Prep teams boast star-power this year
There are a number of star players dotting the rosters of Butler County-area high school boys basketball teams — Butler's Devin Carney, Knoch's Ryan Lang and Mars' Zach Schlegel among them.
They will look to have strong individual seasons to help their respective teams succeed while other players are moving into more prominent roles.
The 2021-22 season is about to begin. Here is a look at what each team is bringing back.
Coach: Tony McGarveyLast Year: 12-7McGarvey took control of the Falcons a little over two seasons ago. With a couple of postseason berths since, bringing a winning atmosphere took less time than he thought it would. Only now, the Falcons don't look the same.Including Levi Orton, the program's all-time leading scorer, half a dozen players graduated a year ago, leaving only one returning starter for 2021. Without any seniors this time around, the team's leadership will develop as games pass.“We're completely different now,” McGarvey said. “The last couple seasons, we were small and quick and, this year, I got some height. I got two projected starters — Jay Clover and Alex Preston — (who) are big in size. Josh Kelly comes in as a skinnier, taller kid. We're going big.”Both Preston and guard Ryan Cooper are third-year players in McGarvey's program. The coach is counting on sophomore guard Brody Dittman, who started at quarterback for the Falcons this fall, to bring his offensive mindset and guidance to the court. His gridiron teammate, junior center Landon Chalmers stepped up as a newcomer last year.“We're not looking to press and (use) run-and-gun tempo,” McGarvey said. “We're looking more of a half-court trap or just a half-court-type man-to-man defense, using our size to limit second-chance points.”
Coach: Matt ClementLast Year: 12-9Section 1 in WPIAL Class 6A includes just five teams and, like last year, each squad will meet its section foes three times apiece during the regular season.Considering the caliber of competition, that's 12 games for each team that could go either way.The field includes Butler, Seneca Valley, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland and North Hills — no easy outs.“In my 13 years as head coach here, this is the toughest section I've seen,” Clement said. “It's going to be a battle of the fittest, but when you have a team that can compete, it's really fun.”Clement expects his team to be up to the task and senior guard Devin Carney will lead the way. He averaged nearly 30 points per game last year.“Devin will have the ball in his hands a lot, but we can handle point guard a lot of different ways,” said Clement. Raine (Gratzmiller), Braylon (Littlejohn) and Madden (Clement) can all handle the ball.“It's good to get Devin off the ball sometimes so he doesn't always have that workload.”Center Kaleb Proudfoot (6-foot-9) and forward Charlie Kreinbucher will be working the glass.“Charlie is as good of a rebounder as I've had,” Matt Clement said. “But sometimes, people just expect him to get every rebound. Other guys have to get involved.”Clement said he has 12 to 14 players who could make key contributions.“It's a good situation, but will take us a bit of time to figure out.”
Coach: Sean DevinneyLast Year: 6-9In his first year at Freeport, Devinney has an experienced group to work with.Senior forward Cole Charlton, last year's leading scorer at 11.3 points per game, returns along with guards Ben Lane, Conner Holloway, Vinnie Clark (point) and Jason Kiljowski.“I'm lucky to have a strong senior class in my first year,” Devinney said. “They all have experience and will hold the other guys accountable.“We have a strong junior class as well, with Ben Lane (9.6 ppg) being one of them.”Other juniors looking to make an impact are Zach Clark, Dean Furer, Gavin Croney, Brady Stivensen, Parker Lucas and Payton Westendorf.“I'm expecting big things out of our 11th graders,” said Devinney. “They are very open to coaching.”“Defense will be the backbone of our team,” added Devinney. “We will play a tough and rugged halfcourt defense and that takes a lot of energy.”
