Burke sanctioned for recruiting violations
By Nathan Mayberg
GOSHEN — The John S. Burke Catholic boys basketball team was blocked from playing in the sectional playoffs next season, after the school was found to have committed recruiting violations.
In addition, the school will be placed on a three-year probation beginning July 1.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association, which Burke belongs to, prohibits recruiting.
The Section IX Athletic Council rendered the decision in March through a letter sent out by Section IX Athletics Executive Director Robert Thabet. The school is appealing the decision to the New York State High School Athletic Association, Principal John Dolan said. That appeal is scheduled to be heard May 12, he said.
Burke and the BC EaglesThe decision is a major blow to a program that had won a state Class B title in 2011 and finished deep in the state tournament in recent years.
Thabet alleged that former John S. Burke Catholic boys basketball assistant coach Robert Rahn influenced 12 public school students "as to where they should attend school and play basketball" while coaching an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team.
As a result of the council's decision, Rahn is barred from coaching the school's basketball team while coaching its AAU team.
Rahn allegedly gained influence to basketball players from other schools while coaching the BC Eagles, an AAU basketball team carrying the Burke initials and the same nickname as the high school. The AAU team's name has since been changed to the BC Early Risers. The team attracts high school basketball players from throughout the region to play after the Section 9 season is over.
Dolan said he asked the AAU team to change their name in March.
Rahn is also the assistant dean at John S. Burke Catholic High School, where he handles disciplinary issues of students.
Dolan said the accusations don't look good for the school, but said he "has a lot of confidence" in Rahn.
"He's done a lot of good things for the school," Dolan said.
A message left at Rahn's office was not returned.
The council also found that Burke "admitted to having poor institutional controls over the giving of scholarships which resulted in a higher percentage of scholarships received by student basketball players than by the student body in general."
The complaintFive Section 9 schools lodged complaints against Burke regarding the recruiting violations through its basketball teams.
Middletown Superintendent Ken Eastwood said his school district brought charges against Burke after years of complaints by students and families of attempted recruitment.
Middletown Athletic Director David Coates said the basketball team lost one student who transferred to Burke several years ago, while other attempts by Rahn to recruit Middletown students who played for Rahn's AAU team were unsuccessful.
Eastwood said two of his students stopped participating in the investigation after playing for Rahn on his AAU team last summer. He wants the public to know that he didn't get involved in filing a complaint lightly.
The district spent two years building its case against Burke, Eastwood said, and received supporting evidence from a handful of schools in the section, which also corroborated the complaints. The district received signed statements and complaints from students to substantiate their case.
Eastwood and Coates decided to go forward with the complaint after a parent complaint about how her son was treated by Rahn.
Eastwood said he has been hearing complaints about the recruiting for more than five years and said it had gotten "out of control." He believes the problem has been going on longer than that.
"Everybody knew it and nobody wanted to do anything about it," Eastwood said.
Some students were misled and told they could become Division 1 college players and would get more attention and exposure from colleges if they went to play for Rahn at Burke, according to Eastwood, something that ultimately hurt the players.
"These are kids, they have these visions of what they can be and somebody starts stroking their visions," Eastwood said.
Moving forwardDolan said the accusations "opened my eyes." He said he thought the school was following the rules.
"I wish them nothing but peace," Dolan said of the school's accusers. "I just want to move forward."
However, in a letter to parents posted on the Burke website, Dolan called the investigation and allegations "blatantly biased." Dolan wrote that the school maintains "that the allegations are false and have no evidence to believe otherwise."
Eastwood said it was his duty to report the charges.
"I have an obligation as superintendent of schools to see my kids are being protected."