Winning Feeling
SLIPPERY ROCK — Lopsided losses had become commonplace for Slippery Rock's boys basketball team.
The Rockets needed a leader, someone who could not only convince them there was a way out of the doldrums of the District 10 region standings, but also provide a clear plan to get there.
When athletic director Dan Follett backed AJ Motta to take over the program in 2019, he knew turning things around would be a process.
"When I hired him, I was open and realistic with him as to what needed to be done with the program," Follett said. "He's taken the lead on 99 percent of it."
The Rockets went 3-20 and 5-14 in Motta's first two years. How big of a step could the team take in his third year?
Slippery Rock compiled a 13-10 record (9-5 in region games), including an appearance in the District 10 playoffs. It was the Rockets' most successful campaign since they went 15-10 in 2007-08.
Due to his leading role in Slippery Rock's turnaround, Motta has been named the Butler Eagle's 2021-22 Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.
"It took us three years to implement our system," said Motta. "We had to catch up skill-wise with the other teams in our region."
Also considered for the honor were North Catholic's Jim Rocco, Freeport's Sean Devinney and Karns City's Zach Kepple.
In the four seasons prior to Motta coming to Slippery Rock, the Rockets went a combined 12-79.
"When I took over, the players didn't have a lot of belief in themselves," he said. "We talked about changing the culture and attitude surrounding Slippery Rock basketball. I feel we turned the corner this year."
"I think a big factor is that AJ is a teacher in our district," Follett said. "He teaches a tech (education) course that all freshman have to take, so he's making connections with the kids at an early age.
"He's built a base we can build on."
Before taking the reins of the Rockets, Motta was coach of Pine-Richland's freshman boys team for four years and a junior varsity and varsity assistant with the Rams. He said he learned a lot from then-head coach Jeff Ackermann and current P-R mentor Bob Petcash, including "how to motivate kids".
Defense played a key role in the Rockets' recent success. They allowed an average of just 44.5 points per game this season.
"We played a high-pressure defense in the half court and were aggressive with our switching, basically what other teams try to do against us.
"The defense kept us in a lot of games, won a few games for us early in the season. We're not match-up driven and played to our defense's strengths."
Slippery Rock's confidence was bolstered as the players saw what was being talked about and implemented during practices, offensively and defensively, began to pay off in games.
Most importantly for the Rockets, all signs point to continued improvement. The team is set to return a number of integral contributors next season, including point guard John Sabo and shooting guard Dylan Gordon. They were the team's top two scorers this season, combining to average 25 points per game.
"We're going to lose some height, but will probably be a little more athletic," said Motta, who is assisted by Joe Vermylia, Ryan Cole and Brandon Ferrier. "This was a huge year for us and from here on out, we have a new standard to play to."
