• Another Coaching Candidate Snubbed by City

    by Troy Sparks

    Another coaching candidate was passed over by another City Conference school. Was it for political reasons, or was it that the athletic director turned a blind eye and failed to recognize potential and not believing in that potential?

    Calvin Rayford is well-qualified to be a head coach at any high school. When I ran into him recently, I asked why Milwaukee Washington didn't ask him to be their boys basketball coach after Jay Kenseth stepped down. He didn't have a clue. So maybe it is political.

    How can Washington turn away a guy who wore his emotions on his sleeves? Check his credentials. Rayford was an undersized incoming freshman who cracked the varsity lineup and helped lead the Purgolders to a state championship as a senior.

    Not only that, Rayford was a McDonald's All-American. We had at least three other players from Wisconsin make the McDonald's All-American team, but Rayford was and might be the last one from Milwaukee. Tack on a good college career at Kansas and some professional ball overseas, and you have a great recipe for someone who's ready to be a head coach.

    The Washington job would have been a great fit for Rayford. What do you think people who know Rayford thought when Freddie Riley got the job? It was another snub for a well-qualified and highly-decorated player as it was with James Wright.