Former Burrell boys coach takes over Highlands girls basketball program

By: Michael Love
Thursday, October 20, 2022 | 6:03 PM

After three years away from serving as a head basketball coach at the high school level, Shawn Bennis is back.

The Highlands School Board last week hired Bennis as its next varsity girls coach.

He replaces Jason Kerr, who suddenly stepped down from the position Sept. 7 after one season following three years as an assistant with the Golden Rams.

“This is a wonderful opportunity,” said Bennis, a former high school principal at Highlands who now teaches fourth grade at Highlands Elementary.

“It’s a challenge for me to step into coaching on the sidelines on the girls side. I do know a lot of the girls on a student level from being the principal up until February. I did get the chance to also work with some of them when they were younger in a top-level AAU organization. I am looking forward to getting back in the gym with them to get ready for the season.”

Bennis worked in a limited-capacity advisory role last season with first-year Kiski Area boys coach Corey Smith and the Cavaliers players. This past spring, he worked with other coaches in the Pittsburgh-based PK Flash AAU program.

“I got back into coaching a little bit, and I realized that after a couple of years, I needed to do something,” Bennis said. “Basketball is a passion for me, and it feels good to be back in this coaching role.”

Bennis most recently was a head coach with the Burrell boys program for six years through the 2018-19 season.

He resigned from the position in July 2019, citing professional and family responsibilities as well as health concerns.

At Burrell, Bennis went 48-83 overall with two playoff trips.

The 2016-17 Burrell boys went 7-3 in Section 3-3A and fell to North Catholic in the first round.

The Bucs also went 7-3 in the section in 2017-18 and suffered a 32-27 first-round loss to Riverside.

At the time of his departure from Burrell, Bennis said he didn’t rule out a return to coaching.

Highlands junior high coach Katie Jo Stobert helped bridge the gap between Kerr and Bennis by holding open-gym workouts and guiding the team in the Penn Hills fall league.

Bennis got a first look at the team at a league game Wednesday evening and got on the court with the players for a workout Thursday.

He said he’s eager for the start of preseason practices Nov. 18.

Highlands enjoyed one of its best seasons in program history last year, going 19-5 overall and 10-2 in Section 1-4A, coming close to earning a share of the championship with Knoch.

The Knights (12-0) won the first meeting comfortably, but went down to the wire in the second matchup with the Golden Rams before coming away with a 56-48 victory.

Highlands rolled past West Mifflin in the WPIAL first round before falling to Southmoreland in the quarterfinals.

One starter, guard Maria Fabregas, was lost to graduation, as was key forward reserve Jocelyn Luzier.

But four starters return: juniors Kalleigh Nerone, Jocelyn Bielek, Kate Myers and Shelby Wojcik.

“I know the girls are a hard-working group,” Bennis said. “I’ve been catching up on some things on Hudl with what they were doing offensively and defensively. I will probably just tweak some things with what they already were doing.

“If we can defend and rebound at a high level, those things will go a long way to helping us be successful. I just hope I can help them on their journey with what they want to accomplish individually and as a team.”

Highlands athletic director Drew Karpen had said that despite this search taking place just two months before the start of the season, there was more time to hire Bennis than last fall when the athletic department hired both Kerr and Golden Rams boys coach Corey Dotchin closer to November.

“We’re super excited to have Shawn as the coach of the girls team,” Karpen said. “He checks all the boxes for what we were looking for during this process. He’s been in the district for a number of years as an administrator and a teacher. He’s had success as a basketball coach, and he knows what he’s doing. He knows the girls well. He talked it over with his family and was interested. It was kind of a no-brainer from there.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Highlands