‘It’s about who finishes’: Derry boys rely on depth to climb atop Section 3-4A

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, December 26, 2024 | 4:31 PM

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Derry thought it could stretch the bench to eight, maybe nine deep at the start of the boys basketball season.

Several games in, the Trojans’ depth has shown.

Consider: In back-to-back games, they had an entirely different five finish the game.

They won both.

“Everyone talks about starting, everyone wants to start,” Trojans coach Tom Esposito said. “But it’s not about who starts. It’s about who finishes.”

Derry has used its depth to complement key starters Stanley Rajkovich and John Wasnick, a formidable tandem, to take over the top spot in Section 3-4A.

It’s early, and the Trojans are far from peaking, their coach said, but taking the upper hand early means something.

Derry (6-3, 3-0) has won four of five heading into the new year. The Trojans will not play in a Christmas tournament but, “We’ll be drilling,” the coach assured his players. “We’ve never (been in first) going into the holidays.”

Rajkovich is a budding sophomore with a 6-foot-7 frame and a double-double mentality. He and Wasnick, an experienced senior and the only 12th grader on an 11-man roster, are building blocks for a team that likes to play fast and force the tempo. Derry likes the fastest heat.

“Our defense is probably our identity,” Wasnick said. “Our help defense and our pressure, our run and jump, full-court pressure.”

Derry likes to force teams into mistakes near the halfcourt line and quickly flip a turnover into easy points.

“There’s an element of surprise there,” Wasnick said. “We try to create havoc. I have tried to be more than a 3-and-D guy. I am at the one (position), so I try to get us good looks.”

When the Trojans, who had scored 60 or more points in three straight games going into the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Shootout, do settle into offensive sets, it’s only a couple of passes before the ball goes up.

“One pass gets you a good shot,” Esposito said. “Two passes get you a great shot. We have been able to work from inside out with the players we have.”

And that includes shots taken by Rajkovich, a stretch forward who has shown touch from the perimeter. Sure, he is a talented scorer, rebounder and shot blocker, but his offensive game has range and potential.

“That’s what I am trying to be,” Rajkovich said. “I try to get the team going. I think we’re getting better with each win. Our defense is creating offense.”

Said Wasnick: “Stanley is very willing to pass the ball out of the post.”

Derry has shared the ball to produce impressive comeback wins over Greensburg Salem (67-63) and then-No. 3-ranked Belle Vernon (67-61 in overtime), rallying from 16 down in the former and playing its best late in the latter.

Belle Vernon played without three suspended starters.

“We try to get everyone involved,” Rajkovich said. “Create openings.”

Derry had seven players score against Belle Vernon, including juniors Carson Long, William Stocket-Harter, Brayden Robinson and Izak Lenhart and freshman Logan Irvin.

“We’ve been working together since the summer and through fall league,” Rajkovich said. “We come out with the same mentality no matter who we’re playing.”

Rajkovich, Wasnick and Robinson are returning starters from a team that finished 15-9 and made the program’s first appearance in the PIAA playoffs.

“I like this team in the way they are unselfish,” Esposito said. “They play for each other.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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