fired and was told his team didn’t improve enough this year.

The former Bruins coach said that was the last time he had spoken to the St. Bede superintendent until speaking to the administration and board members on Wednesday.

Burgess read Dr. Struck’s mission statement that appears on the school’s web page, desiring to prepare students for life after high school, academically and morally.

Then Burgess, as he did Wednesday evening in front of the school board, explained the many ways he pursued that mission by his team’s action on and off the floor.

He required his team to attend mass before every home game and before away games when possible.

The Bruins have distributed food baskets to the needy and raised money to buy Christmas gifts to distribute to the St. Jude’s facility in Peoria each year, spending a half day playing games with the children there.

The St. Bede squad would also help at the Knights of Columbus and Elks hoop shoots, Burgess said, to be good ambassadors for the school and intermix with potential future Academy players.

These actions off the court are important to Burgess, because “I want to prepare them for life after high school. I don’t believe I’m going to be coaching NBA players.”

He said these are things you do “because they’re right.”

Academically, Burgess said he always follows the progress of each player’s grade, including freshmen and senior players, throughout the school year. If he can’t help them, he then speaks to their parents.

On the floor, Burgess, admittedly, wasn’t happy with the Bruins’ 6-20 record this year or 3-18 record the year before.

“Our record wasn’t very good. I wasn’t happy with it. Nobody was happy with it,” said Burgess, who was 39-89 in five seasons at St. Bede and 104-112 at Ottawa.

Asked if he’d still be the coach if the Bruins had gone 25-3 this year.

“I just got two arms, but I’d bet them both,” he said.

There were circumstances off the floor that had an impact on his team’s wins and losses.

He related the phone call he received from SBA principal Michelle Mershon prior to the start of the 2007-08 season, informing him of a teen alcohol party at her house that included four senior basketball players. As a result, those players missed the team’s first 10 games due to their athletic code violation.

“Everybody else was in Christmas Tournament (form), we were basically at Thanksgiving tournament,” he said.

Even though the suspensions put his team behind the eight ball to start the season, the Bruins coach said you have to “teach kids what’s right and wrong.”

There were other internal disciplinary actions the coach had taken over the years, but he did not wish to speak publicly about.

The Bruins also lost senior Eric Safranski to a controversial transfer to Putnam County at the onset of the 2007-08 campaign.

This past season, Burgess said he fielded one of the youngest teams he’s ever seen, starting three sophomores, a junior and one first-year senior, Japan native Yoshi Shibata, whose transfer had been held up the year before. Three other sophomores were also counted on heavily on the varsity.

The Bruins finished 6-20, but improved “as much as any team I’ve ever coached. Anyone who knows anything about basketball, could see that,” Burgess said.

When he asked Moore if the Bruins had improved, Burgess said the Bruins AD replied, “Absolutely.”

That was most evident, Burgess said, when the Bruins had Princeton’s state ranked and Elite Eight squad down by nine points in the third quarter, before falling 66-52.

However, Burgess said he was told by Dr. Struck if they had improved enough, they would have won that game.

The former Bruin coach’s biggest complaint about his dismissal was he had never been called into the office to be told what he was doing wrong nor had he ever received a written evaluation on his performance. He said he always welcome to the opportunity to be evaluated, but never was.

Coaching is his livelihood, Burgess said, and he deserved to be evaluated and have the opportunity to right any wrongs.

Burgess said he asked Moore on April 3 if he knew ahead of time about Burgess’ dismissal and he told him he didn’t know until after Burgess had been informed.

“He said, ‘I would swear on your father’s grave,’” Burgess said.

Burgess questioned how he could have dismissed as coach without the school’s athletic director having any input.

What is most disheartening, Burgess said, was the politics behind his dismissal. His dismissal follows a recent abrupt change in assignments that have Moore going back into the classroom this fall and former L-P coach and SBA assistant football coach Mark Siebert being brought in as new athletic director.

He questions the direction St. Bede is going with its leadership.

“I always want what’s best for St. Bede and in my opinion, this is not,” he said. “I want what’s best for St. Bede, not what’s bests for an individual.”

Burgess leaves behind a team behind ready to flourish for the new coach and though he will no longer be their coach, he said he wishes his former players nothing but the best over the next two years.

When asked what his late father, Chuck, who passed away last August and had been his biggest fan and a staunch St. Bede supporter, would say about his dismissal, Burgess paused to collect his thoughts.

“He would flip over this,” Burgess said.

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