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High School On SI National High 5: New York coach fired for yanking hair; March Madness for preps (3/24/2025)

The top news items featured daily includes record-setting performance in Indiana, super boys basketball class in Southern California and celebration of legendary coach's life

Mitch Stephens

Brayden Burries of Roosevelt soars in for a dunk during the California (CIF) State Open Division title game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Brayden Burries of Roosevelt soars in for a dunk during the California (CIF) State Open Division title game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. / Photo by Brian Kimoto

Welcome to National High 5 from High School on SI, a daily look at five of the country's top, most talked about high school sports stories.

When applicable, we'll offer texture, context and even a little opinion. Enjoy the first installment.

1. New York yanking leads to outrage, firing, apology

Hard to start with such a disturbing one but everyone who witnessed — and that is most of America on any form of social media — Northville High girls basketball coach yank the ponytail of his star player Hailey Monroe after an emotional state-title game is simply hard to ignore. So much to unearth here. Considering the coach Jim Zullo, who won more than 500 games coaching boys basketball three decades , came out of retirement in 2023-24 at the age 80 seems of note. Old school methods among boys were perhaps accepted 20-30 years ago, but not today. Positives from the incident: A teammate (reportedly Zullo's great niece) stood up to the coach in real time; the Northville Central School District responded the same day and fired the coach; Zullo issued an emphatic apology the next day. This was Zullo's first coaching stint in 13 years and was encouraged by his late wife, who died last year due to cancer.

2. Late, legendary California football coach lauded

At the other end of longtime coaching service, Grant of Sacramento (Calif.) coach Mike Alberghini, who died on Feb. 12, was celebrated Saturday for 50 years of coaching and teaching. In this beautiful tribute and description of the event by Sacramento Bee’s Joe Davidson, "Coach Al" was showered on a rainy afternoon at the school's football stadium for his no-nonsense grit, loyalty, wit, honesty and overall contributions to a community in need of all those things. His teams also won 18 league, seven section and one state Open Division title, the only public school to ever to do so. He also won nearly 500 baseball games at the school. Mostly, his former quarterback Kipeli Konisetti said, Alberghini "changed a lot of our lives. We're forever thankful."

3. SoCal freeway to NBA?

California (CIF) State Basketball Championships
Alijah Arenas dribbles across midcourt against Jesuit in California (CIF) State Division 2 title game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. / Photo by Ralph Thompson

The NBA is currently loaded with Southern California products and even future Hall of Famers. Russell Westbrook (Leuzinger), James Harden (Artesia), Kahwi Leonard (King) come quickly to mind. So do Klay Thompson (Santa Margarita) and Jrue Holliday (Campbell Hall). The current lot of SoCal kids is right there with the best classes the region has produced with national Player of the Year finalist Brayden Burries (Roosevelt), Alijah Arenas (Chatsworth) and Nik Khamenia (Harvard-Westlake), McDonald's All-Americans all, leading the charge. Add super gifted sophomore Tyran Stokes (Notre Dame) and USC-bound Elzie Harrington (St. John Bosco) and it's an embarrassment of riches in the Southland. Read Tarek Fattal's breakdown of the best and brightest from Southern California — The All-CIF 2025 Southern California boys basketball team.

4. Indiana boys basketball team scores semistate record 115

Another hotbed of boys basketball is no doubt the Hooiser State. St. Joseph of South Bend just set an IHSAA 3A semi-state playoff scoring record with a 115-81 win over Maconaquah on Saturday. the 196 was the second highest combined total, topped only by an overtime game in 1996 that totaled 203. According to the South Bend Tribune's Justin Hough, St. Joseph (25-3) made 14 three-pointers, shot 61% from the floor and combined for just nine turnovers. Three players scored at least 20 points, led by Chase Konieczny's 25 points and Ethan Roseman had 12 assists to offset a 40-point barrage by Maconaquah's Josiah Ball.

5. 2025 March Madness for high schools

Why do college basketball fans get all the luck? High School On SI ace writer and reporter Andy Villamarzo wondered what it would be like if the high school boys basketball landscape took a crack at March Madness. Read this fascinating and detailed look at what the 2025 field would look like.

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Mitch Stephens
MITCH STEPHENS

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.

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