Encores On Tap?
Can you top this?
Butler, Karns City, Knoch, Mars and North Catholic are coming off strong boys basketball seasons — and are looking for more.
Here is a look at Butler County area teams this season:
Coach: Tony McGarvey, 1st yearLast Year: 6-16The Falcons return swingmen Eddie Stevanus and Levi Orton, who combined to put up 34 points and 20 rebounds per game last season.But the hopes in Foxburg this winter will be bolstered by another returnee in senior point guard Russ Carr, who missed all of last year with a knee injury.Carr had a very solid sophomore campaign with 10.9 points, four rebounds and four assists per game.“He wasn't cleared to play until June, but he is showing no signs of the injury,” said McGarvey. “We played in a fall league in Grove City and he's back, 100 percent.“Those three (Stevanus, Orton and Carr) will be breaking the ice for the others,” he added. “Our leadership will take us as far as we're gonna go.”Guards Cole Dehart, Eli Penny and Austin Cratty will all see significant time, with two of them taking up starting spots.“In this offense, when a guy is open, he needs to take the shot. Defensively, we have the athletes to play man-to-man. The focal point will be playing a tenacious, in-your-face defense.”
Coach: Matt Clement, 11th yearLast Year: 21-6The Golden Tornado return arguably the WPIAL's best player in senior point guard Ethan Morton, but were dealt a blow in the preseason with the loss of senior forward Luke Patten to knee surgery.“It's questionable when he's going to come back, maybe doubtful he comes back at all this season,” Clement said. “I call Ethan 1A and Luke 1B because of all the little things Luke provides us.“He plays great defense, takes the right shots, is another ball handler, knows how to set up his teammates ... That's a lot.”Morton returns looking to place an exclamation point on a high school career that's already produced a school-record 1,673 points. He averaged 27.5 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and 2.6 steals per game last season.“I'm not worried about Ethan trying to do too much,” Clement said. “He wants to win and he makes his teammates better the way he plays the game.”Junior guard Mattix Clement (12.0 ppg., 87 treys) and sophomore guard Devin Carney (12.0 ppg., 63 treys) are other returning starters. The other two starters will come from seniors Dom McCowan and Mason Montag, sophomores Charlie Kreinbucher and Raine Gratzmiller.While Clement said everyone will have to pick up his game this season to account for the loss of Patten, he sees Gratzmiller as a project to fill that void.“It would be unfair to pin all that on him right now because he's a young player, but Raine plays the game a lot like Luke,” the coach said.The Tornado bench runs deep this year, with as many as seven other players possibly seeing meaningful varsity minutes.
Coach: Wayne Greiser, 2nd yearLast Year: 11-10The Yellowjackets return six players who started at least a handful of games last year, including senior forward Nolan Plocki (13.6 ppg.).“We lost Nolan to a shoulder injury in January last year and that hurt us,” Greiser said.Senior guard Aiden Skradski averaged 10.1 ppg. and 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Matt Aulicino led the team with 6.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard/forward Garret Schaffhauser, junior guard Christian Waronsky and sophomore guard Vinnie Clark started games last year as well.Freeport graduated its leading scorer in Jalen Brown (17 ppg.), who is now playing at La Roche.“All positions are open this year,” Greiser said. “We're more guard-oriented, so we're going from being a dribble-drive team to more of a 1-4 high.“We have eight seniors on the roster, guys who have been with this program a long time. We've got good depth and will be able to play a few different styles.”While Greiser said versatility is his team's strength, he added that staying healthy will be a key to success.“If guys go down, we lose that versatility,” he said. “Our goal is to get a playoff spot and win a playoff game, maybe get into the PIAA playoffs. We haven't done that in a while.”
