Superintendent keeps coaches
Eric Peterson, The Forum
Published Thursday, April 24, 2008
Hankinson (N.D.) School Superintendent Jess Smith has decided to retain head girls basketball coach Shawn Gravalin and assistant Mike Loll after investigating complaints lodged against both coaches.
“My part is finished. I’m retaining the coaches,” Smith said. “I just figure there is nothing that stuck. I believe they are good coaches, and they will continue to be good coaches.”
The Hankinson School Board has scheduled a special meeting at 8 p.m. Monday in the school’s library to review the coaching situation. That is the only item on the agenda, Smith said.
Smith said he started his investigation in late March after Fritz and Tammy Geffre – whose daughters, Cody, a junior, and Casey, a sophomore, play on the varsity girls basketball team – gave the school a letter that outlined complaints against the coaching staff.
Tammy Geffre said Wednesday she asked for the special board meeting because she doesn’t think administrators made the right decision to keep Gravalin and Loll.
In the letter, the Geffres accuse the staff of inappropriate touching and behavior around the players, and making sexual comments and verbally abusing players.
Some examples cited in the letter include:
- Gravalin, with Fritz Geffre watching, put his arm around Cody after a game and said, “I love you, Cody.”
- On the final night of the state tournament, some players went to one of the rooms where the coaches were and found numerous cases of beer, liquor bottles and a pyramid of empty beer cans.
- After one of the players had her ankle taped, Gravalin said, “That sure looks sexy.”
- At the start of the season, Gravalin said to Casey Geffre, “Are you going to lose the district game for us like you did last year?”
Gravalin, who plans to attend Monday’s School Board meeting, says the Geffres took things out of context.
“They don’t like the way I coach and they don’t like the way coach Loll coaches, and they decided to go this route with it,” Gravalin said. “I know coach Loll and myself did nothing wrong.”
Tammy Geffre disagreed.
“I don’t think I’m taking this stuff out of context, otherwise I would have never went in,” she said. “I guess I’m hoping the School Board can see that some of the actions of the coaches are inappropriate and not acceptable.”
Tammy Geffre said both of her daughters wrote letters to the Hankinson administration after the season to voice their concerns about the coaches.
The Geffres moved into the Hankinson School District before the 2006-07 school year.
Cody and Casey Geffre attended school in the Fargo Catholic Schools Network the year before they went to Hankinson. Both were part of the Fargo Shanley girls basketball program.
Gravalin, 30, was previously an assistant for seven years in the Fargo North boys basketball program. His contract was not renewed after the 2003-04 season.
Gravalin assisted under Brent Offerdahl, who resigned as head North boys coach in June 2004 amid a school investigation into allegations against Offerdahl of “conduct unbecoming of a teacher.”
School officials would not say at the time if the decision to not renew Gravalin’s contract was related to the case against Offerdahl. The complaint lodged against Offerdahl was eventually dismissed.
Hankinson posted a 21-7 record this winter and finished third place at the North Dakota Class B girls basketball tournament.
Gravalin has been the head coach at Hankinson for the past three seasons. Loll was his assistant this past season.
Gravalin had already signed a contract to coach the team next season.
Geffre had no comment when she was asked what her family would do if the School Board upholds the decision to keep Gravalin and Loll.