1st-year coach ushers in new era for Bethel Park girls basketball

By: Ray Fisher
Saturday, December 2, 2023 | 11:01 AM

There’s a new face on the bench and a new system on the floor.

Steve Norman is in his first season coaching in the Bethel Park girls basketball program.

“I’m really excited to be part of the Bethel Park program,” Norman said. “We expect to be very competitive in 6A. We lost five seniors that played a lot last season and I’m brand new, but we played and practiced a lot heading into the season.

“The team has a good feel for each other and for the new coaching staff.”

Norman is a Hampton and West Virginia graduate. He has been coaching basketball for nine years. He started with the third and fourth grade boys team in the diocese of Pittsburgh and worked his way up to the varsity level.

Norman was an assistant at Shaler from 2018-2020 and was an assistant at Baldwin for three seasons.

“I also coach and help run SLAAM (AAU) basketball in the spring and summer,” he said.

Norman has taken over for Samantha Loadman, a former Bethel Park and Mercyhurst standout who coached the Black Hawks for two seasons. Bethel Park finished 8-13 and out of the playoffs in 2022-23.

“This is a brand-new year for Bethel Park,” Norman said. “Most of our intended starters were role players last year and our staff has a lot of ideas and plans for things we’d like to do that are a little different from last year.

“It’s an exciting time to be part of Bethel Park basketball.”

Caught up in the excitement this season have been 5-foot-10 senior guard/forward Ella Harmon, 5-9 senior guard Julia Benlock, 5-11 senior forward Becky Gillenberger, 5-7 junior point guard Sadie Orie and 6-0 junior forward Ella Sabatos. All five are returning letter winners.

Sabatos, Gillenberger and Harmon offer a physical presence in the frontcourt. Sabatos was the team’s leading rebounder in 2022-23.

“Ella Harmon started most games last year,” Norman said. “Julia Benlock and Becky Gillenberger saw varsity minutes and lettered, as did Sadie Orie and Ella Sabatos. Julia Benlock is a great shooter and decision-maker. Kat Boff is a sophomore guard and ready to come off the bench. She adds a lot of value, too.

“Our starting five can all contribute significantly on any given night. They’re very unselfish and ready to feed the hot hand or the player with a mismatch. They each bring something different to the table, but all five can contribute. All five will have a significant impact this season.”

Norman also welcomed what he believes is a strong group of young players to the program this year.

Top freshman include the likes of 5-5 guard Avery Bonacci, 5-6 guard Gabby Labate and 5-9 guard/forward A.J. Elphinstone.

“We had tremendous turnouts through the summer and fall,” he said. “We’ve got seven freshmen that all have a lot of promise.”

The Black Hawks wrre set to tip off their Section 2-6A schedule with two games in mid-December against Peters Township and Mt. Lebanon. The section season begins in earnest in January.

Tags: Bethel Park