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Chris Drenning, the Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School boys basketball coach the past 11 seasons, is no longer with the program after both Drenning and the school confirmed BG decided to open the position on Wednesday.
He led the Marauders to a record of 219-74.
"(Wednesday) evening I was informed that the head boys basketball coaching position at Bishop Guilfoyle was going to be opened up," Drenning said. "I did not resign or retire from my position as the head coach. I was informed that the reason for this action was because of a narrative that exists within some in the BG school/community that the boys basketball program wasn't supportive of multi-sport athletes in the program.
"It was expressed to me that this narrative has grown out of control over time. This subject has been discussed numerous times over the past 18-24 months with me by our administration. I've always prided myself on playing the team members who give us the best chance to win on any given night. I'm hopeful that our record would indicate this fact. I believe this 'narrative' is misguided and that we as a program tried to handle it the correct way. Obviously others differed with that opinion."
Bishop Guilfoyle principal Michael Cacciotti said a meeting was held with Drenning on Wednesday and the decision was made.
"It was a meeting with Chris and a discussion with Chris," Cacciotti said. "It just felt like it was time for us to open the position."
The Marauders have won 11 state playoff games since 2017.
"We're extremely grateful to Coach Drenning for his years of dedication to the Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School, to the boys basketball program and to all the athletes that played for him over the years," Bishop Guilfoyle athletic director Joe Landolfi said. "A decision was made to open the head boys basketball coach at the school."
The move came four days after the Marauders were eliminated from the PIAA playoffs.
"He's been head of the program for the last 11 years, and he's done really good things for the program and really good things for the school," Cacciotti said. "The school just felt that this was the time to open the position."
Drenning has the option to re-apply.
"It's open, anybody can apply," Cacciotti said.
Drenning confirmed Thursday night that he does not plan to re-apply.
BG won the 2023 Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship game over Central, but lost a heartbreaker to Penn Cambria in the District 6 Class 3A championship game before falling to Loyalsock Township, 59-57, in the first round of the PIAA playoffs last Saturday.
"I'm so fortunate to have coached at BG and to have the success we've enjoyed over our 11 seasons," Drenning said. "The great thing about coaching high school basketball is that you forge lifelong relationships with most importantly your players, but also your coaching staff, coaches from around the state and the school community at large. You otherwise might never have met many of these people if it wasn't for coaching. I'm fortunate to have the relationships we've developed within our program, and how many of them reached out today."
Drenning led the Marauders to the PIAA Class 2A championship game in 2019 with current Saint Francis basketball player Luke Ruggery leading the charge but lost, 54-52, to Math, Civics & Sciences.
He also guided them to the state semifinals in Class 3A in 2021 but lost another heartbreaker at the buzzer to Brookville, 46-44.
"Chris has quite the accolades on the floor," said Cacciotti, who has a son, Michael, that was a sophomore on this year's Marauder basketball team. "He's got the program in a good place. Quite honestly, we're excited about the program and its future. We think the program's future is bright. We are excited for the future."
Senior Patrick Haigh became the school's all-time leader in scoring for high school boys basketball this year and finished his career with 1,744 points, topping Ruggery's record. Haigh, his sophomore brother Jude and their sister Teresa, who won a PIAA Class 1A girls championship at Bishop Guilfoyle in 2021, retweeted a tweet Thursday supporting Drenning from Patrick Haigh's former teammate at Bishop Guilfoyle, Cameron Khoza, who is currently playing college basketball at Scranton.
"Drenning has been an amazing coach and father figure for me and so many of his past players, and I'm sad to see him go," Patrick Haigh said. "The amount of success he's had is incredible with all the playoff wins and 20-win seasons, and he made it look easy at times."
No other coaching positions were opened by Bishop Guilfoyle beyond the boys basketball program.
"All positions on the (varsity) boys basketball team will be opened," Cacciotti said. "Just the JV and varsity positions (have been opened). The junior high coach, Rob Okonak, will remain in his position."
Drenning was assisted by John Craig, Tom Goss and Mike Crownover this season. Craig has been with Drenning as an assistant for the past 11 seasons at Bishop Guilfoyle and has coached with Drenning overall for the past 17 years.
Craig was critical of BG's decision.
"He didn't get a fair shake at all," Craig said. "It has been a long season, a very long season, with a fractured group of individuals. It started with a group of parents, and that's the way it went. It's a weird thing to say after the season we had, because I don't think anyone would believe that it would go that way, but it was jaw-dropping and stunning for me. Chris is so much more dedicated to his craft than what anyone would believe, and I'm at a loss for words."
The hiring process to find Bishop Guilfoyle's next coach has already started.
"We plan on opening the position immediately and collecting applications in the next week or two," Cacciotti said. "We really would like to have a new head coach in place by the middle to the end of April."
When asked if Bishop Guilfoyle's performance on the court played a role or if there were any off-the-court factors in opening the position, Cacciotti repeated his praise for Drenning.
"Coach Drenning has always been good for our program and for our school," Cacciotti said.
Drenning stressed that he'll treasure the memories he made at Bishop Guilfoyle.
"I'm very proud of our program, the people and players who've been in it, and how they've represented themselves and BG over the last 11 years," Drenning said. "A record of 219 wins and 74 losses, five District 6 titles, and four LHAC championships, along with appearances in a PIAA state title game in 2019, a PIAA semifinal game in 2021, and a PIAA quarterfinal game in 2022 leaves room for lots of fond memories. I've been blessed with not only those experiences but many others and I will always be grateful to those who helped make them possible."