Nick Lackovich remains ousted as Aliquippa boys basketball coach — at least for now

By: Chris Harlan
Monday, June 2, 2025 | 7:48 PM

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Nick Lackovich remains out of a job as Aliquippa boys basketball coach — at least for now — despite winning a school board vote to bring him back.

The board held a special meeting Monday night specifically to reconsider Lackovich’s job after ousting the two-time state champion coach May 21. The board heard from nine community members and Lackovich before voting 4-3 with one abstention to bring him back.

However, solicitor John Cambest told the board that five “yes” votes were required for the motion to pass. The meeting started with nine board members and one left prior to the vote. Therefore, the motion to renew Lackovich’s contract failed. The board discussed plans to again add his contract status to next meeting’s agenda.

Lackovich wasn’t rehired but said he felt hopeful since the board previously voted 5-3 to remove him.

“It’s progress,” he said. “I was out last time. Now we’re kind of edging to the right direction.”

Board members Catherine Colalella, Torri Durham-Flannigan, Ken Rainey and Janice Cain voted to renew Lackovich’s contract. Sandra Gill, Brian Sims Sr. and Nicole Bible voted no. Board president Tina Price-Genes abstained, and Yvonne Jackson was not present for the vote.

Board members declined comment, referring questions to school superintendent Phillip Woods.

The board is scheduled to meet June 11.

“I love my players, and I’m fairly certain — since they’ve all been polled since last Wednesday — they feel the same way,” Lackovich said in his comments to the board. “They’re pretty upset about this. This wasn’t right. This absolutely wasn’t right.”

Lackovich compiled a 185-41 record in eight seasons as Aliquippa’s coach. He won four WPIAL titles and two state championships, most recently winning both in 2024. The Quips went 23-6 last season while reaching the WPIAL Class 3A final and state semifinals.

He said he’d let the process play out.

“I’m always optimistic,” Lackovich said after the meeting. “If they decide they don’t want me, the sun still comes up.”

One of his former players, 2016 graduate Chucky Humphries, made an impassioned plea to the board to keep Lackovich as coach. He pushed back against claims that Lackovich was too tough on his players.

“It isn’t easy,” Humphries said. “As young men growing up in this city, we need to be held accountable on certain things. We need to be disciplined on certain things. I’ve been kicked out of practice. I’ve been on the bench at times. But I needed that.”

Humphries, who won two WPIAL titles and a state championship, said he now mentors kids as a coach himself after playing college basketball at IUP. He said he was “100%” behind Lackovich.

“For a kid that grew up in Linmar housing, he was always there to pick us up for practice every day,” Humphries said. “He told us if we worked hard and stayed committed to the program, good things would come.”

Hopewell football coach Matt Mottes also spoke on Lackovich’s behalf, calling him “a friend and a community leader.”

“Coach Lackovich has shown success not only on the court but throughout the community,” Mottes said,

Lackovich coached the basketball team in two stints, the first lasting three seasons from 2013-16. He resigned while facing legal trouble. Some critics Monday pointed to those years-old issues — dog-fighting allegations in 2015 and child pornography charges in 2016 later dismissed — as reasons Lackovich shouldn’t be coach.

“Sure, the courts say one thing. That’s their opinion,” said Aliquippa resident Mark Walker, a youth football coach. “We had a couple of coaches fired when allegations were made without charges. They got rid of them because of the optics.”

Lackovich maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings and was rehired in 2020. He said those speaking against him had “a personal axe to grind” connected to how much playing time a family member got.

“It always goes back to playing time,” he said to the board. “It always goes full circle to playing time.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Aliquippa