McGinn quits!

ELLESMERE PORT CRISIS AS McGINN QUITS
19/06/05

One of the most successful Junior Clubs of the 21st Century is in
crisis after the departure of their head coach.
I'm told that Jim McGinn, the driving force behind Ellesmere Port
Panthers domination of the Junior Women's programme for three of the
past four seasons, has left the club, as he "now has other
commitments".
I've been trying to get in touch with Jim during the last week, but
with no success (which is why I delayed publication), so I can only
relate what I've found out from elsewhere.
All I do know is that Jim has apparently parted company with the club
which he coached to prominence, for the somewhat vague reasons stated
above.
There seemed to be no sign of his impending departure back in late
April at Cosford, when he was his usual ebullient self as he coached
the Under-14 Girls in their second visit to the RAF Final Fours. That
was the seventh occasion in four seasons that McGinn had coached a team
in the Final Fours, and his individual record over those years is
unsurpassed by any individual coach at any level in this country:
Ellesmere Port's Roll of Hounour since 2001 reads:

Under-18 Women's Cup Winners 2003, 2004; Final 2002
Under-18 Championship Winners 2002, 2003, 2004; Final Four 2005
Under-16 Women's Cup Winners 2002, 2003, 2004
Under-16 Championship Winners 2004
Under-14 Championship Final 2003; Final Four 2005

That makes nine titles in three years, and two other Finals ... and to
put that in perspective, Manchester, with an established organisation,
far larger catchment area, and large staff, have won nine Cups and ten
Championships in the past four years.
Jim's "in your face" coaching style may not have been to everyone's
liking, and there are those who suggest that it verges on bullying, but
when I interviewed the three Leedham girls twelve months ago, there
were unanimous is naming "Jimmy McGinn" as the biggest influence on
their basketball success - and that comment was not only unprompted,
but said with genuine warmth and affection.
If there was a criticism to be made of the set-up at Ellesmere Port it
was that McGinn seemed to have great difficulty delegating, and there
were many occasions on which either Under-18 or Under-16 matches had to
be postponed, as there was a clash of timing and venue. However, with
the Under-14s, at Cosford, he did have an experienced coach, Trevor
Gauntlett, alongside him as his assistant.
With McGinn's departure, though, the lack of other coaching staff
within the club has been cruelly highlighted.
Currently they have still not formally submitted an application for
membership of the Junior leagues for any of their teams - either Men or
Women, while they desperately hunt for suitably qualified, and
enthusiastic, candidates to take charge of the teams. I understand,
from a source close to the club, that they have been given special
dispensation to submit a late application if their quest proves
successful, but so far it has not borne fruit.
I'm sure that there is far more to the background of this story than
appears at the surface, but (on this occasion) I have no intention of
speculating, or reading between the lines ... I'll just have to leave
that to you.
One thing is certain, though - that the Junior Leagues will be
infinitely poorer for the absence of Jim McGinn ... and even poorer
still if the teams that he fostered are unable to continue in
competition!

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