There has been a merry-go-round of college coaching changes these last two weeks. One of the casualties was Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio, despite going 20-11 overall and having a career record of 61-31 in three years at Wake Forest.
But what gets lost in these changes is how it affects the players who have committed to these schools. One of the them is Neumann-Gorreti’s Tony Chennault, smooth 6-foot-2 shooting guard who committed to Gaudio two years ago and felt sure of choice.
The state-champion Saints went 30-1 this season, a school record for victories in a season, winning the PIAA Class AAA state title, finishing nationally ranked No. 5 by MaxPreps.com as one of the elite programs in the country — its one loss coming by one point to unofficial national champion Yates.
Chennault led Neumann-Goretti to its first state title, played a leadership role throughout the season for the Saints, and made everyone else around him better. Those were the qualities that attracted Gaudio before anyone else. Now Chennault is waiting to see what happens with the Wake Forest situation.
One thing is certain: Chennault has not said publicly he’s not going to Wake Forest.
"Tony’s still committed to Wake Forest," Neumann-Goretti coach Carl Arrigale said. "He’s going to wait to see who gets hired and hopefully everything will work out and that’s where he’ll end up. Tony’s not reconsidering. He’s signed with Wake Forest and he’s hoping everything works out. No other schools have contacted about Tony. People have inquired that if there is a possibility if it’s a coach Tony is not happy with, he may ask for his release.
"But let’s get something right: As of right now, Tony’s going to wait it out. Wake’s athletic director has called Tony and assured Tony that he’s still a priority. I’m familiar with this. This happened to me once before with a kid 12 years ago, and my kid still committed to the same school he originally committed to. I think Wake Forest will recruit Tony again, and he’s been locked into Wake Forest for two years now."
Chennault could probably snap his fingers and have any of Philadelphia’s Big 5 (Villanova, Temple, St. Joseph’s, La Salle and Penn) and Drexel scoop him up without blinking.
"There are a lot of schools waiting to see what happens with this," Arrigale said "This is a crazy business, with all the turnover in major college basketball. Tony was a little shocked to hear coach Gaudio was fired. What’s important to remember is that Jeff Battle is one of Gaudio’s top assistants, and he was the one who did most of the recruiting for Tony. He’s been the interim coach. If Wake Forest retained Jeff, I think that would make Tony’s decision easier. Tony’s a strong kid with a good head on his shoulders. He loved Wake Forest. He loved going to a small university in a big conference and he was really looking forward to going there."
This past season, Chennault averaged 19.1 points a game and was named Pennsylvania’s Gatorade Player of the Year, as well as Player of the Year for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Chennault committed verbally to Wake Forest in 2008 and signed his national letter of intent in November 2009. As a four-year starter for the Saints, Chennault scored 1,621 points, and finished second all-time in Neumann-Goretti’s history.
Chennault is refraining from making any public statements until the coaching situation resolves itself at Wake Forest. In the meantime, he has not asked for his scholarship release from Wake Forest.
Philadelphia Catholic League realigns for football
The Philadelphia Catholic League has long relied on tradition and rivalries through its rich history. And though the league will be reduced by three schools (with the departures of North Catholic, Cardinal Dougherty and Kennedy-Kenrick), it appears as if those rivalries will remain intact — though the league will look quite a bit different.
It will be a little skewed, however. Cardinal O'Hara (Springfield) and Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast Catholic (Drexel Hill), two area rivals in Southeastern Pennsylvania, will join another rival, Archbishop Carroll (Radnor), in dropping from Class AAAA schools (large schools) to Class AAA. O’Hara, Bonner, Carroll and Archbishop Wood will comprise the Catholic League’s Class AAA division. All four schools, by the way, will qualify for the postseason.
In Class AAAA, defending PIAA state champion La Salle (Wyndmoor) will be grouped with archrival St. Joseph's (Philadelphia), along with Roman Catholic (Philadelphia), Father Judge (Philadelphia) and Archbishop Ryan (Philadelphia). Out of the five-team division, four make the playoffs. In Class AA, traditional powerhouse West Catholic will be grouped with Conwell-Egan, Lansdale Catholic, Bishop McDevitt and Neumann-Goretti. Out of that grouping, two will qualify for the playoffs.
Joseph Santoliquito covers high schools for the Philadelphia Daily News and is a contributor to MaxPreps.com. He can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.
