When Rachel Rentschler's family left Oklahoma, it had opportunity in mind. But her father was thinking about more than just a new job or a new place to live or a place for Rachel to go to school. He was thinking about where Rachel could play basketball. It couldn't be just anywhere. It had to be somewhere competitive, if the ninth-grader was going to reach her goal of playing in college. Wins and losses were as much of a consideration for the Rentschlers as academic quality. "That balance was important," Jim Rentschler said. "I'd be lying to you if I said it wasn't important. It was. We needed that strong balance."
The Rentschlers found it at Fort Worth Christian. Last season, Rachel helped the Cardinals win their third consecutive state championship in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. This fall, she signed a scholarship to play at Texas. It is significant that in taking competitiveness into account, the Rentschlers did not have to cross off private schools. Private schools in North Texas are increasingly fielding teams that can hold their own against the best public-school teams. The quality of play is more difficult to label as public and private, players and coaches say. "You wouldn't believe how tough some of these games are," Lake Country Christian senior Ben Warton said. "The private-school competition is there." Private schools have scored significant victories this season. Grace Prep defeated a traditionally strong Cleburne boys program. The Lake Country boys defeated Arlington Seguin, a UIL regional finalist last season. The Fort Worth Christian girls, who graduated four starters from last season's team, own victories against Brock and Arlington. The Lake Country girls have defeated five public schools.
This week's holiday tournaments feature a number of private-school teams that will try to make more headway against their public cousins. Among them are the Lake Country boys in the Fort Worth ISD's Coca-Cola Classic and the Fort Worth Christian and Colleyville Covenant girls in the Mansfield Rotary Classic. Generally, of course, private-school basketball lags behind public-school basketball in quality and depth. But a successful athletic program carries a benefit for private schools — it can raise the profile of the school, which in turn can put it higher in the mind of prospective students and their families. The school's name winds up in newspaper headlines, TV newscasts, Internet message boards and chat rooms. It can be almost as good as advertising.
The Rentschler family is one example of the buzz at work. "When Rachel was in junior high and we were looking for a school, a woman who had seen her play in a junior high game and knew what we were looking for said, 'You should probably go check out Fort Worth Christian,'" Rentschler said. "I said, 'Why?' I had never heard of it. The woman said it was a great basketball program, really strong. "So we visited the school, and almost as a fluke, in passing, we ran into the coach, John Anderson, in a hallway and told him we were researching educational opportunities. He told us about the program. We liked him right away. And academically, the school was right. Academically, it would get her ready for the next level."
Private school officials don't mind getting their school in the news. But they walk a tightrope. Primarily, their mission is to ensure an academic environment that meets their school's goals for curriculum and spiritual education. Athletic success is not necessarily part of the formula. "Our goal is to have a balanced program, and excellence is one of our core values," Lake Country head administrator Nancy Purtell said. "It is the goal of the board and the administration to have an excellent athletic program, as well as excellent fine arts and academic programs. If we didn't have an athletic program, certainly there is a segment of people who would be interested in your school that wouldn't come." At Bethesda Christian, enrollment has gone from about 390 students in all grades four years ago to about 530 today, an increase of 36 percent. Last season, the girls basketball team made the playoffs. The boys team has lost only one game this season and is No. 1 among small private schools in the state coaches poll.
Head master Keith Castello does not dismiss a correlation. "There is a general visibility that occurs that is very positive. No question about that," he said. "But in the end, when parents get to the point of actually making the decision on which school their child is going to attend, our surveys have told us they are not motivated by the athletic program. What probably does happen in a lot of cases is that parents initially hear about us because of success we've had athletically." Could there be such a thing as too much success? Castello notes the idea of diminishing returns from a successful athletic program if a school does indeed want it to be a recruiting tool. "As success increases and you begin to draw in athlete after athlete after athlete, for some families, their desire to be at your school is going to be mitigated because they want their child to be part of those teams," he said. "What we have found is that it is not a championship program that draws parents in, but the opportunity for their children to participate." In the end, wins and losses have their place. It is up to each school to decide that place.
"I tell people every year, if you want your school to grow, keep the focus on Christian values and a great academic program," said Grace Prep athletic director Chris Hall, whose boys basketball team won a TAPPS state championship in 2002 and has been to three other TAPPS final fours. "But if you really want your enrollment to grow, get the best athletic program you can." IN THE KNOW Carrying the flag As the competitiveness of private-school basketball grows, some teams opt to test their mettle in public-school holiday tournaments. A rundown of some of those teams: BOYS Fort Worth Christian (7-7): Has played 12 public schools, defeating Grapevine, McKinney, Sanger, Kountze and Brock.... Entered in the Whataburger Tournament Blue Division, against Fairfield at 1:15 p.m. Thursday. Nolan Catholic (7-4): No. 14 among large private schools in state coaches rankings.... Entered in Whataburger Tournament Blue Division, against Lorenzo at 6 p.m. Thursday. Lake Country (11-4): Has defeated Lake Worth and Arlington Seguin and lost to Arlington Bowie.... Entered in the FWISD Coca-Cola Classic, against Lamar at 5 p.m. Thursday. GIRLS Colleyville Covenant (7-6): Is 1-3 against public schools this season.... Entered in the Mansfield Rotary Classic, against Marcus at 9:45 this morning. Fort Worth Christian (11-8): Has defeated Brock and Arlington and lost to Keller Central and Arlington Bowie.... Entered in the Mansfield Rotary Classic, against Arlington Seguin at 1:15 p.m. today. Country Day (10-1): Traditional Southwest Preparatory Conference power with an experienced lineup.... Entered in the Godley Christmas Tournament, against Grandview at 4 p.m. Thursday. Carlos Mendez, 817-390-7407 cmendez@star-telegram.com Caption: In choosing Fort Worth Christian for daughter Rachel (44), Jim Rentschler cited the "strong balance" between academics and athletics.
