Basketball

In the clutch, leadership at BG failed

Commentary

Bishop Guilfoyle has brought new meaning to March Madness.

The school relieved boys basketball coach Chris Drenning of his duties last Thursday, touching off a firestorm of criticism in print (see today's mailbag, Page B2) and online.

Drenning was both successful and respected.

He coached the Marauders for 11 seasons, and his 219 wins included six District 6 championships and five Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference crowns. His best team, in 2019, advanced to the PIAA championship game and lost 54-52 to a charter school in Philadelphia called Math, Civics and Sciences.

Several of his teams made deep runs in the PIAA tournament.

So Drenning's dismissal is not about wins and losses.

He was let go, plain and simple, because there were parents who weren't satisfied with their kids' roles and were influential enough with the BG administration -- or were part of the administration -- that Drenning lost a power struggle.

There was also a perception that football players were slighted, which Drenning acknowledged but disputed.

He told the Mirror's Mike Boytim that "numerous" discussions with the administration to address concerns took place over the past two seasons.

Drenning, though, stood by his record and wouldn't be influenced.

"I've always prided myself on playing the team members who give us the best chance to win on any given night," he said. "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."

One assistant coach, John Craig, said the team was fractured in part because of parental negativity carried over to the team.

Numerous sources say you could see telling body language among the players and open adult dissatisfaction on social media and in the gym.

Cooperation between coaches of all sports, athletes and their families is especially important at smaller schools -- like BG -- especially when teams have high hopes and past playoff success.

Schedules overlap, there's almost no such thing as an offseason in any sport anymore and the challenge of balancing football and basketball at many schools is not new.

That's why leadership is magnified.

And that's precisely where BG failed, creating a bad look for the school and its community.

Despite its 25-member board, this decision appears to have been made by a small nucleus of administrators, some of whom weren't involved enough while others were involved too much.

Principal Mike Cacciotti, who has a son in the program, delivered the news and said, "It just felt like it was time for us to open the position."

Cacciotti said many nice things about Drenning, which makes you wonder why it was such a good idea to jab him off the plank.

It's difficult to recall more profound public disagreement over a firing or a less-than-subtle nudge of a high-profile coach. Reggie Nevins, perhaps.

And the timing was poor. Less than a week removed from its PIAA season-ending home loss to Loyalsock Township -- apparently fueled in part by internal strife -- Drenning was called to the gallows.

It was like the administration couldn't wait.

Keep in mind this was a BG team that had a chance to advance to Hershey, evidenced by the fact that the Marauders were within a stop of Garrett Harrold away from beating PIAA semifinalist Penn Cambria. (Why they didn't at least impede PC's generational athlete in the last 10 seconds is another matter.)

But what if BG had won that game and made a deeper run? What if it had played for the state title? Would the purple and gold hierarchy have come to the same conclusion?

And if not, is this really about wins and losses or was its mind already made up?

Either way, Bishop Guilfoyle will need to heal its fan base as many aren't pleased to lose a coach with Drenning's track record, good-guy professionalism and even more so in the manner that it appears to have occurred -- via parental meddling.

Why BG didn't support Drenning in the face of personnel decisions is something it will have to live with and whether this mess was worth it.

And what of the next parent who walks in upset?

The program, thanks in part to Drenning and his staff, is built for success and is frankly stocked for years to come -- if, that is, the infrastructure that collapsed this season is fixed.

Guilfoyle needs to reassess its process of communication, internal relationships and how it handles families that evidently want more input.

BG has a rich, proud sports and basketball history that has been tremendously well supported.

But this ugly chapter, which cost Chris Drenning his job after a great 11-year run, demanded a better ending.

Rudel can be reached at 814-946-7527 or nrudel@altoonamirror.com.

Guilfoyle calls decision 'regrettable'

Bishop Guilfoyle's administration issued the following statement to the Mirror on Friday:

"We thank Coach Drenning for his dedication and congratulate him on the success he has had with the program. The decision to part ways was not done lightly. The practice of the school is to address issues with the coach and give chances to correct violations of school policy when possible. It is never done lightly and it is regrettable it got to this point. None of this is done casually. Playing time decisions are not a reason for termination."