Coach: Zach KeppleLast season: 23-3Winning a District 9 Class 2A crown and reaching the state quarterfinals last season hasn't left the returning Karns City players less hungry. The Gremlins plan to have a collective hunger as they attack opponents.Losing Chase Beighly, the program's all-time leading scorer, and Nathan Waltman, who also finished with over 1,000 points in his career, to graduation will have Karns City in search of a new identity at the start of the year.First-year head coach Zach Kepple plans on leading a group that hopes to win with its defense.“They are gritty and they do work hard,” Kepple said. “They thrive off of good things happening. If we are playing a trap defense and get a steal, they are hungry for the next one. We are looking for layups and dunks for Micah (Rupp). They feed off that, which is good.”Rupp, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, and Luke Garing, a 6-2 senior forward, will both look to take on increased roles. Garing had served in a sixth-man type role last season and Kepple hopes he will be able to increase his scoring and rebounding output.Rupp is a player Karns City hopes will contribute a double-double most nights.Taite Beighley will step in at point guard for the Gremlins, while they also plan to receive contributions from Cole Sherwin and Luke Cramer.“One thing we do right now, which is evident after our scrimmage, is that we do play good team basketball,” Kepple said. “They communicate well. They are able to switch things up defensively based on what we're doing, playing man or zone.”
Coach: Alan BaumanLast year: 7-10After a seven-win season in his first year as head coach, Alan Bauman is hopeful to take Knoch to new heights as the Knights prepare for their first game Friday against Erie Cathedral Prep.“It feels more like a normal year now,” Bauman said. “A full of season of work, great summer. Just getting more familiar with the guys. It feels more like a program now.”First on the agenda is filling the shoes of center Zack McMillen, who averaged 11 points and eight rebounds per game last season.“We are doing that by committee now,” Bauman said. “He (McMillen) could pass the ball, score multiple ways. The leadership he also brought to the table was important for us.”Returning for the Knights includes the heavy presences of senior Keagan Fraser who averaged 12 points per game last year.“Keagan is a completely different player than he was last year,” Bauman said. “He loves contact, going through contact. Keagan brings that physical presence that's important to what we want to do.”Senior Ryan Lang looks to continue he scoring dominance after he averaged 25 points per game last year for the Knights.“Ryan has taken that next step,” Bauman said. “He's a point guard now, he can control the game and create stuff for other players and make the people around him better.”
Coach: Rob CarmodyLast Year: 16-4For the last decade, the Planets have been a legitimate threat to make a deep run once the postseason begins.A big reason for that is, despite losing key players to graduation, there always seems to be one or more clutch players coming back to help steady the ship.This season, senior point guard Zach Schlegel is leading the pack in that respect.He scored over 14 points per game and dished out an average of four assists per game as a junior, all while sinking 45 treys.“We're going to lean on him for points and assists, but his direction and attitude are crucial for us, too,” said Carmody. “He's the heart and soul of our program.”Schlegel will not be alone in leading the team, however. Senior center Chris Dvorak is another returning starter and junior guard Tasso Sfanos scored 11.7 points per game and pulled down nearly four boards, on average, last season. He added 45 treys.Seniors Bryce Cunningham, Jonah Kozora and Austin Cote could all see increased time on the floor.“We're not a real big team, (Dvorak) is our only true post,” Carmody said. “In every game we lost last year, losing the battle for rebounds was costly. Rebounding has to be a team effort.”
Coach: Mike JewartLast year: 7-15Last year just wasn't the Warriors' year. Jewart's team struggled to remain healthy. It had trouble rebounding and an even harder time defending down low. Still, they reached the playoffs, losing to Kane in the first round.“I don't know if I had my starting five more than three games,” Jewart said.The preseason hasn't gone as smoothly as one would hope, with the team planning on missing its first two scheduled games due to COVID concerns. Along with that, senior swingman Caden Roxberry was injured during the football season and will miss some time.Even so, Jewart is optimistic about this year, especially with his team's size.“Considering last year that I was starting a player who was 5-foot-9 as a post player, it helps a lot,” Jewart said. “This size this year should allow us to get a lot more second-chance buckets. It should allow us to clear some rebounds and help us defensively. There were possessions last year where we were giving up four, five, six shots.”Senior guard Kyle Pry was a second-team all-conference player a season ago. Sophomore guard Chason Delarosa-Rugg started as a freshman, but dealt with a few different injuries along the way. Senior Ryan Jewart started a few games in 2020, as well.“We could be, if we stick together, a very competitive and fun team to watch,” Jewart said.
