It is business as usual for New York City high school basketball as CHSAA schools have been cleared to schedule PSAL programs in scrimmages, non-league games and tournaments following a conference call with members of each of the four New York State Federation associations Wednesday morning.
At a scheduling meeting a week ago, CHSAA boys basketball hierarchy told its institutions to hold off on including PSAL schools and considered boycotting the annual Big Apple Basketball PSAL-CHSAA Challenge as it awaited word from the Federation about possible sanctions against the PSAL for its participation in the ESPN Rise National High School Invitational in March after the New York State Federation tournament, a violation of Federation rules.
“If the Federation has accepted the PSAL explanation and are happy with whatever they said, then as a member of that association we are content to move on and start scheduling as normal,” CHSAA president Ray Nash told The Post. “As far as we’re considered, there will be no sanctions at all.”
A possible ban on PSAL teams would have had a wide-ranging impact on city hoops, depriving fans of some juicy non-league games – like the return bout between Thomas Jefferson and Christ the King – as well as the SNY Invitational, which includes St. Raymond and Cardozo this year in its four-team field.
Worse still, it would have killed the hugely popular, and profitable, Staten Island High School League, which is a cooperative league with CHSAA and PSAL schools.
PSAL director Donald Douglas explained why Boys & Girls on the boys side and the Murry Bergtraum girls played in the nationally-televised tournament in a conference call yesterday morning.
“The New York State Federation member associations are satisfied with Mr. Douglas’ explanation of the PSAL’s participation in a recent non-sanctioned basketball event,” said Federation president Donald Buckley, the athletic director of St. Anthony’s (L.I.), in a statement. “We appreciate his efforts to inform the membership and although the Federation did not consider imposing any sanctions on the PSAL, we are confident that this scenario will not occur in the future. As we move forward, each of the four associations involved with the New York State Federation of Secondary Schools Athletic Association are committed to collaborate to ensure all commissioner’s regulations that govern the interscholastic athletic programs are observed in all other sports, including basketball.”
Department of Education spokesperson Margie Feinberg declined to comment on the ruling, though coaches from both leagues are pleased there would be no ban.
“After being told of the circumstances regarding the PSAL, St. Raymond’s was prepared to fully cooperate with the CHSAA and even notified PSAL schools about potential scheduling problems,” St. Raymond coach Oliver Antigua said. “I’m happy that the matter got resolved with the Federation so now all the schools can move forward, but I feel it’s important that we follow the rules and regulation of our leagues and our membership. One of the things that makes the CHSAA one of the best leagues in the country is the constant communication amongst the coaches, league officials and members of our administration so that a situation like this would never occur.”
“I’m glad, nothing should happen,” Thomas Jefferson coach Lawrence Pollard said. “You can’t penalize the whole because some kids played two basketball games. That doesn’t make sense.”
Still, PSAL coaches aren’t pleased that it appears their programs will be shut out of the ESPN Rise National High School Invitational in the future.
“I’m disappointed that the PSAL champion can’t go to it, because I think it’s good,” Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio said. “But I’m happy there aren’t going to be any sanctions.”
Pollard would like to see the PSAL champion and the CHSAA winner be allowed to compete, but that’s not likely to happen.
“Send both of them, the PSAL and Catholic champions, put them in two separate brackets,” Pollard said. “We should be allowed to go. Speaking to [Boys & Girls coach] Ruth [Lovelace] and her kids, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience people would die to have. To take that way from the PSAL or anybody is a crime.”
Additional reporting by Zach Braziller and Marc Raimondi