North Allegheny boys look to pick up tempo to get back on track

By: John Grupp
Saturday, November 30, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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North Allegheny boys basketball coach Dave DeGregorio is turning back the clock this season.

Coming off the program’s first back-to-back losing seasons in 25 years, North Allegheny is implementing a more fast-paced attack to take advantage of its new-look starting lineup.

“We’re getting back to the way we played when I was here before,” said DeGregorio, in the fourth season of his second stint at NA. “Last year we were bigger.”

The Tigers graduated four starters, including 1,000-point scorer Joey Dopirak, a 6-foot-5 all-WPIAL Class 6A pick, and 6-9 second-team all-section forward Ty Iwanonkiw. Their replacements lack the same size, but they are quicker and better suited for an up-tempo game.

“We’re going to need to press more,” 6-foot junior shooting guard Blake Craft said. “We’re not as big, but we are definitely faster, and we’ll get up the court well. I think it will be good for us.”

The Tigers are trying to rebound from an 11-12 season in which they lost to Baldwin in the WPIAL Class 6A playoff opener. The early exit followed an 8-13 nonplayoff season in 2022-23, giving North Allegheny its first consecutive losing seasons since 1997-98.

DeGregorio, who is 266-110 in 15 seasons at North Allegheny and 502-243 in 30 seasons overall, said the players are energetic and ready.

“Good energy, working hard,” he said after a spirited mid-November practice. “I have no issues with that, at all. It’s a great group of kids.”

Senior Carter Melzer, an athletic 6-2 wing, is the lone returning starter. He averaged 3.5 points per game last season, tops among returning players. All told, the Tigers scored 1,351 points last season and all but 102 are gone. NA must replace 92.5% of its scoring.

“We lost eight seniors, so it’s going to be tough,” said Craft, who averaged 2.2 points. “Some guys have to step up. I like what we had, and guys definitely stepped up.”

Newcomers to the lineup include Craft, senior point guard Carson Burns, senior guard Jon Jubeck and junior guard Justin Statler. The top big men are 6-7 junior forward Peter Bratich and 6-3 senior John Nestor.

“The offseason was a little bit different than the past few years since everyone returning was young,” Melzer said. “But it was good. Everybody wanted to get better and get the spot, since so many spots are open.”

North Allegheny will be in an expanded Section 1-6A, which grew from six teams to eight this season. Central Catholic is gone, replaced by new faces Fox Chapel, North Hills and Woodland Hills.

“I think it’s a very good section,” DeGregorio said. “To me, our section has really good coaches and really good players. There are going to be good teams that don’t make the playoffs.”

Craft said the Tigers are determined to reach the postseason and snap the losing-season streak at two.

“I think the energy definitely flipped,” he said.

“We have something on our shoulder right now and we want a winning season badly. Energy is not a problem at all.”

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