Linn-Benton Community College has fired Men’s Basketball Coach Joe Schaumburg.
Schaumburg was let go in December and has been replaced by Everett Hartman. Hartman, who was named interim head coach on Dec. 10, was Schaumburg’s predecessor and retired in 2019 after three seasons at LB.
Players and parents went to college officials, saying Schaumburg had created a toxic environment with his negative attitude and the persistent disrespect he showed players and others, not only during practices but also during games.
“Our athletics program listens to student and parent feedback and is committed to supporting and responding to our teams’ needs — athletically, academically, and personally,” LBCC said in a statement from Chief Information Officer Jennifer Boehmer. “We chose our new interim coach, Everett Hartman, because of his deep commitment to our athletes’ success and the considerable skills and experience he brings to the role. We are confident he will do an excellent job leading our Roadrunners during this transition.”
Schaumburg’s overall record at Linn-Benton was 15-28 over three seasons, from April 2019 to December 2021. This includes Spring 2021 when LB only played teams in the NWAC South Region (4-9). He went 0-3 during the current 2021-22 season before being terminated.
Before rejoining LBCC, Hartman’s record at the helm of the Roadrunners was 51-35, including a 22-10 record in 2017 that finished with an appearance in the NWAC Final Four. Hartman has coached four games this season, going 2-2. The team currently stands at 2-5. Assistant coaches Kaj Bansen, Ron Richards and Peter Wilmes all remained on staff after Schaumburg’s departure.
Schaumburg hasn’t responded to requests to comment from The Commuter.
Several players who spoke to a Commuter reporter, however, asked not to be identified.
“His cumulative win-loss record and things (Schaumburg) said, and how he never was positive to his players, were all factors to him being let go,” said one LBCC player.
Another Roadrunners player said, “He never really had good player relations because he was very disrespectful. He very rarely complimented players and hardly encouraged us in practice and games. He struggled with creating a healthy and positive environment that players and teams need to thrive. He just didn’t understand that we needed him to be more positive and encouraging to us, instead of saying disrespectful things to us.”
“When he would get mad he would try to shame us by calling us pussies, his attitude on the bench was also shameful, it was embarrassing to play for him.” another player said when asked about Schaumburg.
“Instead of being encouraging during games and practices he would talk down to the team, maybe he thought it was tough love but it’s certainly words you don’t say,” added another Roadrunners player.
When asked by The Commuter why Schaumburg was fired, one of the players said, “I feel like he was fired because he wasn’t listening to his players about the game plan to win games. His (game plan) wasn’t really working so the team suggested little solutions here and there, but he wouldn’t try them.”
Players said the toxic environment and the way they were treated only sped up the inevitable of Schaumburg being fired. For the past two years, they said, players had been voicing their frustrations individually to Schaumburg. In addition to the athletes, parents also reportedly sent complaints to LBCC Athletics Director Mark Majeski.
“Most of the team met with one of the deans after multiple failed attempts to talk to Joe (Schaumburg) about it individually,” one of the players said.
Majeski declined to comment for this story. The college’s Human Relations Director Scott Rolen also declined to comment, referring questions to Boehmer.
The college did not announce Schaumburg’s dismissal and the hiring of Hartman. The game against Lower Columbia on Dec. 12 was Hartman’s first game as head coach, and he led the Roadrunners to their first win on the season, 85-81, over the Red Devils.
No press releases or other announcements have been posted on the LBCC or Linn-Benton Athletics websites. The only hint of a change was the Men’s Basketball staff page showing Hartman as the new head coach for the Beaks.
Before coming to LBCC, Schaumburg was an assistant coach at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Lewis and Clark, and Western Oregon University in Monmouth. He started his coaching career at Skyline Community College in San Bruno, California, where he also played.
The NWAC has pushed back all basketball games until Monday, Jan. 17 due to COVID concerns throughout the conference. The Roadrunners are scheduled to take on Mt.Hood at 7:30 pm at home on Jan. 17.