Southmoreland girls basketball coach Brian Pritts steps down after banner season

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020 | 5:22 PM

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Every day during the stay-at-home era, Brian Pritts has seen firsthand why he put space between himself and basketball.

He wakes up at 6 a.m., drinks a tall glass of water, works out and reads. But first, he does a head count of his blessings: his wife, Kristin, and his three children, Brock (10), Bryson (7) and Braylee (3).

“My family comes first,” Pritts said. “We have all seen how important family is during (the coronavirus outbreak), and we’ve been able to spend quality time with our families. That is something you can’t take for granted.”

Wanting to spend more time with his loved ones — well before the pandemic forced the issue — was something that drove Pritts to resign as girls basketball coach at Southmoreland after 19 seasons.

He is walking away from a program he built after a benchmark season in Alverton, one that is suitable for framing and will be talked about for years. The Scotties finished 25-2 and made program history by reaching the WPIAL finals and PIAA playoffs for the first time, finally forcing their way into the postseason conversation. They finished the regular season 22-0.

Pritts, 47, told his players he was leaving during a Zoom meeting earlier this month.

“I got a little choked up,” he said. “It wasn’t an easy decision. My assistant (and cousin) Barry (Collins) had to talk a little bit to pick me up.”

But something had to give for Pritts to find harmony.

“If I continued to (coach) and do things the way I like to do them, someone would get cheated,” Pritts said. “It was family or the girls. The best scenario was (family). The majority of the girls coming back are sophomores and freshmen, so whoever comes in can get to know them and have some continuity.”

Four seniors will graduate, but Pritts said his successor will inherit a strong nucleus. Tribune-Review Westmoreland Girls Basketball Player of the Year Gracie Spadaro, a sophomore forward, and freshman Olivia Cernuto are set to return, among others.

Pritts, who previously coached the football team for six seasons, will stay on as assistant athletic director and a fifth-grade math and science teacher in the district. He said he will cheer on the Scotties from a new perspective.

Some of his best memories from a long career are fresh in his mind.

Fans came out of the woodwork and followed a thrilling playoff run for the girls, from a nail-biting quarterfinal win over Freeport at Penn-Trafford, to a hot-shooting semifinal victory over Central Valley at Peters Township, to the WPIAL 4A title game against North Catholic at Petersen Events Center.

“To go out and play at the Pete was incredible after all those years I spent selling programs down there to help the WPIAL,” Pritts said. “It was nice to be there to play and have so many people come along to support us.”

The season ended with a loss to Lancaster Catholic in the PIAA second round at Bedford — a few days before the country began to shut down. The remainder of the PIAA playoffs later were canceled, so the Scotties felt fortunate to finish their season.

“It would have been crazy to not have closure,” Pritts said. “I feel for those other teams, but a lot of them had been (that far) before.”

Southmoreland was coached by Pritts over two stints: from 1998-2009 and 2012-20. He finished 235-206.

Ultra-prepared and always energetic, he came to discover his top assistant might have been his wife.

“She is super-human,” he said. “She has always been there to support me. To be successful, you have to be prepared and that takes a lot of time. A lot of people don’t see that. It’s a lot.

“I am going to miss the game, but I won’t miss all that time. I’ve always valued the people you meet and work with as a coach over the wins and losses. The kids, the coaches, the officials, the media, the administration. It’s about those relationships.”

Pritts will continue to coach youth basketball and serve as commissioner of the Southmoreland Area Midget Football Association.

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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