By Marc Raimondi
“When they didn't show up for the game, I felt that I didn't want to coach this group of girls anymore,” Carradine said. “I just couldn't believe that this had happened.”There had been unrest before the protest. Parents had met together to discuss their unhappiness with Carradine, which stemmed from what was described as a mismanagement of the players. According to parents, some girls were benched for shooting three-pointers while some were benched for no reason at all.”He was holding them back instead of letting them grow,” said Billy Medley, whose daughter, Jade, is on the team. “I think the school needed a change.”Vincent O'Donoghue, a physical education teacher and JV girls' volleyball coach at Cardozo, will take over for the remainder of the season. After that, the school will have a coaching search, said Joe Cavallo, one of Cardozo's co-athletic directors. O'Donoghue is the former boys' basketball coach at Power Memorial HS in Manhattan, where he helped mentor future NBA players Chris Mullin and Mario Elie.The Judges, traditionally one of Queens' best teams, are nearing the end of one of their worst seasons in recent memory. Their league record is 3-12 and players were unhappy throughout.Medley and players framed Carradine's resignation as a long time coming.”I don't think it should have come to that,” said star player CiCi Palmer of the boycott. “Sometimes radical things need to be done to makes changes happen…It's something we wanted for awhile.”But for Carradine, it was a sad end. He professed to have run a clean program for more than two decades and credits this season's strife with a lack of veteran leadership. Cardozo has 10 freshmen and sophomores, one junior and one senior.Still, he does not regret his decision and wishes the team well going forward.”I was never going to let players or parents dictate how I run my team,” Carradine said. “It just doesn't make sense. I'm really dumbfounded by the whole thing.”Reach Associate Sports Editor Marc Raimondi by e-mail at mraimondi@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
