What Caused this Upstate New York B-Ball Coach To Snap?

Everyone wants to know why Jim Zullo, the Northville HS girls' basketball coach, snapped and pulled his players' ponytail last Friday after his team's loss.

We may never know the actual reason, and it still wouldn't justify his abhorrent actions.

Still, speculation from former and recent players suggests that his public meltdown was months in the making, and his actions on Friday night were consistent with his behavioral changes over the last several months.

What happened?

Coach Pulls on Girl's Hair After Game

Jim Zullo, the 81-year-old girl's head basketball coach from Northville, New York, who went viral in a despicable hair-pulling incident with one of his players, faces harassment charges just a few days after the school fired him.

During the viral confrontation, captured on the live stream, Zullo was seen pulling the ponytail of Senior star player Hailie Monroe following his team's 43-37 loss to LaFargeville Friday in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D girls basketball final at Hudson Valley Community College.

What Set Him Off Friday?

While it's unclear what immediately set Zullo off, some have speculated that an emotional Monroe (seen crying in the video) refused to join the post-game handshake line and may have said something to send the coach over the edge.

But the video tells a different tale and shows one of the more disturbing actions anyone has seen regarding a coach and player in years.

A teary Monroe appears to have joined the handshake line, yet Zullo grabs a fistful of her hair, yanks her ponytail, and says something to her.

Monroe's teammate, Ahmya Tompkins, intereves and even appears to be telling the coach to back off, to which he then starts pointing and shouting at her.

It's worth noting that Tompkins is Coach Zullo's great-niece.

Signs of a Struggle?

Some former players say they were surprised to hear about the 81-year-old coach's behavior.

Zullo had 26 years of success coaching the Shen boys' basketball team, winning a state title with the Plainsmen in 1987, before retiring and taking the Northville job this past season.

His players and colleagues largely respected him for decades before the meltdown, and he was even inducted into the New York Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

However, sources say the last year was challenging for him, and there were signs of a struggle. Something changed after his wife's death during the 2023-24 season.

Players said his moods fluctuated wildly, and he was barely recognizable.

“He was different,” said a senior Northville girls’ basketball team player. “He wasn’t the same coach we had seen in the previous season. He seemed tired, often withdrawn, and then he’d snap at us over small things. It was hard to understand what was going on.”

Another team source said. “It was like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he couldn’t let it out in a healthy way."

“His wife had been his rock. He always talked about how she was his biggest supporter,” said a former player from Shenendehowa East High School, where Zullo had previously coached. “After she passed, it seemed like he was just… lost. There was this heaviness in him that he couldn’t shake, and it slowly turned into frustration. I don’t think he knew how to deal with it,” the player said, according to the source. 

Charges Against Former Coach

According to a Facebook post by Hudson Valley Community College Public Safety, a harassment complaint was taken on Sunday. On Monday, Peace Officers from HVCC met with Zullo, and he was issued an appearance ticket for harassment in the Second Degree.

In New York State, a person is guilty of harassment in the second degree when, with intent to harass, annoy, or alarm another person, they strike, shove, kick, or otherwise subject the other person to physical contact or attempt or threaten to do the same.

Because it is a violation, the maximum penalties are no more than 15 days of incarceration and no more than $250 in fines.  He's due back in Troy City court at a later date.