Linda Wachter - who had a successful and controversial six-year run as the girls basketball coach in Exeter - is moving to Mt. Whitney.
Pioneers athletic director John Perez on Monday confirmed the hiring of Wachter, who went 108-55 at Exeter while leading the Monarchs to a Central Section Division IV title in 2006 and runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2008. Wachter's teams also won three league titles.
Mt. Whitney was 6-19 last year and 35-82 over the past five seasons.
"We picked her because of her experience and the program she ran in the past," Perez said. "She's been very successful and we're hoping for the same thing as she did at Exeter when she took over there, build a program from the bottom up."
Exeter cut ties with Wachter after a controversial ending to the 2007-08 season, when six players chose not to go with the team to Santa Monica for a Southern California Regional playoff game, a matchup the Monarchs lost 51-41 to Crossroads.
In a written statement, the six players said their decision was based in part on their support for teammates "who have been mentally and verbally abused."
The statement did not identify the source of the alleged abuse.
Wachter subsequently filed a gender-discrimination lawsuit against Exeter Union High School District, claiming she was fired because she complained about unequal treatment of the girls and boys basketball programs. In June, Wachter was awarded a $75,000 out-of-court settlement in which the district admitted no liability and Wachter agreed to never seek re-employment at any Exeter public school.
Perez said he had no reservations about hiring Wachter.
"Not only has she done it before, but she's done it at a program like ours that was not very successful," Perez said. "We have some real good athletes coming up here at Mt. Whitney. I had eight people interested in the job, but I wanted someone who had run a program before and knew what was going on. I have a lot of confidence in her. I'm excited."
A few rules are needed to help foster a feeling of community. We encourage a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect, but any post that violates someone's right to use and enjoy fresnobee.com is prohibited. Before you post, please read the terms of use and obey these simple guidelines.
Here are the ground rules:
Contents of this site are © Copyright The Fresno Bee. All rights reserved.
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@