In this day and age when most private schools sell themselves locally on the notion that they can build character, education and provide more than competitive sports programs for their students, the lone inner-city private prep school, Cardinal Ritter College Prep, has failed miserably when it comes to showing class.
The administration at Cardinal Ritter recently decided to part ways with Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Marvin Neals. It was not because Neals was not doing a good job at winning. He has won three of the school’s six state championships, with 625 career wins as a coach. He is the only coach in the history of Missouri to win state championships in two different classes in the state. He is the only active African-American head coach in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
The way Cardinal Ritter handled this change of replacing Neals is embarrassing at best. Neals, who had finished another winning season, heard the rumors of his imminent replacement like many in the basketball circle of St. Louis. Like anyone else caught in such a rumor mill, he wanted answers. No return phone calls, no face-to-face meeting, no nothing for the last month.
Then last week, the administration finally met with Neals to make him aware of their decision to cut ties, without explanation other than they were looking to increase enrollment. While Neals was the basketball coach and was probably the most recognizable name associated with the school, he was not the recruiting coordinator, nor head of alumni affairs.
Hence, he was doing his job. That job was developing young people to represent their family, school, community and basketball team, in that order – a job that he was better able to do than those who thought it was time for a change.
Neals reeked class in how he carries himself as a man, coach and mentor. In many cases, it was contagious with the players he coached. At last check, there was a severe shortage of people with those skills in our community, and for Cardinal Ritter to fire such a leader is more than concerning. While the school is certainly entitled to make personnel adjustments, the manner in how this move was handled does not work. If Ritter wanted Neals out, after all he has done for the school and the young people he has mentored, there was a better way.
What would have been wrong to approach Neals (who was on the verge of winning 700 games) and let him know that they were looking at the future? That, with his being 72 years of age, they would like to have an heir-apparent in place? What would it have hurt Cardinal Ritter to have one of the all-time winningest coaches in the state of Missouri to be the last stop of an illustrious career?
This is not about propping Neals up to win 700 games. At 625 wins, Jodie Bailey and Ed Crenshaw are the only African American coaches in the state with more career wins than Neals, but this is not about wins and milestones. This is about respect for what Neals has done in and for his community. This sets a poor example for the students they teach and should raise a concern for every parent who has made the investment in sending their child to what at one time was the crown jewel of inner-city private school education. The luster of that crown is certainly tarnished by their most recent actions.
While John Thompson, “Big House” Gaines and other legendary African-American coaches are not available to take over at Cardinal Ritter, the administration has already taken to steps to hire a replacement who is said to be able to bring in more talented kids to keep the winning tradition that Preston Thomas and Neals established. Neals’ replacement should only hope that those who took a classless approach in dismissing Neals will be long gone when it will be his or her turn to move on.
Neals is a proud man and will continue to keep his head high, as he has told countless kids to do after a tough loss. Not having him on the sideline is unfortunate, as there was so much young people learned from him about being a good player and representative of their community. If only the administration at Cardinal Ritter would have had a seat on Neals’ bench, they may have learned a few things along the way.
Three-peat for Red Knights
Never has there been a more dominant girls basketball program in the state of Missouri than Incarnate Word Academy over the last few years. The Red Knights made minced meet of a good MICDS program to win its seventh state title on Saturday night in Columbia.
The losers are making the same lame excuses why they did not win: injuries, officiating, off-nights. Interesting excuses, but how about the fact that Incarnate Word is just flat-out good? Good with different players with their multiple championships?
Napheesa Collier is the most decorated girls high school player Missouri has ever had. She finished her last game for Incarnate Word with more points (30) than the entire MICDS team was able to amass (27) and is now headed to the number one college program in America in Connecticut.
Incarnate will lose a great player, and that is the bad news. The good news is that head coach Dan Rolfes has everyone else coming back, along with an impressive incoming class of freshmen. MICDS will be better next year, as they now have an up-close idea of what it takes to be a national power. And, if there is one thing that is certainly noticeable in the St. Louis area, there are more and better girls programs on the horizon.
