Steady hand
ADAMS TWP — Rob Carmody had a team capable of making history and he knew it.
“Last fall, he told the players that they were good enough to get to the state championship game, even win it,” said longtime Mars boys basketball assistant coach Paul Rubish. “The kids took it and ran with it.”
Mars did indeed play for the PIAA crown for the first time in its history, finishing the year with an overall record of 23-7.
Carmody’s guidance helped steer Mars in the right direction and he has been named the Butler Eagle’s Boys Basketball Coach of the Year for his efforts. He edged out Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic coach Dave Long, who led the Trojans to the WPIAL Class A title.
The Planets captured their fourth consecutive Section 1-AAA title and reached the WPIAL semifinals, where they bowed to Beaver Falls. But it was what they accomplished in March that truly set them apart.
They survived scares in the first two rounds of the state playoffs, defeating Clearfield (68-60) and Strong Vincent (58-56) before steamrolling their way to Hershey and last Friday’s title game with lopsided wins over Highlands (77-48) and Bishop McDevitt (80-62).
“A lot of people look at the WPIAL as the be-all and end-all,” Carmody said recently, “but our guys didn’t let that happen. They did a tremendous job of coming back and getting ready for the state playoffs.”
It was the mood Carmody exuded that may have had as much to do with the rebound as any aspect of his gameplan or pre-game speech.
“The first practice after the Beaver Falls game, some of us were down,” recalled senior center John Castello. “Coach wasn’t yelling at us, he was the happiest guy in the gym. He knew we could make a run at states.”
Rubish, who has been an assistant at Mars for 16 seasons, knows how much this year’s team meant to Carmody, who, along with his son, Robby, is currently in Italy for a tournament of international players.
“We had a chance to leave for Hershey on Thursday, but Rob wanted to practice one more time in our own gym,” Rubish said. “After the practice, he became emotional. He didn’t want to see this season end.”
For years, Carmody has put in time when he was away from the team in an effort to give the Planets an edge.
“He’s always watching college games, going to clinics ... anything to help the team get better,” said Rubish. “In practice, it’s amazing. He never repeats the same thing.”
The Planets played four games at a tournament in Las Vegas in mid-December and Carmody made sure his team’s competition was the cream of the crop. The Planets went 2-2 at the event.
“We may end up with a worse record than we did last year (26-3),” Carmody said recently, “but we’ll be a better team.”
Carmody, who just concluded his 18th season of leading the Planets, may appear to be a stern coach during games, but Rubish offered a different perspective.
“Some people may not believe this, but he’s actually mellowed out over the years,” he said. “When he was younger, he did a lot more yelling. Now, it’s not yelling, just trying to get the kids to do the things they are asked to do.”