Coach: Jim RoccoLast Year: 18-5Last season's run to the WPIAL Class 4A championship game was led by a strong senior class.Now the Trojans and Rocco, in his first year of leading North, must find new leaders and a new formula for winning.Senior guard Mathew Gregor, who saw a few starts last season, provides the Trojans a solid base to build upon.“He's skilled, tough and has a high basketball IQ,” Rocco said. “He has tremendous poise and is a leader.”While the team's starting lineup is still undecided, Rocco sees four other seniors playing key roles — Ian Palmer, Liam Straub, Ben Tomer and Tommy Molenda.Tomer is a 6-foot-6 center.“They're all going to play minutes for us,” said Rocco. “(Other than Tomer), we have a positionless group. But North Catholic has a history of having tough kids. This group should fit in with that.”
Coach: Kevin TrostLast Year: 11-11Replacing over 40 points per game is no easy task, but that's the challenge facing the Raiders this season after the graduation of guards Cole Brooks and Connor Lyczek.“Both of those guys were great for us last year,” said Trost, “but (returnees) Connor Oros, Andrew Roy and Luke Lawson all came up big for us late in the season.“Scoring for us is going to be by committee as opposed to just one or two guys.”SV's starting lineup could be fluid throughout the season, but Trost expects to be able to play as many as 12 guys in crunch time.That group includes Caiden Oros, Jameson Grieco, Brian Olan, Brenden Park and Ben Correll.“They're all vital to our program,” Trost said. “We want to play with a fast tempo and a pressure defense.”The Raiders gave eventual WPIAL Class 6A champion Upper St. Clair all it could handle in the district quarterfinals last March, losing by just two points.“The next step for us is to become a consistent program, compete for a section title and be a playoff team year in and year out,” said Trost.
Coach: AJ MottaLast Year: 7-14Slippery Rock is finally coming into its own.“Last year was a good growth year for us,” said Motta, who is entering his third campaign as coach. “We're making some steps forward and hoping to continue those steps this year. I'm hoping that experience pays off for us in terms of wins.”The Rockets have improved their culture and welcome back all but two players from last season. Motta has 11-12 guys that he would be comfortable putting on the floor. The depth, Motta said, is something his team hasn't had in years past.“Guys are fighting for spots, fighting for minutes every day at practice,” Motta said. “It makes it a lot more competitive, which will help us throughout the season. We're pretty interchangeable.”Juniors John Sabo, Jacob Wolak, Dylan Gordan, and Maddox Allen and seniors Brady Prementine and Shane Thompson all have a handful of starts under their belts. Motta plans to have Sabo play the point and looks for everyone to cut down on mental mistakes.“I'm just looking for them to take the next step,” Motta said of the juniors. “This year, the expectation is that they're going to be able to handle those pressure situations a lot better. They're going to be a lot smarter on the floor.”
Coach: Eric MortimerLast Year: 11-10Mortimer has been around the Knights program for over two decades. A season ago, he helped it back to the postseason for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign.Both junior swingman Skyler Roxbury and senior guard Caden Rainey come back as starters. Rainey averaged 16.6 points and five boards per contest last year.“Caden is kind of really the start of everything,” Mortimer said. “He's like a second coach out there for me. We talk about things all the time.”Most of the players are migrating to the hardwood after making a playoff run on the gridiron.“They've got that competitiveness into them,” Mortimer said. “They've just got that winning attitude right now and I hope it carries over.”With his team being on the smaller side, Mortimer said that some of his players might be playing both JV and varsity on the same night.In the frontcourt as two of the Falcons' other projected starters are 6-foot-5 center/forward Bailey Crissman, a junior, and 6-4 forward Dawson Camper.“We've never had this type of height before,” Mortimer said. “We're going to rebound well. That's the biggest key. The more you can rebound if you get the offensive boards, the more shots.”Junior Payton Johnston will also be in the lineup.“They're all good athletes,” Mortimer said of the three. “They run the ball well, they play the ball well. They're ready.”Eagle staff writers Derek Pyda and Brendan Howe, as well as correspondents Josh Rizzo and Stephen Cukovich, contributed to this report.
