{"id":224922,"date":"2026-06-22T13:03:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/224922\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T13:03:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:03:12","slug":"dennis-csensits-has-resigned-at-acchs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/224922\/","title":{"rendered":"Dennis Csensits has resigned at ACCHS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saying it was time, Dennis Csensits has resigned as the boys basketball coach at Allentown Central Catholic.<\/p>\n

He told the team of his decision earlier in the week after coaching them through the first half of the summer league season.<\/p>\n

No one was more successful on an area boys basketball sideline over the past 14 seasons than Csensits, who led the Vikings to the 2021 Class 4A state championship which is the only state gold a Lehigh Valley team has had in the sport over the last 40 years.<\/p>\n

At the end of last season, the 58-year-old Csensits talked about coaching at ACCHS for two more seasons but had a change of heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking I\u2019d hang on for a couple more years, but a couple things came up and there are a couple of options out there that I am weighing right now,\u201d he said. \u201cI have decided that I am going to take a little time off this summer and make a decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the options are at the high school and college level and involve sports and basketball.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m at a point in my life with my family that I\u2019ve got some flexibility,\u201d Csensits said. \u201cMy three sons are now young adults. All three of them played for me \u2013 Dennis who is 26, Andrew is 24 and Will is 20. They\u2019re all doing well and my wife and I are so proud of them. But we\u2019re at a point where we\u2019re just about empty nesters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AllentownAllentown Central Catholic coach Dennis Csensits, watches his team during a District 11 Class 4A boys basketball finals game against Northwestern Lehigh on Feb 27, 2026 in Allentown. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Csensits said, \u201cIt\u2019s never a good time to leave a place like Central Catholic. But for me, I felt it was time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He posted a record of 284-102 and in addition to the state championship, his teams won nine District 11 titles, including the last four in a row, and also a pair of league championships.<\/p>\n

He was named the 2020-21 PIAA 4A Coach of the Year and the 2022-23 PA Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year. He was also The Morning Call\u2019s coach of the year in 2021.<\/p>\n

His best team was arguably the 2013-14 squad which set a Lehigh Valley record by winning its first 29 games before losing to eventual state champion Neumann-Goretti in the PIAA 4A quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Csensits is an Allen High and DeSales University graduate. He came to Allentown Central Catholic after an extensive coaching career at the collegiate level.<\/p>\n

Prior to joining the staff as Rich Fatzinger\u2019s assistant in 2011, Csensits was the head coach at Dickinson College from 2002-2009. In addition, he served as a Division I assistant from 1994-2002 at the U.S. Naval Academy, The Citadel and Colgate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came over to Central to help Rich, I never anticipated that it would be this type of experience, this type of run,\u201d he said. \u201cI am extremely grateful that I had this opportunity. Central was the perfect fit for me with it being a mission-based school where you are offering kids a Christ-centered education and a place where the administration truly valued education through athletics.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he worked for three \u201creally good principals\u201d in the late Dennis Nemes, Blair Tiger and Randy Rice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose three guys, without compromising academics, really understood the value of a strong athletic program,\u201d Csensits said. \u201cAll three were extremely supportive of what we were doing in our program and with the young men. That\u2019s something I greatly appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he was also blessed with many great players and assistant coaches.<\/p>\n

\"AllentownAllentown Central Catholic coach Dennis Csensits, watches his team during a District 11 Class 4A boys basketball finals game against Northwestern Lehigh on Feb 27, 2026 in Allentown. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful to all of the players and the coaches I have had with me,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of continuity with our coaching staff and on the current staff we have several guys who could easily be head coaches in this league, people like Dave Gehris and Kevin Keeler. We\u2019ve also got three young guys who I coached who are coming through the ranks \u2013 Bryce Maley, Nick Filchner and Cael Hines. All three of those guys are good coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement posted on social media, the school said, \u201cAllentown Central Catholic would like to express our deepest gratitude to Coach Csensits for all he has given to our Viking basketball program after 14 incredible seasons! His leadership went far beyond the scoreboard. He taught discipline, resilience, teamwork, and what it truly means to give our best. Through every practice, every game, every challenge, Coach Csensits believed in the Viking program and inspired out student-athletes to believe in themselves. Fourteen seasons of dedication, passion and success is an extraordinary legacy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Csensits, who had been the school\u2019s athletic director and more recently director of development and athletic advancement, said he will miss ACCHS.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other day after I met with the team, I was walking out of Rockne Hall and I looked at the banners and it reinforced what a special place it is,\u201d he said. \u201cI will always have special memories in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

None better than the memorable run in the 2021 state playoffs when ACCHS, in a span of 10 days, beat Pope John Paul II, Archbishop Carroll, Middletown and Hickory for the state gold. The four wins came by a total of 11 points, including a 41-40 thriller with Hickory at Hershey\u2019s Giant Center.<\/p>\n

\"AllentownAllentown Central Catholic West\u2019s coach Dennis Csensits watches his team against Pocono Mountain West during an EPC\u2019s Northampton County Division basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, at Allentown Central\u2019s Rockne Hall in Allentown. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had some really good teams,\u201d Csensits said. \u201cBut obviously the 2021 team was special. Those few weeks when we made the run to Hershey and won the state championship with my son Andrew being a part of that team \u2026 that truly had to be the highlight of my time at Central Catholic and that\u2019s not to sell any of the other teams short.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, the wins are great, the championships are great, but you do it because of the great relationships you form with the kids. I\u2019ve been at Central Catholic long enough that I\u2019ve seen so many kids grow up and become great successes in life. They\u2019re getting married and starting their own family. Bryce Maley\u2019s wife is expecting this weekend, so I have been back and forth with him. That\u2019s so neat to see. We all talk about life lessons through athletics and really that\u2019s what this is about for these kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is not sure of the process that will follow but said Gehris will likely coach the team in the summer league and upcoming summer tournaments.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy decision will start the transition and get the process started I am sure and I know the school will have a timeline in place to put the kids in the best position going forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Csensits said he was celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary with his wife, the former Lori Stranzl, this weekend. Stranzl was a three-sport athlete at Allen and the two have been together since high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cLori has been a phenomenal wife and she has been there raising the kids through all of the Division I stops I made and Division III as well,\u201d he said. \u201cShe has been like a warrior. She has been a special part of all the success I\u2019ve had as a coach. I can\u2019t thank her enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

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