Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board Pulls Plug On Rising Prep Power St. Marcellinus

Special by: Sonny Bairos (www.CanadianBallers.com)

Mississauga, ON high school St. Marcellinus could be facing litigation after the recent turmoil surrounding its basketball program.

Just last week the Spirit were named one of eight programs to participate in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) tipping off its inaugural season this fall. After releasing its roster that featured many D1 recruits from around the province, principal Frank Furgiuele has flipped the script and pulled the plug entirely.

All this on the heels of a productive summer that built excitement in the community. More disappointingly a slap in the face to the players and parents who recently transferred into their program and now find themselves out in the cold in mid September.

For the record St. Marcellinus was home to the top prospect in the country, 2000 born RJ Barrett. A local talent that came up in its feeder education system. Also a consensus NBA prospect at the very young age of 15. Barrett was supposed to be surrounded by fellow Team Canada teammates Ignas Brazdeikis and Jaden Bediako. Also the Spirit brought in a pair of big man 7’0″ Joe Jarvis of Sarnia, 6’11” Alex Christie among others for the 2015-16 season.

The scene was set, with Mississauga expecting the arrival of the Raptors D-League affiliate Raptors 905, the city of Mississauga was about to explode and become a hot bed for basketball.

Could you imagine St. Marcellinus home games for the OSBA when Thon Maker a youtube phenom or Justin Jackson a UNLV commit visited Mississauga? Much like Jason Kidd’s high school games moving to the Oakland Coliseum or Lebron James high school games at the University of Akron, it’s not far fetched that Spirit games would’ve eventually been moved to the Hershey Center to accommodate the buzz that was brewing.

So why does a principal with ambitions to build a basketball program to resemble both its football and hockey programs pull a plug?

It boiled down to the  Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board superintendent Lucy Papaloni putting a stop to the prep team and not the Region of Peel Secondary School Athletic Association (ROPSSAA). The Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board and ROPSSAA are two different entities. ROPSSAA had nothing to do with this. Responsible are principals from the catholic board including several schools in Brampton and Mississauga that complained about kids out of the area going to St. Marcellinus. The backlash was so great that the Papaloni intervened. Even Gonzaga a perennial bottom feeder in Peel basketball protested against Marcellinus. Gonzaga Principal Michael O’Grady married to Holy Trinity principal Janet O’Grady threw stones at Marcellinus program. Why? Both Ignas Brazdeikis and Alex Christie were Holy Trinity Titans last season.

RJ Barrett photographed holding the FIBA Americas U16 Finalist trophy

Both superintendent Lucy Papaloni and St. Marcellinus Principal Fank Furgiuele have refused to comment. Likely because litigation is coming their way.

These elite student athletes were never going to play ROPSAA basketball, they only desired the prep league and now close to nine students are left school-less in mid September. To make matters even worst, these kids attended school and practice for a full week before they were given the boot.

However nothing more demoralizing then RJ Barrett now forced to play somewhere else instead of in his own backyard. Which is most likely resulting in him taking his talents south of the border.

Basketball fans In Mississauga may never witness their hometown kid take the city by storm but at least the basketball community in Canada knows exactly what was the demise and how the fraternity of coaches and principals in the Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board, located in the most fertile region in Canada for basketball talent, eventually drove RJ Barrett out of Canada.Question raises how not a single head coach in the Catholic board, entrenched in the basketball community, refrained from defending the direction St. Marcellinus was headed.

Sure Barrett still has a bright future and those kids left out in the cold will find homes but Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board you should be ashamed of yourselves.