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Kevin Fischer is an award-winning veteran broadcaster who has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for nearly three decades.
Kevin, who is a legislative aide to state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, “INTERchange,” on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, in Franklin.
An MPS cell phone ban that worked
By Kevin Fischer
Sunday, Apr 29 2007, 07:35 AM
Last night, I was the emcee at the annual banquet of the Wisconsin Scorers and Timers Association (WISTA). WISTA provides unbiased, professional scorers and timers for all City Conference boys and girls varsity and junior varsity high school basketball games.
One of the guest speakers at the banquet was Milwaukee Vincent girls varsity basketball coach Marquis Hines. In March, Vincent won the girls state basketball championship at the state tournament. Vincent beat Sheboygan North for the title. Sheboygan North had knocked out Franklin in the quarterfinals.
In the middle of the 2005-2006 season, Hines replaced Vincent coach Chris Griffin when Griffin died unexpectedly. Griffin was starting to build Vincent into a power. Hines this year led Vincent to a 24-1 record and the state title.
A disciplinarian, Hines made his girls practice twice a day: at 6:30 in the morning, and then again right after school.
During the state tournament, realizing his team was on a mission to win not only for Vincent High School, but for the late Chris Griffin, the goal-oriented Hines took away his players’ cell phones.
“And you know how much the girls love their cell phones,” Hines told our banquet audience last night.
It worked. With one less major distraction, Vincent won the state title, and Hines was chosen Wisconsin Associated Press Coach of the Year.
A cell phone ban at MPS or any other school district can work, but not the way MPS does it. MPS has too many loopholes and exemptions and lax enforcement to make any cell phone ban effective.
