Kia Wright let go as coach of Copiague girls basketball team

More than a dozen supporters turned out in Copiague Wednesday night to plead with school board officials to reinstate a high school girls basketball coach who was let go by the district last month.

Kia Wright, the girls varsity coach at Copiague High School since 2020, said she was told last month by school athletic director William Bennett that she would not be returning next school year.

Wright, 39, of North Amityville, said Bennett told her the dismissal was a consequence of a trip Wright took with a dozen players in January to see a basketball game between two of her alma maters, the University of Connecticut and St. John’s University.

Wright told Newsday in an interview that the trip was coordinated through her nonprofit, Kwiet Storm Inc., that she received permission from all of the parents and that no part of the trip involved school grounds or personnel. 

She described the trip as “a chance to ... get the kids that I coach and mentor to see both teams play; it was inspirational for myself and then hopefully, [gave] them inspiration.”

Bennett declined to comment and referred Newsday to district spokeswoman Jessica Novins, who said in an email that “the district does not comment on matters of personnel.”

Asked if a replacement had been hired for Wright, Novins said “coaching appointments are on an annual basis and winter appointments typically happen later.”

Wright said she received a “write-up” for the trip, her first as coach, but doesn’t understand how it led to her contract not being renewed. 

“It felt like a slap in the face in a sense because more than anything, I care about these kids, I care about the program,” she said.

Supporters, players turn out

Supporters, including many of her players, flooded a June school board meeting asking for Wright to be reinstated. They returned Wednesday night to tell the board how much Wright is valued among players and parents.

Wright's salary for the season was $13,120, according to district records. In addition to coaching at Copiague, she coaches an Amateur Athletic Union team and provides training and mentorship through her nonprofit.

One tearful mom from Selden said Wright became a mentor for her daughter Raiyah, who played for Georgia Southwestern State University and has since transferred to Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania.

“My daughter was going to not play basketball anymore and Kia willed her back to the game,” said Erin Reid. “Kia was her support system. To have a coach, a trainer, who steps into your life and turns you into a [Division II] basketball player . . . .” 

Reid went on to plead with the board to keep Wright for the benefit of the players.

“These other girls who are playing at Copiague . . . the girls need her, they need coaches like this," Reid said. There are so many coaches out here who don’t take the time to get to know the student. They don’t take the time to be a part of their life. And they need that, they need just not on the court but off.” 

An appeal to school board

Wright said she sent a letter to the Copiague school board asking it to review her dismissal. This week she received a response from Copiague Superintendent Kathleen Bannon, which Wright shared with Newsday.

In the letter, Bannon said the board had discussed the comments made by supporters in June, but the decision to not bring Wright back was “based upon the significant concerns regarding your judgement, as evidenced by your most recent end of season coaching evaluation and the counseling memo you received in January.”

Wright was a star player at Copiague High School, averaging 24.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 6.3 steals per game and leading her team to its first Suffolk Class A and Long Island championship in 2002 and the Eagles' first state title a year later. Her 2,148 career points at Copiague are tied for 17th in Long Island girls basketball history.

She went on to become the only player in St. John's program history to score over 1,500 points and amass over 400 assists. She is a member of both the St. John’s and Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame.

Ashley Mais, whose daughter Madison, 14, played for Wright at Copiague, called Wright’s dismissal “devastating” for her daughter.

“To know her coach is being let go for something that was supposed to help inspire the girls and give them something to look forward to is a bit confusing,” she said. 

Mais, 36, said if Wright ends up coaching at a private school, she would consider having her daughter transfer.

Mais and other parents said Wright also helped her players off the court in understanding what courses they needed to take to attract top-tier schools, as well as important life lessons.

Latosha Morris, 39, said her 14-year-old daughter Janiya’s “dreams were kind of crushed” by the news of Wright not returning. The mom said she, too, would consider having her daughter transfer to another school. Janiya told Newsday that she’s “very upset” over Wright being let go.

“I feel like she actually cares about us on and off the court,” Janiya said.

The team finished 7-12 this season. Wright called her time coaching “an honor.”

“It meant a lot to be a part of this program, as a player and as a coach,” she said.

Newsday's Brian Heyman contributed to this story.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the NCAA Division in which Georgia Southwestern State University's women's basketball team competes. Also, this story has been updated to indicate that Raiyah Reid transferred from that college to Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania.