March 29, 2024
Sports

Calais’ Roussel new Saint Joseph’s AD Simonds, fired from job, feels betrayed

David Roussel is looking forward to his future as the newly-appointed interim athletic director at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.

But ousted part-time athletic director Rick Simonds, who said he feels betrayed by the school’s administration, will contemplate his future as the men’s basketball coach at the school after this season.

Dr. David House, president of St. Joseph’s College, took the advice of consultant Dr. Elizabeth Alden of Alden & Associates and created a full-time athletic director position. The firm reviewed the school’s athletic programs and outlined areas of potential growth.

The new full-time position went to Roussel even though Simonds has served as the part-time athletic director since 1981. He has been the men’s basketball coach since 1979.

Calais native Roussel has been at the school since 1993 and has held a variety of positions including the director of academic records and student advising and the assistant to the dean for academic affairs. He coached the men’s soccer team for four years and has been the women’s soccer coach since 1998.

“I was blindsided,” said Simonds about his ouster as AD. “It came totally out of the blue. It was very disappointing.”

He learned about the change Monday afternoon.

Simonds said reports the president didn’t want his full-time athletic director coaching a sport had nothing to do with the president’s decision to appoint Roussel.

“It was a personality conflict between the two of us,” said Simonds.

House could not be reached for comment.

Roussel has taken a leave of absence from coaching during his tenure as interim AD.

Simonds said he considered stepping down as basketball coach but felt it “wouldn’t have been in the best interest of my players or the institution.

“As a coach, you’re always talking to your players about overcoming adversity,” said the 53-year-old Simonds.

He also feared that if he had resigned, his players might have elected not to play to protest the president’s decision and that would have been embarrassing to the institution.

The 14-time league coach of the year said he has a special bond with his players, particularly his six seniors. His Monks are off to an 8-1 start.

As for his future?

“Time will tell,” said Simonds, the former Ellsworth High School basketball coach, who added he has received more than 50 phone calls expressing support for him.

Meanwhile, Roussel is getting adjusted to his new role.

“I’m just excited about the opportunity to continue to work with our faculty, staff, coaches and student-athletes in my new capacity and to improve upon a very good athletic program,” said the 32-year-old Roussel, a three-time Maine Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, once for the men and twice for the women.

Roussel is in an awkward position since Simonds had been his boss.

But he said he is “looking forward to working with Rick.

“He is an excellent basketball coach who has done tremendous things at Saint Joseph’s College with the student-athletes. The image of our basketball program is very positive and I know he’ll continue to be successful as a coach,” said Roussel.

One of Roussel’s first tasks will be to monitor the institution’s bid to join the North Atlantic Conference.

Simonds said they had looked at applying to the 10-team NAC last summer along with Husson, Thomas and the University of Maine-Farmington. They aren’t in a conference right now.

“We, the coaches, voted 11-1 in favor of it,” said Simonds.

But Dr. House decided against it.

Husson, UMF and Thomas were accepted and will be NAC members beginning in the fall.

Reportedly, House had a change of heart when the Alden & Associates findings suggested they join the NAC.

“It may not be the best conference for us but it’s far better than not being in one,” said Simonds, who made the application presentation recently.

The earliest the Monks could join the conference if they are accepted would be 2004.

“As the result of not being in a league, I’ve got only four home games next season,” said Simonds. “That hurts the quality of student life because the students like to go to basketball games.”


Have feedback? Want to know more? Send us ideas for follow-up stories.

comments for this post are closed

You may also like