Coeur d’Alene High fined, boys basketball coach suspended over ‘dead period’ violation

By MARK NELKE

Sports editor

COEUR d’ALENE — The Idaho High School Activities Association District 1 Board of Control has fined Coeur d’Alene High School $3,000 and suspended Viking boys basketball coach Jon Adams for the first five games of the 2023-24 season due to a scrimmage in a school gymnasium held during the “dead period” in August with a Coeur d’Alene coach present.

Mike Randles, Coeur d’Alene High principal, acknowledged the violation, but said the school plans to appeal the severity of the penalties to the District 1 Board of Control.

“It was an honest mistake,” Randles said, declining to get into specifics of the incident.

If the length of the suspension holds, Adams will be allowed to coach the team in practice during the suspension, but will not be allowed to be on the bench for the first five games — at Ferris and Moscow, then home games vs. Sandpoint, North Central and Central Valley.

He can return to the bench for Coeur d’Alene’s four games at the Jerry Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas Dec. 18-21.

The dead period, from July 31-Aug. 6, is designed to give athletes a designated break from practice.

Larry Schwenke, secretary of the District 1 Board of Control said "there was an issue brought forward to the board's attention." The board notified the school, followed up with an investigation, and issued its ruling earlier this week.