Hampton boys rebound from slow start to earn 21st straight playoff berth

By: John Grupp
Saturday, February 15, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The Hampton boys basketball team is sticking to its New Year’s resolution.

After opening the season with a 3-6 mark, the calendar turned to 2025 and the Talbots started winning, putting together an impressive run that vaulted them into the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.

“I always kept a realistic grasp on things,” said first-year coach Joe Cangilla, breaking in five new starters from last season’s 25-5 WPIAL Class 4A runner-up. “My message to the team was, ‘Hey, we are trying to build these varsity experience minutes. As long as we are trending up, that’s our goal.’ ”

Hampton (6-6 in Section 2-5A, 10-11 overall) moved up the standings in January, going 7-3 with a six-game winning streak to secure the program’s 21st consecutive postseason berth.

The Talbots, who placed third in the section, received a No. 14 seed and were set to open the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs at No. 3 seed Uniontown (19-3) on Feb. 18.

“I really think we are going to shock some people,” said junior guard Gavin Guinn, averaging a team-best 10.5 points. “Obviously, (Class) 5A has a lot of really good teams. I think we’ve seen it this year. A lot of teams are bigger, faster, stronger than 4A. But I think we are right there with a lot of those teams. I think a lot of people underestimate us.”

Hampton’s new-year surge included a pivotal eight-day stretch that featured a 51-46 victory over section foe Shaler sandwiched between overtime wins against Thomas Jefferson (55-52) and Plum (47-45).

“That was a huge week for us,” Cangilla said. “Confidence was high.”

The win over Plum came five weeks after the Mustangs routed Hampton, 74-49, in the section opener.

“That whole week leading up to that game, we kept that (Plum) score in our mind,” said Guinn, who scored a career-high 26 points in a 63-56 victory over Indiana on Jan. 28. “We knew we were a different team and we could win.”

Hampton has gotten balanced contributions from its new-look lineup. Junior shooting guard Jonas Cupps, who scored a season-high 19 in the win over Plum, was averaging 10.1 points as of Feb. 3. The backcourt also includes juniors Andrew Butler (38 assists) and Luca Romero-Lauro (44 assists, 33 deflections), while senior forward Ray Kirsopp paces the Talbots in rebounding (6.1 rpg). Senior guard Griffin Jarrell leads in deflections (34) and junior forward Zack Danner is second in rebounds (4.9).

“I’ve gotten comfortable going four, five or even six guys off the bench,” Cangilla said. “Having a little bit of depth has been a nice asset.”

Cangilla, promoted to replace retired longtime Hampton coach Joe Lafko, installed a new five-out motion offense, and the players needed to get comfortable with the scheme.

“Those things just take time,” Cangilla said. “I harped on them that we are going to have some growing pains.”

That’s why there was no panic during the sluggish December.

“Through nine games, yeah, we were 3-6,” Guinn said.

“But I don’t think anyone got down on themselves. We all stayed confident and positive. Around that time, we really found what was working. After we got a couple of wins under our belt, from there we were just having fun.”

Tags: Hampton