Successful, Controversial Miami (Fla.) Coach Shakey Rodriguez Retires

Shakey Rodriguez, the hyper intense, hyper successful and hyper controversial coach who made basketball matter in Miami, has decided to retire.

Rodriguez, 58, told his Krop High School players Tuesday that he would not return for an eighth season and a run at the state title they were denied this year.

Rodriguez, who has been a colorful and voluble presence on the Miami basketball scene for 30 years, said he plans to take some time off and return to coaching, but not at the public high school level, where he won five state titles at Miami High, led teams to seven top-10 national rankings and helped more than 70 players earn college scholarships.

“I’ve always prided myself on doing what is right for the student-athletes I coached,” said Rodriguez, who turned Miami High’s gym, “The Asylum,” into the epicenter of local basketball. “I will leave it up to those who have known me and were a part of this fantastic journey to judge the merits of my career.”

With the trophies came the critics, who said the charismatic Rodriguez bent rules and recruited talent. But he had kept his record intact until the Krop scandal. Krop High was ranked first in Florida when it was disqualified from the playoffs in February for using an ineligible player. If Florida High School Athletic Association investigators find that players used fake addresses, Krop could be penalized with probation and fines in excess of $150,000.

“I think retirement is the right thing to do under the circumstances,” Rodriguez said. “Knowing all that is going on, I want to be fair to the school, the players, my family and myself. The last few months have taken a toll.”

Rodriguez, a history teacher who earned a $2,860 supplement for coaching, said he agonized over the decision because he intended to come back for one more year before his mandatory retirement and coach Krop back to where it left off before a judge ended the season when it was discovered that guard Bryan Delancy, a senior from the Bahamas, was missing paperwork required of all foreign-born student-athletes. Delancy also listed a home address that didn’t exist.

The Krop team was treated unjustly, he said.

“To stand up in front of a group of kids who worked so hard and were clearly the best in the state and tell them they cannot play anymore — that was very painful,” he said. “It’s taken my fire away.”

Rodriguez maintains he did nothing wrong and was forbidden by the Miami-Dade School Board rules from inquiring about a student’s immigration status.

“We probably should have had Bryan’s situation examined before the season began, but I did not have a clue that it had anything to do with his immigration status,” he said.