WPIAL takes no action against Mt. Lebanon basketball coach for objecting to official

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, February 25, 2021 | 3:57 PM

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Mt. Lebanon boys basketball coach Joe David testified in a WPIAL hearing Thursday that he was uncomfortable with one of the officials assigned to his game last week, but insisted he never threatened to take his team and leave.

The WPIAL questioned coaches, administrators and officials involved in Saturday’s nonsection game at Quaker Valley and decided no disciplinary action was needed, WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman said.

“If a coach or somebody would walk out or not play a game because of an official, then there would certainly be (discipline),” she said, but the WPIAL didn’t find that to be the case here because there was no imminent threat to leave.

The WPIAL held the hearing online.

“There was no hint whatsoever of me ever not playing this basketball game,” David told the WPIAL panel. “Quite honestly, it’s very, very insulting to think that I would have the low character … to say that I’m going to take my team and walk to the bus.”

However, David had objected to official Mario Seneca working the contest, which led to the game being played with only two officials. According to testimony, Seneca hadn’t worked a Mt. Lebanon basketball game since the 2012 WPIAL playoffs because of a conflict with David nine years ago.

David said he believed the WPIAL had banned Seneca from working Mt. Lebanon games and voiced his concerns about 20 minutes before tipoff Saturday, after realizing Seneca was among the three-man officiating crew.

Scheuneman said David’s belief was incorrect because the WPIAL is not involved in assigning officials for regular-season games, only postseason contests.

“There are certain officials based on previous history that we do not assign to certain schools (in the postseason),” Scheuneman said. “We allow schools to let us know in advance who those people are, so that we’re not put a situation of past history playing into a game.”

After discussions between Quaker Valley athletic director Mike Mastroianni and referee Dom DeFrancisis, Saturday’s game was played but with only two officials. Quaker Valley decided to pay Seneca anyway as part of the resolution. Mastroianni said he was the one who first suggested using two officials.

In an email explaining the decision, Mastroianni told the WPIAL that Mt. Lebanon would “have to leave and not play if (Seneca) was not removed.” However, Mastroianni told the WPIAL panel Thursday that David never directly threatened to leave.

“He did indicate that he was very uncomfortable and wasn’t sure they could play the game,” Mastroianni said, “but I never thought that they were not going to play the game.”

The WPIAL heard testimony from David, Mastroianni, Seneca, DeFrancisis and Mt. Lebanon athletic director John Grogan.

David said he told Mastroianni he was concerned there would be further conflict with Seneca if he officiated their game.

“I’m uncomfortable in that he’ll come out here and throw me out of the game or give me a (technical foul) for no reason and I’m not going to be able to coach the next game,” David said he told Mastroianni.

With the pregame clock ticking down, David said he felt Mastroianni and DeFrancisis were uncomfortable with the situation, so he offered to coach with Seneca on the floor.

“I said to them all at that point in time, if everybody’s uncomfortable, please go get him and have him do the game,” David said. “I’ll sit there and won’t say a word. Let’s squash this thing and let him referee the game. They said he’d left. My comment was, ‘Call him. He can’t be too far.’”

Seneca said in Thursday’s testimony that he hadn’t foreseen there being any problem with him working a Mt. Lebanon game.

“I assumed that whatever the issue was from nine years ago, we had moved on,” Seneca said. “I don’t bring baggage from a week ago, let alone nine years ago. I felt like I was able to work the game impartially and fairly, and didn’t know that there was still a history here and a problem that was going to come up.”

Seneca and David both said they hoped to talk in the future and diffuse any issues between them.

“We’re encouraged by the potential of the two people actually working it out together,” Scheuneman said, “and having a positive resolution.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

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