First Female Coach of Men's Pro Team Fired

jym · January 31, 2005

By Associated Press

January 30, 2005, 7:11 PM EST

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Ashley McElhiney, the first female coach of a

men's pro basketball team, was fired Saturday night after an on-court

dispute with the co-owner of the Nashville Rhythm of the ABA.

Co-owner and CEO Sally Anthony was unhappy that McElhiney was playing

Matt Freije after Anthony instructed that he be benched.

The argument over the former Vanderbilt star's playing time began

during the third quarter and apparently escalated when Anthony

attempted to remove McElhiney as coach during the team's 110-109 win

over the Kansas City Knights. Anthony was eventually restrained by

security guards and taken off the floor.

"I called my coach a couple of hours before the game and said, 'I

don't want him playing,'" Anthony told The Tennessean after the game.

"She ignored me. I walked onto the court and said I'm her boss and she

needed to bench him."

McElhiney declined comment when reached at her home on Sunday by The

Associated Press. The team is 17-7 so far this season under the

23-year-old, a former point guard for Vanderbilt who was taken in the

third round of the 2003 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever but released

before playing a game.

Rhythm forward Adam Sonn said he was shocked by the situation.

"It was something that shouldn't happen at any level of sports," Sonn

told WKRN-TV of Nashville. "It's something that's sad to see."

Anthony, a singer who also has her own record label and a Web site

promoting female artists, said she was just trying to protect her players.

"My co-owner and my GM decided to pay Matt Freije to have the name

here," she said. "He came in for two games. Our players are struggling

financially."

According to Anthony, Freije, Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer,

was paid $10,000 to play two games for the Rhythm.

Anthony also had a message for members of her staff and players who

might dispute her actions.

"If they're willing to stick their neck out for Ashley, and that would

be dumb, I would fold the team right now," she said. "If I say no it

should be no. She's done. She's fired."

Assistant coach Scott Flatt said in a statement the team still

considers McElhiney its head coach.

"Sally was one of three owners acting alone. As far as we're concerned

Ashley is the coach of the team right now."

The other owners listed on the Nashville Rhythm's Web site are Justin

Christian and Tony Bucher.

January 31, 2005

I read that earlier today and thought it was indeed crazy. I wonder if the feud between the owner and coach was anyway fueled by both of them being female. Maybe a female can add her perspective on this?

jym · January 31, 2005

Well, this story is kinda weird. Basically, this co-owner was the only person who didn't want Freije playing. She had nothing to do with signing him and it sounds like she just didn't want to fork over her part of the $5,000 they owed Freije for that game. The funny part is, as a co-owner, she can't decide to fire the coach and fold the team on her own. The other two people will have a say so. If one of the co-owners and the GM signed the guy, I don't see them agreeing with not playing him, especially since their star player, Dontae Jones, left the team before that game to go play in Korea. One of the co-owners (Tony Bucher I believe) is Sally Anthony's husband though so who knows what will happen? That was just crazy for her to act like that during the game in front of everybody. How embarrassing to get escorted off the court.....

January 31, 2005

They showed a short interview of one of the players on SC and it sounded like he couldn't believed it had happened and said it was embarrasing.

I still think there was some woman rivarly issues between them, considering the team was 17-7. But I will also admit that I don't understand women at all

Edited January 31, 2005 by e-bone