Coach: Chris Bellis, 11th yearLast Year: 18-7The Gremlins return a pair of third-year starters in junior point guard Chase Beighley (14.5 ppg.) and junior forward Nathan Waltman (13.0 ppg. 9 rpg.).Waltman is sidelined at least until Christmas as he underwent surgery from a football injury.“It's going to take a group effort to make up for not having Nathan early,” Bellis said. “He rebounds and plays defense so well.”The rest of Karns City's lineup will come from senior forwards Daunte Young and Logan Fleeger, senior guard Caiden Corbett, junior guard Gage Cowoski, freshman forward Micah Rupp and freshman guard Eric Booher.“Our strength is the leadership of Chase and Nathan,” Bellis said. “Our concern is developing team chemistry this year. That can be difficult when you have players from all of our classes on the floor together. We'll have to develop that.”He added that Keystone “is the team to beat” in the Gremlins' division of the KSAC.
Coach: Ron McNabb, 8th yearLast Year: 18-6Four solid starters return for the Knights this season, all of them seniors.Scott Fraser, a 6-4 guard, led the team with 15 points per game. Forward Jared Scherecengost averaged 10 points and six rebounds per contest.Jake Scheidt is a 6-4 point guard, Brady McKee a 6-4 forward.“Experience is our biggest strength,” McNabb said. “We don't have the one really big guy inside, but we've got 6-4 guards who love to rebound.”Julian Sanks, now playing at Butler County Community College, is the only Knoch starter lost to graduation. Sophomore guard Ryan Lang, one of the Knights' top players off the bench as a freshman a year ago, figures to crack the starting lineup.Adam Bajuszik, a 5-11 senior guard, will see plenty of action as well. The Knights also have a pair of 6-4 junior centers in Cole Green and Zack McMillian.“Everything we do starts with defense,” McNabb said. “We work hard on a gritty half-court defense every day.“We allowed 43 points per game last year, second fewest in the WPIAL. We want to do that again.”The coach also stressed a rebound-by-committee mentality.“If we're tough mentally, tough physically and work hard every day to get better, everything will take care of itself,” he said.
Coach: Rob Carmody, 22nd yearLast Year: 27-2Mihali Sfanos and Zac Schlegel both played well in key moments during last year's run to a WPIAL 5A title and appearance in the state semifinals.Things will be amplified for the junior and sophomore, respectively, as they move into starting roles.Schlegel will be the point guard while Sfanos will be a shooting guard.“They both came up big last year, but now they need to do it as starters,” said Carmody. “(Sfanos) is a terrific scorer, but he has to become consistent.”Making the transition easier for both is the fact that Mars returns senior forward Michael Carmody, who averaged 14.7 points and 16.2 rebounds a season ago.“I've seen players who were named all-state in both football and basketball. They're all tall and lean,” said Coach Carmody. “But Michael is 6-6, 290 pounds. It's a unique mix.”Guard Joey Craska also returns as a starter. Will Johnson, Bryce Cunningham, Jared Kozora, Jonah Kozora and Anthony Vargo will each get their chance to contribute.
Coach: Mike Jewart, 2nd yearLast Year: 10-9What the Warriors lack in size, Jewart hopes they more than make up with in athleticism.Jewart is banking on it.“We might be tall, but a stiff wind gust will blow us over,” Jewart said. “What we are is fast and if we can shoot the ball better, that's how we're going to have to win.”Moniteau didn't shoot the ball particularly well at times last year, but Jewart believes some of that was rectified in an offseason spent honing that craft in the gym.The Warriors are also deep. Jewart said as many as nine or 10 players could see the floor regularly.There are certainly some dangerous scorers to build around.Namely, Ethan McDeavitt, who averaged 12.5 points per game last season.Senior Gage Neal also offers some size at 6-2 and some scoring and rebounding punch.Fellow senior, 5-10 shooting guard Nathan Tack, can also shoot and is quick.“Tack will be a huge key for us,” Jewart said. “He's a good spot-up shooter.”Sophomore Kyle Pry has also shown he can handle the ball and attack.That means Moniteau can switch things up at point guard at will.“We haven't been this deep in years,” Jewart said. “This is the first year in a while where our second team can challenge our varsity in practice. We're going to take advantage of that.”The key, though, will be how quickly Jewart can determine the right combinations on the court and how well the smallish Warriors can rebound.
