Maroons moving forward without Brault
Rob Brault
Rob Brault was fired as Elgin boys basketball coach Wednesday, one day after he was involved in a minor traffic accident two blocks from Elgin High School and subsequently arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
According to accident and arrest reports obtained by the Daily Herald on Thursday, Brault was turning right from Shales Parkway onto Maroon Drive in Elgin at 12:40 p.m. when his 1995 Saab struck a 2004 Toyota Tundra waiting to make a left turn.
Neither Brault nor the 49-year-old driver of the Toyota, a neighborhood resident, were injured in the accident.
However, when speaking to Brault during the ensuing investigation, police detected "a very noticeable odor of an alcoholic beverage, noted his eyes to be red and glassy and his speech was slurred," according to the report.
Following four field sobriety tests, Brault was placed under arrest at 2:05 p.m. and issued a citation for driving under the influence.
Brault was administered a breathalyzer test at the Elgin Police Station at 3 p.m., which showed a blood-alcohol content of .265, more than three times the Illinois limit of .08.
He was also issued citations for driving with a blood alcohol content over .08 and was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
Brault, who guided the Maroons to 53 wins and 78 losses in four-plus seasons, had taken a personal day Tuesday. He did not teach his social studies classes and was not scheduled to coach Elgin's 5 p.m. varsity practice.
Brault, 35, returned a phone call to the Daily Herald Thursday but declined comment on the situation pending future action by Elgin Area School District U-46.
Mike Sitter, who became a varsity assistant coach last summer when former assistant coach Randy Pompa stepped down, was told early Wednesday morning he had been named interim varsity coach.
The interim tag is a technicality. Because the job opening was not posted for two weeks within the school district as required, it must be re-posted following the season, when the hiring process will begin anew. But it's Sitter's job for this year.
"(Brault) will not be returning this year as head coach," U-46 Chief Communications Officer Tony Sanders confirmed Thursday. "Future seasons remain uncertain."
Sitter will be paid Brault's coaching stipend while volunteer coach Jeff Howard now moves into Sitter's paid spot.
Sitter is an Elgin High graduate who earned a bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University and a Master's degree in leadership from Aurora University.
He coached for three years at Round Lake High School before returning to Elgin High seven years ago. He has previously coached freshman and sophomore teams at Elgin.
Sitter insisted Thursday the Maroons will be ready for their season opener on Monday against Buffalo Grove at the Bison Thanksgiving Tournament.
"You just keep doing what you've been doing," the new coach said. "The practice plans haven't changed. The rotation of players hasn't changed. We're not putting in anything new. It's basketball and these guys have been playing basketball since they could walk, so it stays the same."
Elgin High's players are doing their best to prepare for the season in light of the obvious distraction.
"It's a big test right here," said senior forward Kenny Williams. "This is as big a test as you're going to have, to lose your coach four days before the first game. It (stinks), but we have to stick together."