Ricci LaRocco bringing ‘old school’ but up-tempo approach to Slippery Rock boys basketball program
SLIPPERY ROCK — After 22 years of coaching basketball, Ricci LaRocco was planning on taking the year off.
A chance to realize a long-time goal changed all of that.
“I’ve always wanted to be a varsity boys basketball head coach,” LaRocco said. “I didn’t see that opportunity popping up anywhere, so I was gonna sit for a year. The Slippery Rock job came open, I decided to apply and here I am.”
LaRocco was hired to head the Slippery Rock boys basketball program in August. Slippery Rock finished 2-20 last season under A.J. Motta.
LaRocco played on Neshannock’s WPIAL championship basketball team in the 1980s and graduated in 1988. He went on to become a junior college All-American at Penn State-Shenango.
His coaching experience includes 11 years as an assistant at Neshanock and six years as an assistant at Shenango. He became the head girls basketball coach at Shenango, leading that program to a WPIAL Class 2A championship in his second season. LaRocco went on to coach Laurel girls basketball for a couple of years, reaching the playoffs there.
“We had three applicants for the job, and Ricci’s coaching experience stood out,” Slippery Rock athletic director Brienna Simons said. “He’s been successful everywhere he’s been.
“His vision for the program is the same as mine. I’m confident he’ll get it on track.”
LaRocco said he’s quickly turned around teams with losing records before. He plans on doing the same at Slippery Rock.
“I met with the kids right away, and we’re in a fall league now,” he said. “We’ve already won two games there, and I’m impressed by how hard these kids are working. They’ve been coming to workouts on a regular basis.”
Four Slippery Rock basketball players are on the football team and another plays soccer.
LaRocco said a member of the golf team had also been coming to basketball workouts.
“He called me one day after just playing 18 holes and told me he’d be (at practice),” LaRocco said. “You win with kids like that.”
LaRocco’s assistant caches, Bob Natale and Frank Bongivengo, both joined him from his previous coaching stops. LaRocco called himself “old school” and said defense, rebounding and avoiding turnovers will be the three things the team must do to win. The Rockets will run an up-tempo offense.
“There’s no fun in walking the ball up the floor,” he said. “We will be fun to watch. My goal is to get the team to the playoffs, have the kids experience that.
“That’s step No. 1.”
