TAVARES, Fla. — Tavares High School teacher Zachary Anspach tells Channel 9 he was relieved of his duties as a coach after officials said his academic standards for his players were too strict.
He says his standards were even higher than the school's standards.
School district officials said instead of encouraging and motivating students, Anspach's actions had the opposite effect.
Officials said Zach Anspach sometimes wouldn’t play athletes who met the standards because he was pushing them for more. They said he benched players for getting Cs regardless of GPA.
“I felt like I was doing the right thing. I've got no regrets,” Anspach said.
Anspach said he was shocked to learn he was no longer the head coach after winning more games than his predecessor and beating rival Eustis High School for the first time in more than a decade.
"I was told my expectations as far as academic policies and standards of behavior off the court were too high,” Anspach said.
Tavares requires athletes to have at least an overall 2.0 GPA to play. Anspach would not allow an athlete to play if he had a C or D in a single class until he pulled the grade up.
"We weren't able to have a JV program halfway through the season because not enough players could keep up with that,” Anspach said.
District leaders said his approach went too far.
Several students refused to play under Anspach’s leadership and officials said he did the opposite of encouraging and motivating the students.
"I stuck to my guns and this is why I did it, because I care about every one of them, I care about their future. I care about their future more than winning a basketball game,” Anspach said.
Cox Media Group
