County touch in Greensburg
SLIPPERY ROCK — Tony Grenek has 50 things on his bucket list.
One near the top was to coach basketball for a living.
Scratch that one off the list.
Grenek is in his fourth season as an assistant coach with the women's basketball team at Seton Hill University.
He joined Ferne Labati's staff when Labati left the University of Miami after 17 years to take over the Seton Hill program.
Grenek, who still lives in Butler, coached the Butler County Community College men's basketball team for five years before leaving for the Griffins.
While at BC3, Grenek had to hold down a full-time job while he coached.
Not so at Seton Hill.
"My main goal is I want to be a full-time coach, and that's what Coach Labati's opportunity provided me," Grenek said.
From the first day they walked onto the Greensburg campus, Labati has given Grenek extraordinary freedom.
"I've been very, very blessed to be an assistant under coach Ferne Labati," Grenek said. "We hit it off right from the beginning. Our philosophies are the same. Our mentality is the same. She gives me so much freedom as an assistant coach that it feels like I am a head coach.
"I can't ask for anything more," Grenek added. "The past four years have been the best years of my life as far as coaching basketball."
But Grenek isn't the only tie to Butler County on Labati's staff.
Freeport graduate Courtney Callas came onboard this season as a graduate assistant coach.
"Isn't it funny they are both from Butler County and both are such outstanding coaches and people?" Labati said. "Tony has been with me for four years and we've built the program together. I love him."
When Labati and Grenek came to Seton Hill, the Griffins were a struggling program. But the two have been able to get the team into the West Virginia Interscholastic Athletic Conference and the NCAA.
Last year, Seton Hill posted an 18-11 record and a spot in the WVIAC playoffs.
Callas is used to being part of a winning program.She was a member of the Freeport girls track and field team and advanced to the PIAA championships as matter of routine.Callas went on to play basketball for four years at Juniata College, which advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2008.Callas graduated from Juniata and worked as a broker in Philadelphia for a little more than a year before enrolling in graduate school at Seton Hill, where she is working on her MBA."I wanted to come back home," Callas said. "Coach Labati contacted me and it worked out great. Basketball is something I couldn't be away from. I love being part of a team, the family atmosphere."Ultimately, she might trade her stock portfolios for scouting reports. According to Callas, when all is said and done, she'd rather stay in coaching."I love the college atmosphere," Callas said. "I loved coaching the little kids when we did it in college. When I was away in Philadelphia as a broker, I couldn't stand being away from it."Callas lives on campus and has been able to forge a close relationship with her players.Callas has become a sort of liaison between the players and Labati, which has proved invaluable."When it's off the court, it's more laid back," Callas said. "But they know when it's on the court, it's all business. The line has definitely been drawn."With five returning starters and a deep bench, Seton Hill has designs on big things this season.The Griffins opened their season with a 74-59 win over Slippery Rock University Wednesday night.Whatever success the team has, Labati said she doesn't have to look far for the reason: her two Butler County assistant coaches."Courtney is very good at teaching individual skills," Labati said. "And Tony is so good at the Xs and Os. I just help out a little."
