Hazleton Area boys basketball coach Mike Joseph had his position opened, but he has reapplied for the job. No decision has been made to who will coach the team in 2020-21.
                                 Times Leader file photo

Hazleton Area boys basketball coach Mike Joseph had his position opened, but he has reapplied for the job. No decision has been made to who will coach the team in 2020-21.

Times Leader file photo

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Mike Joseph hasn’t been replaced as Hazleton Area boys basketball coach, contrary to a report on Twitter.

A Twitter account dedicated to District 2 basketball posted Sunday that “Mike Joseph was not retained by the school board.” The post created a groundswell of support online for Joseph, whose career record in 14 seasons at Hazleton Area is 273-81.

“The position is open and he has reapplied and they haven’t even done interviews yet,” Hazleton Area athletic director Fred Barletta said.

The Hazleton Area student activities, athletics and extra-curricular committee met last week with assistant football coaches and winter sports head coaches listed on it agenda. The agenda had Tim Barletta listed as the recommendation to the school board as boys basketball coach. Barletta has been with the program 17 years as the freshman coach and is the athletic director’s brother.

Fred Barletta, though, said that recommendation will not be presented to the school board during Thursday’s virtual meeting.

“That was on there (but) they took that off,” Fred Barletta said. “It was on the agenda, that’s correct, but that agenda never made it to the school board meeting. That was on the (committee) agenda sent out so many hours ahead of time for the public and the media, and the board meeting is Thursday. I just submitted on Friday the official agenda, and that is not on there.”

Hazleton Area essentially opens every coaching position at the end of the season to gauge interest. There were no other applicants other than the current coaches for the 2020-21 winter sports season. Boys basketball had three applicants — Joseph, Tim Barletta and a third candidate that Fred Barletta declined to name.

The school board then decides whether to keep the current coach or interview applicants. The procedure is used at other schools throughout the state. Fred Barletta added the deadline for applying is July 2.

Joseph had the same situation happen in 2016 when there were four applicants before he was ultimately retained.

Hazleton Area finished 13-10 with an inexperienced team this past season, losing to Scranton 51-50 in the District 2 Class 6A semifinals to end a streak of three consecutive D2-6A titles.

The Cougars had their streak of four consecutive Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 championships end. They finished 9-5 in the division, one game behind a four-way tie for first place.

Joseph has never had a losing season at Hazleton Area and his teams have won 20 or more games in eight of his 14 seasons. He played at Hazleton High and set nine school records at Bucknell University. He was the head coach at Silverardo High School in Las Vegas for two years before returning to Hazleton Area as an assistant coach.