New Southmoreland girls basketball coach has history with program

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, July 18, 2025 | 6:26 PM

As the general manager of Aumer’s Sports Bar & Grille in Mt. Pleasant, Barry Collins wears a lot of hats.

He handles supply orders and billing, keeps tabs on customer satisfaction and even brings out food orders and tends bar when needed.

But mostly, he supervises.

“It’s a lot like running a basketball team,” Collins said. “You want to keep everything running smoothly. But like I tell the girls, I can’t be on the floor with you. I don’t want to be called boss. My job is to lead.”

Collins will get his chance to lead a team for the first time at the varsity level. Last month, he was hired as the girls basketball coach at Southmoreland, where he is a Class of 1994 alum.

If you’ve been to Southmoreland basketball games, you’ve seen Collins because he is always around, clipboard in hand. He has coached in the district since 1999.

He replaces Amber Cernuto, who guided the Scotties for five seasons and finished 43-67 with two section titles, two WPIAL semifinal trips and a PIAA appearance.

Collins led the middle school girls at the onset of his coaching career and joined Brian Pritts’ staff with the girls in 2006 before going back to the middle school program for two years.

When Pritts, his cousin, returned to lead the Scotties’ girls in 2012, Collins again joined him. The pair saw Southmoreland finish 25-2 in 2019-20, reaching the WPIAL championship and the PIAA playoffs for the first time and making the second round — the state playoffs eventually were cut short by the covid-19 outbreak.

Pritts is the current Southmoreland athletic director.

Collins coached the middle school again, and helped boys coach Frank Muccino for three years, until the girls varsity job opening caught his attention.

Both of his children, Carlie and Ronnie, played basketball at Southmoreland.

“Everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I know how things work here and what is expected of the kids. It’s different here. When they leave, we want to see them be successful in jobs and be good citizens. I figured I would put my hat in the ring and see what happens.”

Collins said 14 girls have been attending summer open gyms. Low numbers have plagued the program in recent seasons.

“I had a meet-and-greet with the girls and their parents, and we had a great turnout,” Collins said. “We have six incoming freshmen. It’s a good base. A good mix (with the upperclassmen).”

After a strong run of success, the Scotties dipped a bit, finishing 2-20 in 2022-23, 3-19 in 2023-24 and 3-18 last year. A junior varsity team was nonexistent, but Collins said his goal is to bring one back.

His predecessor believes the program is in good hands.

“I am happy for Barry and the girls,” said Cernuto, a teacher in the district who wants to watch her daughter, former Scotties two-sport star Olivia, play basketball at Gannon. “He has been with the program for a number of years and is familiar with all of the girls and the girls moving up since he was at the middle school. I am hoping he can get more girls involved and they have a successful year.”

Collins’ mantra is quality over quantity when it comes to preparation.

“I am not big on three- and four-hour practices,” he said. “You can get a lot out of going six days a week. I want to out the onus and accountability on the kids. I want the games to be fun. Studying is the hard part. Taking the test should be easy.”

Chris Myers, a former boys assistant at California and Albert Gallatin, will be Collins’ assistant.

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

Tags: Southmoreland