New York Coach Dismissed for Yanking Player’s Ponytail in Tense Basketball Game Incident
An emotional state championship loss turned into a scandal for one high school in upstate New York, as Northville High School made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Over the weekend, longtime Hall of Fame girls basketball coach Jim Zullo was fired after being caught on camera forcefully pulling the ponytail of his star player and shouting at her in a shocking postgame confrontation.
From Defeat to Disgrace
The incident occurred moments after Northville’s heartbreaking 43–37 loss to La Fargeville in the NYSPHSAA Class D finals at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
Senior standout Hailey Monroe, who scored 12 points in the game, was seen crying alongside teammates when Zullo approached from behind, yanked her ponytail, and appeared to angrily berate her. The heated moment was caught on video and quickly went viral.
Teammate Steps In — And She’s Family
In a surprising twist, the teammate who stepped in to defend Monroe, Ahmya Tompkins, is reportedly Zullo’s great-niece. Her intervention drew attention from fans and the media alike, prompting an official response from the school.
School Responds Swiftly
In a public statement, the Northville Central School District expressed deep concern over the coach’s behavior:
“The District is aware of, and deeply disturbed by, the conduct of the Girls’ Varsity basketball coach during the championship game. This individual will no longer be coaching for Northville.”
Board President Carolyn Wilcox added that the situation had become a “personnel matter”, and emphasized that the well-being of student-athletes was the district’s top priority moving forward.
A Career Tarnished
Zullo, once celebrated for leading Shenendehowa High School to a Class A state title in 1987, had come out of retirement recently — reportedly at the urging of his late wife, who passed away last year after a long battle with cancer.
“She was his biggest fan,” said his son, Sam Zullo, also a basketball coach. “She believed in him more than anyone.”
A Painful End to a Promising Season
For Northville — a small school with just over 230 students — this marks the second straight year of falling just short in the championship game. But this time, the loss was overshadowed by controversy and an emotional blow to the team’s spirit.
💬 What are your thoughts on how this was handled? Was the firing justified, or should the school have taken a different approach?
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
