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The cry is that private schools recruit. The truth is that both public and private schools recruit and try to lure the talent to their school. How did 7'1 Ricky Tunstell just happen to enroll at Altoona High School in 1980, and how did Danny Fortson just happen to leave Altoona High and transfer to Shaler High School in the Pittsburgh area in the late 1980's? Both public school transfers. In the summer of 1980, a resident of Cleveland, Ohio was flying to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a job interview. On the plane, the seating placed a Mr. Tunstell in a seat next to a resident of Altoona and a rabid basketball fan. The conversation on the plane ride went from polite introductions to an area of common interest to both, high school basketball. It turned out that Mr. Tunstell had a 7'1" son. By the time the plane landed in Pittsburgh two hours and 18 minutes later, the interview was not necessary, Mr. Tunstell had been offered a job in Altoona. His son played the 1980-81 season for Altoona and then went to Duquesne University on a Division 1 scholarship.

The PIAA has tried to curb recruiting and transfers for athletic reasons. In the 1980's the PIAA cited the boy's coach at a large high school in North Central Pennsylvania for recruiting and they suspended him from coaching for a year. In June of 2004, the girl's coach at a Pittsburgh catholic school was cited for recruiting violations and suspended from coaching for a year. And these two coaches are certainly not the only ones who have tried to improve their team by adding a player with proven talent. They say that high school coaches must play with the hand they have been dealt. Well, let's say most do, but let's add that many recruit when possible.

And in many cases, it may be alumni trying to recruit, or now with the popularity of AAU, players recruit players to improve the chances for their team to win the championship. Basketball is a team sport, and recruiting can take a team approach. The bottom line is not just winning, its winning the championship!

Do private schools have an advantage?
Here, the answer is "Yes," because students can cross district lines to attend private schools. Many private schools attract students from 3 or 4 or more school districts. Is there any proof that private schools have an advantage? Well, again the answer is "Yes." Just examine the pre-season ranking provided by the Harrisburg Patriot News for Pennsylvania's four classifications listed here for both boys and girls.

PIAA basketball preseason rankings, ROXANNE B. MOSES, The Patriot-News, December 07, 2009

CLASS AAAA, Record, Previous Rank 1. Penn Wood* (1), 28-4, 1 2. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1), 25-6, 3 3. Chester (1), 24-5, 9 4. Roman Catholic (12), 18-9, 6 public 3 private 1	CLASS AAAA, Record, Previous Rank *1. Mt. Lebanon (7), 30-0, 1 2. Cardinal O'Hara (12), 27-3, 2 3. Cheltenham (1), 28-3, 4 4. Downingtown East (1), 28-3, 3 public 3 private 1**
CLASS AAA, Record, Previous Rank 1. Neumann-Goretti (12), 26-3, 2 2. Archbishop Carroll* (12), 27-3, 1 3. Hampton (7), 25-5, 7 4. Holy Ghost Prep (1), 19-11, NR public 1 private 3	CLASS AAA, Record, Previous Rank 1. Archbishop Carroll* (12), 30-1, 1 2. Mount St. Joseph (1), 28-2, 5 3. Trinity (3), 22-9, 2 4. Allentown C.C. (11), 26-4, 7 public 0 private 4
CLASS AA, Record, Previous Rank 1. Imhotep (12), 32-1, 1 (a Charter School so we count it as public) 2. Strawberry Mansion (12), 18-5, NR 3. Trinity (3), 24-8, 5 4. Holy Cross (2), 24-3, 7 public 2 private 2	CLASS AA, Record, Previous Rank 1. Villa Maria* (10), 27-3, 1 2. Delone Catholic (3), 27-5, 4 3. Southern Huntingdon (6), 28-2, 3 4. Lancaster Mennonite (3), 27-4, 5 public 1 private 3
CLASS A, Record, Previous Rank 1. Girard College* (1), 26-5, 1 2. Sewickley Academy (7), 23-5, 5 3. Reading C. Catholic (3), 23-8, 10 4. Greenwood (3), 26-3, 4 public 1 private 3	CLASS A, Record, Previous Rank 1. Bishop Guilfoyle* (6), 30-1, 1 2. Nativity BVM (11), 27-4, 2 3. North Catholic (7), 24-6, 3 4. Northern Cambria (6), 25-3, 5 public 1 private 3
total score: private 9 public 7	total score: private 11 public 5

Does the size of the school make a difference? The size of the school in basketball makes no difference, its the size and talent of the transfer!

Don't feel sorry for poor little Academy of the New Church High School (250 students) on December 30th when they play Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1,573 students) in the first round of a holiday tournament. Found in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania in Montgomery County about a 30-minute drive north of Philadelphia, Academy of the New Church just took in a transfer from another private school, North Catholic of the Philadelphia Catholic League. The transfer student is 6'9" Rakeem Christmas rated by some as the best player in the country in the class of 2011. Two of his new teammates are 6-foot-11 Malcolm Gilbert and one of the best players from the class of 2012, 6'5" Savon Goodman.

The ultimate transfer took place this year when 6-foot-11 high school junior Jeremy Tyler from San Diego High School left school to play professionally in Europe for the next two years. A transfer from high school to the pros. Tyler signed a $140,000 deal to play for Maccabi Haifa in Israel this year. The grand plan revolves around his being a top pick, if not the top pick, in the 2011 N.B.A. draft. The plan was crafted by basketball entrepreneur/guru, Sonny Vaccaro. How is Jeremy Tyler doing? A New York Times report says that "Tyler's decision is at this point not only regrettable but disastrous. Tyler is clearly immature and distracted by the potential of NBA riches, which he apparently considers a sure thing. His coaches and teammates do not like him. He is struggling to see minutes on the court. The consensus is that he is so naïve and immature that he has no idea how naïve and immature he is."

Looking at the situation from both sides, public and private.
Stop at the the Hot Dog House on Lancaster Avenue in Reading and ask the cook what she thinks about Marcus Dawkins, the All-Berks basketball player at Reading High last season transferring to Reading Central Catholic. Stop at The Big Skinny Hot Dog Shop. in Cambridge Springs and ask about Lisa Mifsud, the first-team all-region player at Fairview who, transferred to Villa Maria. Around the bar at Pattee's Sports Tavern in Wilkes Barre, patrons debate the advantages that Holy Redeemer High School has. Stop at the Mercer Bowling Center on the Perry Highway in Mercer and ask Vic Zigo what he thinks about Kennedy Catholic. Sorry, we could not print what Vic said.

On the other hand, former basketball coach and school superintendent, Anthony Labriola reminds us that when he was coaching in Altoona in the 1960's it was the public school that was recruiting the athletes from the catholic school and that local fans compared winning the PCIAA (the Catholic version of the PIAA then) state championship with "winning the Church League." Well, looking at the pre-season rankings by the Harrisburg Patriot News, the public schools are now playing in that Church League and fighting to survive!

Meanwhile, recruiting and transfers continue to be a part of the normal landscape of high school sports. And do private schools have an advantage, the pre-season rankings suggest "Yes."

by Bill Gaffey for pahoops.org