BC3 hoops faced with unusual challenges
BUTLER TWP — The talent pool is becoming more and more shallow. Roster numbers are dwindling and the opposition is bigger, faster, stronger and can offer scholarship money.
The Butler County Community College men's and women's basketball programs are facing obstacles more imposing than a 7-foot shot-blocking center.
And the issues are complex and diverse.
“It's challenging because they can't come from very far away,” said BC3 athletic director Rob Snyder.
BC3 has no dormitories, so 100 percent of its students commute from home.
The college also has other locations in Cranberry Township, New Castle and Hermitage, which has cut into the number of students commuting to the Butler campus — and eligible to join its athletic teams.
“It's easy for a kid from Cranberry (Township) to stay in Cranberry,” Snyder said. “We're not getting the kids from Seneca Valley or Mars or New Castle or from some of the northern schools. It's a good and bad thing. We have these other campuses that are doing very well, but it has diminished the number of kids we can draw from.”
That hasn't stopped the students who are playing or the coaches who are coaching from continuing to persevere.
Both the men's and women's teams posted 4-19 records this season. The Pioneer men, though, entered the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate College playoffs and will play their first-round game Friday.
The competition in the playoffs may be easier than what BC3 faced during the regular season.
That's because all the community colleges in the postseason that the Pioneers will play are Division III schools.
Because there are so few Division III schools in the area, BC3 played a predominantly Division II schedule — colleges that have dorms and can offer scholarships.
“Because we play this geographical schedule, everyone is on a different playing field. We've always been at a disadvantage,” Snyder said. “To find teams at our level, the travel would be unrealistic for our kids. We'd have to travel all the way across the state to play in Division III. ”
No matter who they have played this season, the men have competed.That has pleased longtime coach Dick Hartung — who also coaches the BC3 women's basketball team — the most.“Those eight kids sell out every night for me and I'm proud of them,” Hartung said. “I tell you something about them, they come to practice, they are dressed right for practice and they are on time for practice. What more can you ask? Then they come to the game and they give you all they got.”Hartung was there in the 1980s and 1990s when BC3 was in its heyday.During those years when 20-win seasons were the norm, the school won five WPCC Conference titles, three PCAA state titles and one Region XX title.Those days have passed, but Hartung's enthusiasm has not.He resigned in 2001, but came back to the program for one year in 2006 and then returned in 2009 to coach both the men's and women's teams.“Denny King, who used to be the head coach at Slippery Rock High School, just wrote a book called, 'Ten Attributes of a Champion.' In the book he said: 'The next best thing to competing and winning is competing and losing,'” Hartung said. “You get to compete. What our guys are doing is competing. They really do, and I love coaching them.”The women's program has battled low numbers for several seasons, but still has had some success.Two years ago, the team reached the NJCAA Division III National Championships with just seven players on the roster. Last season, with just five players dressed for most games, the Pioneers were competitive.Butler High School graduate Casey Fleeger was the point guard for both teams.She said the reason why the numbers are so low is simple.“There's a lot of talent on this campus, but I think a lot of girls don't play here because they are scared,” Fleeger said. “But if people would just give it a chance, they would love it. I thought I wanted to just play high school basketball and be done. But I was talked into playing and I loved it. I had so much fun.”BC3 is not the only women's basketball program in the conference having trouble filling out rosters.“All the women's teams in general are have problems,” Snyder said. “The numbers are low across the board.”No matter what happens, the basketball programs at BC3 are safe.“I believe at this level, kids get a lot out of being an athlete here,” Snyder said. “Some of these kids wouldn't get an opportunity somewhere else, but they get one here. They'll remember this for the rest of their lives.”
