The girls basketball coaching carousel continues at Shorewood High School.
Brandon Glasser on Tuesday submitted his resignation to school administrators, ending a two-year stint with the Thunderbirds.
In a statement sent to The Enterprise, Glasser said: “Due to a lack of support from the majority of players and parents in the program, it is clear to me that my services are no longer needed.”
Though it was ultimately Glasser’s decision to leave and he was not fired by the district, he was reluctant to walk away.
“It was difficult for me because I want to stay. When I first got the job I told everyone I was committed for the long term,” said Glasser, who teaches health and physical education at Einstein Middle School.
Glasser becomes Shorewood’s fourth girls basketball coach to step down in six seasons. Since longtime coach Tom Demetre’s retirement in 1999, no one has held the position longer than two seasons.
During his postseason evaluation in early March, Glasser was informed that several players and parents voiced their concerns to the school about his coaching style.
“I realize with this position you’re going to have your critics and people who don’t agree with everything you’re doing,” Glasser said. “What blindsided me the most was finding out there was so many people unsupportive of me and the direction I was trying to take this team. It was disheartening to hear that.
“After finding out there was such a high percentage of parents and players with complaints, it was in my best interests and the best interests of the program for me to step aside.”
The Thunderbirds were a combined 5-31 in Western Conference 4A South Division play and 6-34 overall under Glasser the past two seasons.
Numbers dipped this winter and Shorewood entered a rebuilding mode, with four sophomores and two freshmen on the varsity roster.
“What’s frustrating is that I felt that everyone understood this was going to be a process and success wasn’t going to happen overnight,” Glasser said. “The prospects of winning a lot of basketball games this season weren’t realistic.”
Glasser, who worked as an assistant girls coach at Shorecrest for two years in addition to coaching the boys and girls teams at Einstein, hopes to return to the sidelines in the future.
“For now, I’m going to take some time and let all of this sink in. It hurts. It’s not an easy thing to move on from,” Glasser said.
“I know that down the road more opportunities will come forth. I believe in myself as a coach and what I can bring to a program. I’m not giving up on it.”
Shorewood athletic director Rich Gustafson said the opening will likely be posted sometime after spring break.
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