Woodbridge Coach Says He’ll Apologize to Player for Published Comments

Bill Shannon, Woodbridge High School boys’ basketball coach, said Wednesday he will apologize to a former player whom he described as selfish in a newspaper report.

In an article on Tuesday about P.A. Emerson, who was expected to be Woodbridge’s starting center this season but decided not go out for the team, Shannon was quoted as saying:

“I just attribute it to his selfishness. It’s something that has left the whole school in a state of confusion. . . . He just doesn’t care to be on the floor with his teammates, nor are they important enough to him.”

Greg Cops, Woodbridge principal, said he met with Shannon on Wednesday to discuss the coach’s published comments.

“I think Bill was just showing disappointment at losing a very strong player,” Cops said. “It’s not the type of thing we like to see in the paper.”

Emerson, a 6-foot 6-inch senior, said he wanted to concentrate on conditioning and training for football. Emerson, an All-Southern Section defensive lineman, said he is being recruited by Washington, Utah, Oregon, Kansas, Colorado and Hawaii for football.

Emerson played with the basketball team throughout the summer and was expected to replace Adam Keefe, Woodbridge’s 2-time, 2-A player of the year, at center.

“I will apologize to P.A.,” Shannon said. “He has solid reasons for not wanting to play, I wish him all the best.”