Principal says clear choice among 6 basketball coaching applicants is James C. Justice

The principal at Greenbrier East High School says a coaching search of six candidates clearly shows the best applicant to lead the boys basketball team is James C. Justice II.

“Upon completion of the interview process it became obvious Coach James Justice was the obvious choice to receive the recommendation of the interview team,” Greenbrier East Principal Ben Routson said. “Coach Justice excelled in the interview process and was the only applicant with head coaching experience at the high school varsity level.”

That happens to be the governor of West Virginia and the wealthy owner of The Greenbrier Resort. But Routson says Justice stands out for his many years on the sideline.

The principal read a detailed, four-minute statement about the coaching search to MetroNews on Tuesday afternoon. He began by noting the unusual attention to the coaching search, considering the high-profile status of the lead applicant. Routson said media requests led him to offer the statement.

Justice has coached the Greenbrier East Lady Spartans since the year 2000, continuing even while serving as governor.

He used to be the boys coach at the high school, starting in 2010, but he announced his retirement from that team in 2017, his first year in office as governor. Former professional basketball player Bimbo Coles took over that year but now has departed.

When the search for a new coach began, Routson said all applicants were granted interviews, all with the same questions revolving around coaching experience, basketball philosophy and player and student development.

“By state law, the interview team is legally required to not discriminate and always recommend the most qualified applicant for hiring,” Routson stated.

“When considering the applicant pool, it is hard to ignore an applicant with almost 500 high school varsity wins at Greenbrier East High School, consistent postseason play and state tournament appearances and championships, including taking both the boys and girls basketball teams to the state tournament in the same year.”

Routson said he also has received positive testimonials of past players, describing how Justice has affected their lives for the better.

“Therefore, the interview team concluded based on facts Coach Justice was the obvious choice for the recommendation for head boys basketball coach at Greenbrier East High School,” Routson said.

When Greenbrier County’s five-member school board gathered last week in executive session to consider personnel matters, they tabled the decision over a coach. It’s possible the board will make a decision within the next few weeks, including a special meeting August 23.

There’s doubt about whether Justice would have the votes, though.

One board member, Richard Parker, has already said he will vote against Justice. In an earlier interview, he described the difficulty of balancing both the girls and boys teams, much less other major responsibilities.

Today, Parker said, “I am not going to comment because the whole affair – I mean…” and then he took a long pause, letting some beats go by. “I haven’t changed my vote.”

Some of the current school board members also served on the board when Justice was considered to be the boys coach in 2010.

Kay Smith and Hazel Reed were the two no votes that year. So if their votes remain the same and Parker is also a no, then Justice would not have the votes.

Smith couldn’t be reached today. Reed today said, “I have no comment, and I will never have a comment to be made publicly about that matter.”

Justice  wants to take on both teams while also running the state’s executive branch and heading up his family’s business empire that spans tourism, agriculture and coal.

Gov. Jim Justice

The governor, speaking to MetroNews last week prior to the board’s consideration, said the superintendent and the principal wanted him to apply as the boys coach.

Superintendent Jeff Bryant is also the director of entertainment at The Greenbrier Resort, owned by Justice and his family. Bryant was the principal at Greenbrier East when Justice was first hired as the girls coach. He called media outlets today to let them know a statement about the coaching search was available at the high school.

“I thought a lot about it and everything, surely not to take away from the governorship at all,” Justice said. “We’ll see. We’ll see how the board votes and everything. The superintendent asked me; the principal, the vice principal, the athletic director all want me to do it. And I know I can do the job.”

Justice added, “If it works out, it’d be great. If it doesn’t work out it’d be sad, a little bit, but we’ll go on.”

The governor acknowledged the balance will be a challenge but said as head coach he will have to rely on help.

“At my age, I’ll have to have great assistant coaches. And to be perfectly honest, they’ll have to do the work. I’ll coach the game,” he said. “Nevertheless I love the kids. That’s all there is to it.”

Principal Routson’s statement ran through some of the highlights of Justice’s tenure in coaching.

“For the last 20 years, every single year, Coach Justice has received an exemplary evaluation,” Routson said, “and his record while coaching at Greenbrier East is 493 wins and 172 losses.”





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