re: LHSAA Dismisses Kenny Henderson

I wonder if it's possible that he could be the perfect leader, played things perfectly, and no one was gonna stop the principals from doing what they did...

The EC had way more to do with the ruling on the episcopal kid that henderson did......as has been said before if espiscopal doesn't seek hardship eligibility ruling when the kid is in e 8th grade on grounds he will not be eligible as a senior, many that voted against it may have voted FOR it....but epsicopal tried to have it both ways... He actually took a stand on this


The way the girls basketball eligibility issue causing 1 team to prepare for 2 and 2 to prepare for 1 not knowing who they would play until just before tip off makes the livonia thing look like romper room...

The elephant in the room is not the split but it is the issues causing the split...


Yes a few folks involved with a couple of schools wanted his head...but so did many others...

It all goes back to forcing ECA and JC to play down.....play up never entered the talk again until Katrina obliterated the catholic league...


Big crime with the livonia issue is..why not hammer em in October....why wait till may..

Or why are 5-6 kids living 22 miles frommthe school they attend ruled eligible immediately?

And the split could have been prevented....the big question now is can the LHSAa be saved or will a split come in all sports?

Its funny in 2002 archbishop shaw got absolutely hammered over some things that at least 8 schools are now doing pretty much openly and much more widespread than they did and not a peep is raised. The comical thing is most have no championships for their hard work.

So may be an ignorant question since I know none of the intricate details but does this mean the split will eventually and we can go back to the old days? Or is the split set up for a long time?

the Allstate Sugar Bowl sponsorship contract features outs in case of an expanded split...

From this morning's Advocate

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With Henderson out, N.O. coaches hopeful

ROD WALKER| RWALKER@THEADVOCATE.COM
Oct. 24, 2014
Coaches and athletic directors in the New Orleans area are hoping Thursday’s surprising news — that Kenny Henderson’s days as executive director of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association have come to an end — brings about positive change for sports in the state.

“I am looking forward to new leadership,” Rummel football coach Jay Roth said.

Others seemed to agree with that assesment.

***SNIP***

The news was announced in a statement by the LHSAA on Thursday that said: “The LHSAA executive committee and Henderson, have mutually agreed that it is in the best interest of the association and Mr. Henderson to sever their relationship.”

“You never like to see anybody lose their job,” said Hahnville football coach Nick Saltaformaggio. “I know at this time being in charge of the LHSAA is a tough spot to have. He had to answer for the upheaval. But it’s like being a head coach. You probably get more credit than you should get when things go well, and you get more blame than you should get when it’s not well.”

The search for Henderson’s successor will begin immediately. Ouachita Parish High Principal Todd Guice, past president of the LHSAA, will lead the search committee.

Local coaches and administrators are hoping that Henderson’s successor can help unify the association.

Although no specific reasons were given in Thursday’s statement, coaches believe that the split playoff format (with select and non-select schools playing separately) played a major role in Henderson ultimately losing his job.

“Unfortunately the state couldn’t unify itself and I think this is the end result,” Saltaformaggio said. “I don’t know Mr. Henderson personally, but he was the head of our association so I respected him. You knew somebody was going to have to fall on the ax because the state couldn’t unify itself.”

DeLaSalle athletic director Tony Bonura respected Henderson’s work as well.

“One of the things I appreciated the most about Kenny he was always responsible and quick to answer any questions we had,” said Bonura. “He was easy to work with, so I wish him well. He handled the job in a very professional manner.”

But Bonura would like to see whoever takes Henderson’s place take more of an authoritative role.

“Moving forward, we need a commissioner that is more willing to advise the principals on what’s best for the association,” Bonura said. “Principals and athletic directors are looking for a leader who is not going to put it completely in the hands of the principals without any guidance. I’m hoping we find a leader who can see the whole picture and be able to articulate how certain things will have long term effects. I think that was missing in the previous leadership.”

No timetable has been set for how soon a new executive director will be named. But one thing seems to be certain.

“We want a leader who brings the association back together in some form,” Bonura said. “I think that’s what everyone wants.”

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And here is the Times-Picayune/Nola.com story
There's also a video interview with Guice on the site.

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Some details of the split, such as who will act as interim executive directory, remain to be finalized.

****SNIP****

Bell City principal Reinette Guillory, Doyle principal Tommy Hodges, Iowa principal Mike Oakley, Mangham principal Connie Williams, St. Charles Parish athletic director Willie Wise and Redemptorist coach Terence Williams will join Guice on the committee tasked with finding a successor.

The application process for the position will open Monday and last through Nov. 14, with candidates potentially being interviewed in early December.

"I think you need to find a great leader, and that's gonna be the task that we have been given," Guice said. "We're gonna move forward, but it's certainly gonna have to be someone who can be a great communicator, someone who is strong in the budgetary area, dealing with the legislature. Certainly we all know that the public/private issue or select/nonselect issue in our state is big, so we're gonna look for that person that can handle all these issues and move us forward in a positive way."

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Henderson's departure comes after several hours of private meetings on multiple days and a multifaceted review of the former Ruston principal, who has served in the position since October 2006, following his request to potentially extend the deal, which expires at the end of June.

****SNIP****

Both Henderson and the Executive Committee have drawn criticism at times during the ongoing select/nonselect issue that has shifted the landscape of high school football in Louisiana and has at least been discussed to do so in other sports as well.

Rulings last school year that Livonia must forfeit several football and baseball games and that 19-year-old Episcopal student Clement Mubungirwa would be ineligible in 2014-15, with legal or legislative action taken in response to both incidents, also garnered mixed reactions.

The case Livonia brought against the association is scheduled to be heard Tuesday.

Dating further back, Varsity Events Management filed a motion to compel the LHSAA to pay the company the more than $400,000 remaining on a contract signed in June 2011 and allegedly breached by Henderson and the organization that December.

That case, among notable discussion points during the recent review, is still scheduled to be heard in May after several delays.

What a change in leadership means for any of those ongoing issues remains to be seen.

Football coaches across the state held mixed opinions on what Henderson's departure might mean for relations between select and nonselect schools.

Several coaches said a new executive director they felt better enforced certain rules regarding recruiting and player eligibility and transfers could at least help slow or stop the spread of the split postseason format to sports other than football.

The potential for such an extension is among the notable story lines entering January's annual convention — both competitively and financially.

LHSAA officials confirmed that Allstate Sugar Bowl representatives have expressed that further splitting would likely mean they would revisit the terms of the deal announced in May to become title sponsor for the association's state championships.

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Jerit Roser can be reached at Jroser@nola.com or 504.826.3405.

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I think they only showed the one side of the stadium.
Love the RHS Band's stand to themselves!

LHSAA should never have let the higher classes split. I can understand A or possibly AA as most of the public schools do not have the resources of the private schools to consistently compete at a high level. The second item should have been to let any school play up.
I believe every high school association has internal problems. The question is how much do they want to tolerate

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Go back to where this started.....5-a was tired of ECA and scared of Curtis


4a was tired of Curti

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Bingo we have a winner........