College-Ousted Coach Gets 'Second Chance' at ALJ High School

The Clark School District recently hired former Kean University head women's basketball coach Michele Sharp as coach of the Arthur L. Johnson high school girls team.

Sharp was removed from her Kean coaching position early last year after an NCAA infractions report claimed she “consistently failed to work within the athletics department structure” and was the “catalyst for decisions” that violated NCAA rules, NJ.com reported. (All 13 of Kean's teams received sanctions and were put on a four-year probation as a result of the investigation, which also revealed that athletes received a disproportionate amount of financial aid compared with the rest of the student body.)

"Specifically, she changed grades for a player who was ineligible; established a course in conjunction with a team trip to Spain that wasn’t made available to other students; and provided cash payments to some players during a trip to Florida," according to the article. 

The Clark School District has remained silent on the decision and Superintendent Ken Knops has not returned our requests for comment.

Sharp, however, has an ally in Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso, who suggested she apply for the position formerly held by Tom Chmiel. Sharp coached Bonaccorso's daughter Christina, a junior at ALJ, for two seasons of AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball and will now coach her on the varsity team.

"On the Kean issue, when Coach Sharp was introduced to the parents of our AAU program, she was very upfront in telling us what happened at Kean," Bonaccorso said.

"I went online and read the sanctions and, you know what, it is what it is. Irrespective of what happened there, there was nothing in my mind that’s a criminal matter. Whether there was a rules violation or not, I know there are a hundred colleges out there that get sanctioned every day for rules violations. We’re living in a society of second chances, and I think someone like her absolutely deserves a second chance to coach." 

Sharp declined to comment on her departure from coaching at Kean, but told Patch she is thrilled to start the season in Clark. 

"Of course, I'm excited to be coaching in Clark and appreciate [Athletic Director] Gus Kalikas and the school giving to me a chance to get back to doing what I love most," Sharp said. "The girls seem really excited to be a part of something new and ready to get down to work."

Bonaccorso points to Sharp's achievements at Kean where she had coached since 1998 before her removal. Kean went 24-5 and was the NJAC regular-season champion in 2011, Sharp's last year on the job. She was also named NJAC co-coach of the year. In 2010, Sharp's team won the tournament and went 29-1, setting a school record.

Three of Sharp's players at Kean have earned Kodak/WBCA All-American honors, and two have played professionally overseas. Before Kean, Sharp was head coach at Manhattan College, Norwich University and Swarthmore College.

She earned a bachelor of science degree in health and physical education from West Chester University and a master's in educational administration from Villanova University. She is still employed at Kean as the supervisor of recreation.

"She’s stepping down to a high-school level, and you know I hate to say it, but the college level's loss is Clark girls' gain," Bonaccorso said. "I hope the girls in this town stick to her like glue, learn the game and they can say someday they were coached by her. I think eventually Coach Sharp will end up at another collegiate position and this is a tremendous opportunity for Clark."

As for her coaching style, Sharp said it changes with every team. 

"You have to adapt to the personnel you have currently," she said. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to evaluate the girls more thoroughly." 

Bonaccorso said Sharp is "tough" and appreciates her high expectations for players on and off the court.   

"She's not only coaching, but morally working with the girls and picking up where us parents leave off when they leave our door," Bonaccorso said.

"She is very passionate about her team being not just very good on the court, but being very good people off the court. I saw her handle many different kids from many walks of life, and I thought she was unbelievable in the way she handled each personality. Each kid is different and she coached to the different personalities and made the whole team understand it's a team effort. I'm proud to have my daughter play for her."

Sharp said Bonaccorso's "tough" assessment is pretty accurate.

"I'm a black-and-white person and I don’t like to leave gray areas," she said. "I set expectations and goals for individual players and my thing is discipline and commitment to develop on the court and to be good citizens in life. Basketball is a great place to practice being an adult. I want the girls to understand it's a privilege to play. You have to carry yourself the right way."

Sharp has two sons Michael, 13, and Brian 26, whom she adopted from one of her players when he was 3 months old. A 1995 New York Times feature on Sharp detailed his adoption, reporting "she took it upon herself to find [her player Debbie] Lytle jobs and, in the process, to become her best friend. And when Lytle again lost control of her life, turning back to the streets of North Philadelphia and the world of drugs, it was Sharp who became Brian's surrogate mother."

Sharp has met the team and will begin practices in the fall. One parent told Patch her daughter was "very impressed" by Coach Sharp and that the team and other parents have responded positively to her hiring.