Coach: Dave DeGregorio, 2nd yearLast Year: 21-6Returning a starting point guard is a luxury not every team has.The Trojans do this season, however, and they have a pretty good one in senior Isaac DeGregorio.He averaged 20.4 points, four rebounds and 4.3 assists last year, leading North to the WPIAL 3A championship game.“He has a lot of confidence in himself and hopefully, the other guys can pick up on that,” said Coach DeGregorio. “We have the talent to be pretty good, but we have to work hard and have the right attitude.”Shooting guard Ryan Feczko and forward Jackson Pascall join DeGregorio as returning starters. The latter averaged 13.4 points and 5.2 boards last year.The rest of the starting lineup has yet to be determined, but a number of players should see ample time on the floor, whether in a starting role or off the bench. That group includes guards Isaiah Jackson and Anthony Serventi and forwards Jake Tomer, Connor Maddalon and Andrew Ammerman.
Coach: Kevin Trost, 2nd yearLast Year: 11-11The Raiders plan to have a deep bench this season in hopes of improving on last year's .500 record and early exit from the WPIAL 6A playoffs.The optimism begins with senior guard Mason Bush, who is coming off a 15-point, five-rebound junior campaign.“We will rely on him heavily,” said Trost. “He has a good mid-range game, can finish around the basket and is also effective in the low-post.”Senior forward Gabe Lawson is SV's other returning starter, followed by a bevy of players looking to make their mark.Guards Connor Lyczek, Cole Brooks, Caiden Oros and Ben Hicks join Brian Hart, Ethan West and Luke Lawson in the frontcourt as the group which will round out the starting lineup and provide support as reserves.“The skill level of our top nine, they're all versatile,” Trost said. “We will have a lot of flexibility in what we're able to do offensively.“Lyczek, Oros and (Luke) Lawson can all run the point and we should be better at handling pressure.”Trost also believes his team will hold its own on the boards.“There's no 6-7 guy on our roster, but we have a lot of guys who are 6-4 and 6-3 and they're physical,” he said.
Coach: A.J. Motta, 1st yearLast Year: 2-20Motta takes over a program that has struggled to a 12-80 mark in the last four seasons.But the Rockets have a roster of 21, three returning starters and a wealth of talent under a new coaching staff.“I think one of the biggest challenges is belief in the locker room,” Motta said. “Belief we can do it. We have guys who really believe we have what it takes to turn it around.”That may start with Judah Roth. The senior guard averaged eight points per game last season, but should see that spike in Slippery Rock's new offense.Motta is also excited about senior guard Zack Thompson and senior forward Jack Allen.Junior Ethan Plesakov and senior Nathaniel Willison, who is back out for the team after a few seasons away, should round out the starting five.How Slippery Rock plays will be dictated largely by the opponent.“Our region is very, very tough and I don't think you want to play a fast-paced game with Grove City or Hickory,” Motta said. “We may be a chameleon type of team.”Motta played at Grove City under legendary coach Don Fee and served as an assistant coach for the past five seasons at Pine-Richland.“I definitely learned a lot from Coach Fee,” Motta said. “He was a great teacher of the game.”
Coach: William Sharpe, 2nd yearLast Year: 10-10As is the nature with Summit Academy, each season brings an entirely new team.And this year, the Knights have a team that lacks size.The tallest player is 6-3 center Lamar Fitzgerald. He's the only player on the roster who is 6-foot.“Short and sweet,” Sharpe said, “We have a whole new team.”
Coach: Brent Saylor, 1st yearLast Year: 7-14The Golden Knights have struggled in recent years, but thanks to no shortage of athleticism on the roster, Union hopes to have a reversal of fortune this season.“We haven't sniffed the playoffs in three years,” said Saylor, who was the junior high coach the last two years.The starting lineup is not set, but Saylor feels confident that guards Karter Vogle and Caden Rainey, forwards Truman Vereb and Layton Stewart and swingman Luke Bowser will get the majority of minutes to start the season.“We're not big, but we are athletic,” said Saylor. “That's going to have to play a big part for us because we have a lot of football players on our roster and the football team played late into the season. We got a late start.”Rainey led the Knights with 13.3 ppg. last season.
