CHSAA declines comment on Stepinac basketball situation
By ADAM ZAGORIA
Ever since the scandal erupted surrounding the New York Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) and the Archbishop Stepinac (NY) boys’ basketball team, the story has made national headlines.
LoHud.com first broke the news eight days ago that Stepinac was facing potential CHSAA sanctions after playing in Chipotle Nationals on ESPN last month.
Yahoo posted a story last week entitled, “Banned for playing in a tournament? The power struggle that’s rocked New York high school basketball.” The New York Post blared, “NY hoops powerhouse Stepinac facing massive consequences in tournament controversy.”
But since the news broke, there has been no further movement on the potential penalties for the Stepinac program or head coach Pat Massaroni, who appears to have the full backing of Stepinac officials in its dispute with the CHSAA.
Reached by email on Monday, two top CHSAA executives declined comment when asked if there was any update.
“I have no comment about Stepinac,” Paul Gilvary, the CHSAA basketball commissioner wrote.
“As I have [been] counseled, I will have to turn down this opportunity to comment,” wrote Kevin Pigott, President of the Archdiocese of NY.
At issue is that after winning a record fourth straight CHSAA “AA” championship on March 8 and then defeating Eagle Academy-Bronx 76-68 to win the CHSAA-PSAL Undisputed Championship on March 22, Stepinac played in Chipotle Nationals in Fishers, Indiana where they lost to Kevin Boyle and Spire Academy (OH) on April 1.
Yahoo did a nice job of summarizing how things unfolded after that:
The CHSAA took issue with Stepinac accepting an invitation to Chipotle Nationals despite the league’s warning not to take part in an event that operates outside the framework of the National Federation of State High School Associations. Chipotle Nationals annually showcases the nation’s best high school teams, many of them basketball-centric academies and prep schools that recruit top talent from across the country and beyond.
The letter from Pigott also contended that Stepinac violated CHSAA rules by committing to a tournament that extended beyond 4 p.m. on Holy Thursday. Stepinac lost to Ohio prep powerhouse SPIRE Academy in the opening round of Chipotle Nationals on April 1, the Wednesday before Easter Sunday. Had the Crusaders advanced, they would have played at 6 p.m. on Holy Thursday and then potentially again on Friday and Saturday.
The sanctions endorsed by the CHSAA executive committee resembled the sort of punishment the NCAA used to levy against programs caught funneling money to recruits. The committee called for all levels of Stepinac basketball to be prohibited from participating in the 2027 league playoffs and for the varsity to be banned from playing any out-of-state games. Head coach Pat Massaroni also would have to serve an eight-game suspension next season during league play.
“The Archdiocesan Boys’ CHSAA did try to prevent this from happening by warning Archbishop Stepinac, in writing, of the consequences of participating in this tournament without league approval,” concludes Pigott’s letter, which was obtained by Yahoo Sports. “We believe that the imposition of these sanctions are necessary to protect the integrity and shared mission of all of our member schools.”
In a letter sent by Stepinac principal Paul Carty to Pigott and obtained by ZAGSBLOG, Carty said Stepinac was led to believe by the CHSAA that if the school won the CHSAA-PSAL game on March 22, their participation in Chipotle Nationals “would be considered an extension of their season.”
After receiving a letter from Pigott on March 20, the day after the Chipotle field was announced, Stepinac opted to “detach” itself from the CHSAA for Chipotle Nationals and essentially participated in the event as a club team. They went as the “NY Crusaders,” not as Stepinac, and did not use Stepinac buses, insurance or other infrastructure for the event. (The official Chipotle website did list them as “Archbishop Stepinac” for the event.”
Both the CHSAA and Stepinac have now lawyered up and the situation is on hold, while public opinion has generally supported Stepinac.
The view here is that this is not a great look for the CHSAA, which is enforcing antiquated rules which essentially limit playing and recruiting opportunities for young men. Stepinac had three McDonald’s All-Americans in USC-bound twins Adonis and Darius Ratliff and Michigan State-bound wing Jasiah Jervis and four All-State players in that trio plus Fordham-bound guard Hassan Koureissi. But two other players committed after Chipotle Nationals, senior guards Jack Coco (Tufts) and Ameer Smith (Western Connecticut State), meaning their recruitment was at least somewhat still in flux during Chipotle Nationals.
More broadly, having a CHSAA team playing in Chipotle Nationals on ESPN is good PR for one of the oldest and most storied Catholic leagues in the nation.
What if the Crusaders had gone on to win the prestigious event on ESPN? Stepinac would have been crowned national champions and the CHSAA could be proud to have their brand in the national headlines for good reasons with a CHSAA team forever etched as national champs.
“Chipotle is interested in having a CHSAA team participate in the event every year if they’re ranked highly enough in the national polls, sources said.)
New Jersey and Pennsylvania also do not allow their teams to play in Chipotle Nationals, something that New Jersey powerhouse Roselle Catholic had to face for years.
At this point, there is no update from the CHSAA on potential penalties for Stepinac, and, while the two sides need to work out an agreement for the future, this situation doesn’t merit penalizing current and future student-athletes at Stepinac.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
The post CHSAA declines comment on Stepinac basketball situation appeared first on Zagsblog.