While not officially informed after 10 years on the staff, I assume I am a recently fired assistant coach of the Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School boys basketball team.

After the shock of the March 15 firing of Chris Drenning, I have experienced many different emotions and lost many hours of sleep wondering why.

I initially wanted to combatively and aggressively defend the most caring and hardest working coach I have ever known at this level — and I still do.

After discussing my spiteful strategy to inform the public of the truth and expose the unaccountable dictators in the administration, the unaware and unwilling to get involved 25-person board and the few very well connected parents (most know who they are) who used their influence to make this wrong action happen, Drenning nevertheless encouraged me to take the high road even while he is under attack and being lied about.

Well, I could do nothing and let the untrue contrived narrative created by these few that in some way Drenning violated school policies and never attempted to correct his behavior go unchallenged.

Or I could crawl in the dirt with them and reveal specific details about unfair rules he was forced to adhere to that hurt the progression of young kids’ talents as well as the program, the lack of transparency with athletic funds raised for each program, the denial of annual routine purchases that cost Drenning nearly $500 of his own money for senior night expenses, the “expect it” not “appreciate it” attitude toward most coaches in the system, and so much more.

Drenning took a program mired in mediocrity and quickly turned it into one of the most successful and admired programs in the state.

His accomplishments on the court have been well documented. What should be noted in the midst of this travesty, but being overlooked, is the relationships he and the entire staff built throughout his tenure with the guys that played for us.

This is evidenced by the overwhelming support we have all received from so many current and former players who are now so angry and disappointed with a school they loved — many of whom were, by the way, multi-sport athletes.

Our mission as a staff — and none of us have kids of our own in the system — was to make the program great and give all players the best opportunity to succeed on the court.

But, more importantly, our main mission was to make them good sons, good brothers, good teammates, good students, and good boys now and good husbands, good fathers, good employees and good men in the future.

Based on the overwhelmingly positive and heartfelt responses we have been receiving since this unfortunate decision was made, I think we did a pretty darned good job.

We love them all like our own sons and will surely miss them being part of our daily lives.

I assure we as a staff spent hundreds of hours every year evaluating each player and their talent level. We then did our best to piece those talents together to create the most successful team possible.

While the staff did not always agree on personnel decisions and earned playing time, what other sports a kid played or did not play was never taken into consideration — despite this untrue narrative that is wrongly being spread to justify our firing.

Having made that clear, I can’t help but wonder who should apologize, admit to mistakes and be fired — Drenning or the current administration?

I only wish the few unhappy, biased administrators and parents — all with sons or relatives on the basketball roster — weren’t the ones who got to make that decision.

Drenning obviously loved BG far more than BG loved him.

While the next coach will benefit greatly from all the dedicated and talented kids throughout the system and the incredible program Drenning has built to last, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to deal with this demonstrated hostile and unpleasant environment with cliques of administrators/parents dictating and manipulating your every move to advance their own interests.

I wish the selected candidate, or perhaps the pre-selected candidate, well for the sake of the kids that were forgotten during this thoughtless process.

Tom Goss

Altoona

PIAA official praises Drenning

In my 46 years of being a PIAA basketball official, I have officiated many games with many different coaches, all having their own coaching style.

I officiated many games at Bishop Guilfoyle, both boys and girls.

Chris Drenning stands at the very top of an elite group. My experience officiating Drenning’s games through his 11 years as head coach were nothing but complimentary.

His demeanor was always the same — intense, respectful toward the officials, but overall calm in nature. His players on the court were a carbon copy of Drenning — intense and respectful as well.

I wish Drenning and his staff all the best in the future.

Gary Zimmerman Sr.

Hollidaysburg

Longing for past BG regimes

Unfortunate, uncalled for, unexpected, unprofessional and an embarrassment to all school alumni is how I would describe the removal of Bishop Guilfoyle basketball coach Chris Drenning.

This would never, ever have happened under principals Monsignor Harkins, Father Luther, Father Plummer or Father Leo Lynch.

It did happen under current leadership, and the principal with no principles — and a son on the team — did the dirty deed with approval from the school administrator and a couple of board members.

I spoke to a board member who said that he had no idea, no prior knowledge of the coach being relieved of his duties.

This leads a reasonable person to conclude that favoritism from a board member with a player on the team and another family who was upset that their son did not start but did a fantastic job coming in off the bench to give the team a lift with his enthusiasm, energy as an invaluable sixth man.

The sixth man did, in fact, play the third most number of minutes. The only two who played more minutes were the Haigh brothers.

Meanwhile those executioners who conspired in secret and silence in their arrogance expect this incident to just blow over.

I encourage the alumni not to just turn the page. Step up, speak out, make your dissatisfaction known. Withhold financial support for the school until those in charge are held accountable for their non-Christian behavior.

I may be missing something as I was a regular radio listener as opposed to being there in person. I have spoken to people I greatly respect on both sides of the issue. A friend pointed out that unlike football, where as many 27 different players can start, basketball is limited to just five starting players.

A history of football players playing basketball over these many years way back to my time when both Tim Sigrist (Notre Dame) and Tom Turchetta (Miami) played and didn’t always start. That was in 1967 and that team won the PCIAA championship.There were no complaints from either.

I will always support my friends who have student-athletes at Bishop Guilfoyle.

I have turned the page, and I believe others will as well unless an apology is given and we see much needed changes in the administration.

Somebody needs to restore the character, integrity and unity that once existed until the elitists started running their show. Prayers for our alma mater.

Jim Kilcoyne

Class of 1967

Altoona

Mirror coverage shortchanges BG

I have never in my life read a more one-sided story than I did on March 25.

Every single article was claiming an unfair firing of Bishop Guilfoyle boys basketball coach Chris Drenning and bashing the BG school administration.

There were three articles in that edition of the Mirror all painting this one-sided story of a legendary basketball coach being grossly mistreated by a vicious administration and horrible parents with spoiled-brat children who didn’t know anything about work ethic or earning their spot on the team.

Has the Mirror thought about interviewing any of the parents from the team to get a different side of the story? What about some of the players? Has the Mirror even considered there may be more to the story?

I know at least five pretty good if not great basketball players who quit the team in the last three-four years due to personnel, the way they were treated by these personnel, and the lack of integrity by personnel was evident.

Lastly, the Bishop Guilfoyle administration has always acted in the best interest of my child, and I cannot say enough about how fortunate we are to have the leaders we do at BG, and for anyone to think they were not acting in the best interest of the kids is appalling.

Ultimately, the kids are who this is all about. I am BG proud. Do better, Altoona Mirror.

Tera Kelleher

Altoona

(Editor’s note: In its original reporting, the Mirror gave Bishop Guilfoyle’s administration the opportunity to present its side of the story, which it did. The Mirror also printed a followup statement from Bishop Guilfoyle’s administration.)