Woodbridge Fires Girls’ Basketball Coach Pat Quinn

Pat Quinn said Thursday that he was fired last week as the girls’ basketball coach at Woodbridge High.

In his three seasons at Woodbridge, Quinn’s teams had a 68-20 record, 54-7 his first two seasons, and successfully defended the Division II state title in his first season.

“Team chemistry is so important to me, and ultimately, that’s what they’re talking about why they let me go,” Quinn said. “It’s disappointing to me because that’s what I pride myself in--it’s more important sometimes than having all the best players.”

Quinn had four players and their parents refuse to meet with him for scheduled postseason meetings to discuss goals. Dave Cowen, Woodbridge’s athletic director, said the decision to go in a new direction was made by him, Principal Greg Cops and Assistant Principal Ken Bailey.

“I want someone who is here on campus who is more accessible to the girls, a coach who has a line of communication that is there on a continual basis,” Cowen said.

That’s in contrast to the direction the program went in the summer of 1995 when Quinn, a teacher at Saddleback High, was hired over Tracy Roberts, the Woodbridge assistant.

Roberts, an on-campus instructor, coached the team over the summer after Eric Bangs’ resignation. Woodbridge had finished the season ranked No. 1 in the state and had four starters returning. Most everyone associated with the program expected Roberts to be named head coach. Roberts did not remain on the coaching staff.

“They asked me to take the Woodbridge job,” said Quinn, who still teaches at Saddleback. “I didn’t apply for it.”