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Championship finals often end with fans and media discussing exceptional performances and thrilling moments in the game. However, the 2025 Class D NYSPHSAA Girls Basketball Championship ended in controversy.
Northville Head Coach Jim Zullo lost his cool after his team lost the Class D finals on Friday night. While the team was still standing on the court, the head coach proceeded to yank one of his player's hair. The incident was met with serious criticism from the media and fans alike. Zullo has since been relieved from his role as head coach of the Northville Falcons.
On Saturday, CBS 6 Albany shared a video clip of Zullo pulling the ponytail of player Hailey Monroe moments after the defeat.
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Following the incident, Jim Zullo issued an apology for his actions on Sunday.
"I want to offer my sincerest apologies to Hailey and her family, our team, the good folks at Northville Central Schools and our community," he said (via Times Union). "As a coach, under no circumstance is it acceptable to put my hands on a player, and I am truly sorry."
The incident occurred during the Class D state championship final where Northville fell 43-37 to La Fargeville.
Jim Zullo and Northville Falcons lose Class D NYSPHSAA girls basketball championship for 2nd straight year
Jim Zullo and the Northville Falcons fell short in the championship game against La Fargeville, marking the second straight year they’ve narrowly missed out on championship glory. The Falcons fell to a 54-34 loss to Hammond Central in the championship game last year.
Zullo, who is a coaching veteran with nearly 37 years of experience coaching high school basketball, had initially retired from coaching in 1999. However, he came out of retirement in 2023 to coach Northville. Zullo's spell with Northville was relatively successful with two regional championships.
Before his initial retirement, Jim Zullo coached boys' high school basketball. In a long coaching career, he coached Little Falls, Shenendehowa, Broadalbin-Perth and Indian Lake, amassing over 500 career wins in this period. With Northville, he recorded 44 victories in two seasons.
