Yes, I know that there can be a lot at stake during the games. Division I scholarships and even scholarships to smaller schools are no laughing matter. But realistically, the biggest noise made around here recently athletically for legitimate Division I chances were the twin Schreiber basketball players of a few years ago. Last I've heard, they're at Elizabethtown College, though I'm not positive on that.

So this brings the question of why the parents need to be in control of the athletic department, and also why the athletic department allows this to happen. The last thing an athletic program needs is parents thinking they know everything about sports and coaching simply because their kids play, and damn right if their kid isn't good enough it must be the coach's fault. There's no room for the parent placing blame on everyone but his or her own kid.

Now, I'll finally get to the point. If you're educated, you knew this was coming. Naticchia fired as head coach of basketball. The outsider could see no sense in it. (Mainly because there was no legitimate sense). As the insider knows, Coach Naticchia was fired because a few parents didn't like him. Going along with the "politics" that we have been labeled with due to how our athletic programs are run, he was let go for essentially no reason. A friend and reliable source has told me that the same thing has happened to former coach Steve Santor. This is just ridiculous.

Our team was ranked in the state under Naticchia. I haven't seen that before (and since) Naticchia. What justification could there have been for this firing? If you look at the team, you see a successful one during his tenure. I personally know Naticchia as one with a solid understanding of basketball. When I was younger and attended his camp, I learned things that stick with me even today. That was years ago.

I'm not trying to say the coaching is subpar now, but let's look at the facts. Naticchia is fired to satisfy a few parents, and a new coach is brought in. The team is terrible as compared to the years of the past. Naticchia goes to Camp Hill and a team that was awful a year ago ends up in the district championship game (losing only to powerhouse Scotland, comparable to the AA Trinity).