Motter out as Littlestown basketball coach
Motter was with the school for nine years and was the boys' basketball coach the past four
Littlestown let go of boys' basketball and girls' track and field coach Scott Motter on Wednesday, according to Motter.
Motter said he was told that his contract for both sports would not be renewed because there "just wasn't support" for his return. Motter led the Thunderbolts basketball team to a 7-15 record (7-7 in division play) this past season while helping coach a boys' track team that tied for the Division III title. The girls' track team finished 1-5.
"I wish I could tell you why, except I don't know," Motter said. "I was given an arbitrary answer that there just wasn't support, which seemed extremely odd to me. Unfortunately somewhere along the way I upset somebody, and I don’t know who or why or how."
Littlestown athletic director Jeff Laux was unavailable for immediate comment.
Motter spent the past year as a long-term substitute teacher at the school but had already decided not to re-apply for the position. He said he was unsure if that had anything to do with the decision to let him go as a coach.
A 1989 graduate of Littlestown, Motter has lived in the town his entire life. He became an assistant football coach at the school in 2007 and assistant track coach in 2009. He took over as head boys' basketball coach in 2012 and head girls' track coach in 2014.
The Thunderbolts basketball team went 16-72 in Motter's four years at the helm, but improved from 1-21 in 2014-15 to 7-15 this past season with just one senior on the roster. Littlestown went 4-17 the year prior to his hiring.
"The basketball team was bad as could be before I took over and we finished .500 in the division (in 2015-16) for the first time in years and years," Motter said. "I have no animosity toward the decision makers of my community, rather I'm disappointed in the fact that someone has convinced others that I am a bad person or that I have done something wrong. I can assure you that neither is true."
Littlestown track and field athlete Bre Smith, who won a District 3 title in 2015 in the discus under Motter, said the coach had a great relationship with his athletes and often stayed late after practice to offer additional coaching. Smith, who just completed her senior year at the school, added she's planning on attending Littlestown's school board meeting on June 27 to speak in support of him.
"To this day I look to him as a father figure or someone I can go to," Smith said. "It upsets me that this decision was made because he has impacted so many kids in such a positive way. He's the type of person you want to be around. It hurts me that kids at Littlestown aren’t going to have him as a coach anymore."
Motter said he addressed the Littlestown's basketball players at their scheduled workout on Wednesday to explain the situation to them.
"I said, 'I'm going to be honest with you because I've never taught any of you to hide anything,'" he said. "I said, 'Sadly I have to tell you that I’m no longer with the basketball program, and as odd as that sounds I promise that I’m still there for you if you need anything from me.'"