Both Salesianum School and Saint Mark’s High School have addressed an incident that marred the end of their recent basketball game and officials say they are trying to move past it.
Both head coaches — Taylor Trevisan of Salesianum and Lonnie Wright of Saint Mark’s — were suspended for a game each, and one assistant coach from each team was banished for two games for their actions in the aftermath of Salesianum’s 56-43 win over the Spartans on Feb. 8 at Saint Mark’s. Those penalties were imposed Feb. 13 by the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association.
Playing in front of a large, energized crowd, the Sals rallied after trailing by one point entering the final quarter. They led by 11 in the closing seconds when a Sals player dunked. As the players and coaches moved through the handshake line, an assistant coach from each school appeared to argue with one another, according to video of the incident circulating online.
Salesianum imposed an additional game suspension on Trevisan, athletic director Katie Godfrey said. He missed the team’s game Feb. 13 against Dover, and he will also not be present for the team’s home regular-season finale on Thursday against Tower Hill. Wright will not coach the Spartans when they visit Wilmington Christian on Thursday.
In addition, three players were suspended, two from Salesianum and one from Saint Mark’s. The Sals’ players received a game, which they served on Feb. 13. Saint Mark’s suspended one player, according to athletic director Matt Smith. He declined to comment on its length.
Godfrey said both schools pride themselves on holding students accountable for their actions, and Salesianum “certainly failed at that that night.” The situation was addressed quickly, she said.
“The message to the team, which includes the coaching staff and the entire program, is that we will hold you accountable for your actions. We have addressed the issues that we know are at hand. I’m hopeful that everyone is taking responsibility, and we’re ready to move forward,” she said.
Smith concurred. “I think both schools regret what happened, and hopefully we can learn from this and move forward.”
