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Arrigale's 11th PCL title has him alone atop the record books

02/25/2020, 8:15am EST
By Ari Glazier


Neumann-Goretti coach Carl Arrigale (above) won his record 11th Philadelphia Catholic League championship Monday night. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Ari Glazier (@AriGlazier)
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Leading up to his record breaking 11th Catholic League championship, Neumann-Goretti coach Carl Arrigale was inundated with figures from his past. Many of his most accomplished former players reached out either in person or through the phone, with Arrigale teasing that Scoop Jardine ruined practice when he showed up, and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree asked for twelve tickets.

On top of that, Arrigale’s own high school coach from Penn Charter, Speedy Morris, was honored pregame. He warmly greeted both Arrigale and Roman Catholic coach Matthew Griffin, another Morris disciple. 

“He’s been a big big influence on me wanting to get involved in this crazy business of coaching,” Arrigale said of Morris. “He’s just a great man.”

Neumann’s Monday night win over Roman Catholic catapulted Arrigle ahead of former Roman Catholic coach, Dennis Seddon. The 21st-year coach won his first titles back to back in ‘01 and ‘02. He later went on to win six consecutive championships from 2009 to 2014, much like Seddon who had a six-peat of his own from ‘89 to ‘94.

NG had been deprived of PCL for the last five years, the longest such stretch in Arrigale’s career. They lost in the finals in three of those seasons, twice to Roman and once to Archbishop Wood. Monday’s win means that Arrigale and NG have won a majority of the PCL finals over the last twenty years. 

Not much has been consistent over those twenty years, not even the name on the trophy (NG was known as Saint John Neumann for Arrigale’s first two title wins), least of all Arrigale himself. That works to the benefit of the current crop of Saints, as he is, by his own admission, “a lot nicer” these days.

“I was a little crazy when I started,” Arrigale said. “I’ve calmed down a lot. I’ve got family and kids now, a great wife who kind of keeps me even keeled… These guys couldn’t’ve dealt with me twenty years ago.”

After finishing up at Penn Charter, Arrigale went on to join Lycoming’s first ever NCAA basketball team as a freshman in 1985. He went on to become a regular bench contributor, appearing in 60 games over his college career. Arrigale joined the NG staff in 1992, not long after he hung up the sneakers. He hasn’t looked back, leading the Saints to 10 3A District Championships and eight state championships on top of his collection of PCL gold.

(Read More: Neumann-Goretti snaps six-year PCL title drought)

Despite his teasing, Arrigale deadpanned post game that coaching Hysier Miller and Hakim Byrd was equivalent to a psychology degree, the potential to be the group that put Arrigale over the top a major motivator for this NG team.

“He just believed in us when and stayed with us, even though we all had our moments,” the Marist commit Byrd said. “And we love him for that. We just wanted to get this win for him, ‘cause he really deserves it.”

While Arrigale confessed it was difficult for him to put his accomplishment into perspective, he suggested he might be able to reflect on the win by late March, the stream of former players and coaches certainly reminded him of the passage of time.

“It was really nice that Matty and I were here in the final,” Arrigale said. “We both played for [Morris] at way different times in his coaching career. I coached against Matty and like three guys on his staff, so I’m getting old.”

Arrigale went on to question whether he’d stick around to see the likes of Byrd and Jordan Hall visit their alma mater, like so many former NG standouts did leading up to the clash at the Palestra. 

That sentimentality wasn’t without its pressure though. The stress that comes with attempting to live up to the expectations of people that he cares about led Arrigale to half-seriously doubt whether he’d be back to the Palestra ever again if NG lost. 

If he wasn’t there already, the win solidified Arrigale’s place as an all-time Philly basketball great. With that status, he also elevates the countless coaches and players that he’s touched in his career. After all, a coach is only as good as his players.

 “It means I’ve coached a lot of good players,” Arrigale said. “I’ve had a lot of good help, a lot of good coaches.”

That’s not to say he’s undervalued his current roster.

“I enjoy these guys, as crazy as they are,” Arrigale said.  “I’ve told them I wouldn’t change locker rooms for any coach in the league.”


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Tag(s): Home  Boys HS  Catholic League (B)  Neumann-Goretti