St. Joseph boys seek turnaround under 1st-year coach

By: Michael Love
Monday, November 25, 2024 | 3:01 PM

Matt DeHart is quite familiar with the St. Joseph boys basketball team and many of its players.

The new Spartans coach served as an assistant last year under Logan Acri.

When Acri left the program over the summer, DeHart ascended to the helm and continued to help build the team to what it hopes is a turnaround from last year’s 3-20 overall record and 2-8 mark in Section 3-A.

“The transition was really positive with the boys. Having been there last year with them, I know them well as basketball players as well as young men,” DeHart said.

“Being able to build on that relationship, we were able to move forward and do some good things to get ready for season.”

St. Joseph, which features the return of four players who started games last year, finished tied for fourth in its five-team section and qualified for the playoffs. The Spartans fell to No. 3 Rochester in the first round.

DeHart said the team took advantage of numerous fall open-gym workouts.

“We had between 18 and 22 at every one of our open-gym opportunities. We also had 6 a.m. shootarounds, which were a senior-led decision to work around my schedule,” he said. “There would consistently be 16 to 18 at those shootarounds.

“With that, it was really cool to see those seniors like Gabe Maltese, Dylan Ferrante and Anthony Zavolta, guys who have been in the program for four years, lead the charge to get all of the guys to those shootarounds and open gyms, making sure they were on time and getting the work in. That made a big difference. We’re in a good spot from an energy standpoint and a momentum standpoint. I am really happy with what the boys have accomplished so far.”

Starters from last year, Charlie Ross (7.9 points per game) and Cole Spencer (6.6 ppg.) moved on because of graduation. But Maltese returns as the team’s leading scorer after averaging 11.4 points last season.

“The excitement level for this season is through the roof,” Maltese said. “There is so much energy from all of the offseason work we put in. Coach DeHart, throughout the fall, helped whip us into shape really fast. We’ve done a lot of team bonding as brothers, and that was a process we needed to go through along with what we were doing to get better (on the court). Honestly, I feel this is the best team we have had in my four years.”

Zavolta tallied 6.4 points a game. Ferrante and fellow senior Peter Stickney also started games for the Spartans last year, and DeHart said they are ready to help lead the charge.

DeHart said he is looking forward to the contributions of a pair of transfers in senior forward Ben Bartolovic (Armstrong) and sophomore guard Ryan McCarthy (Seton LaSalle).

“They are both coming in to help build on the momentum which has already been established by the returners,” DeHart said.

“They’ve meshed really well with the other guys. They’ve brought a lot of energy to the program.”

DeHart said he is excited to see a sizeable freshman class continue to develop. Guard Kyle Lecker is one of those leading the class.

“That freshmen group makes up about half of our total numbers,” he said. “Kyle is someone who will step in and play a specific role. I spoke with him before the season about what that role would look like.

“We’re looking for him to come in and make sure that those seniors, those guys on the court, get a good breather while also helping maintain a high level of expectations. I know Kyle will be able to do that. I am really proud of him for embracing that role. He is going to be a leader in years to come in the St. Joseph basketball program.”

St. Joseph scrimmaged Valley on Saturday, and DeHart said he saw a lot of grit from his team.

“I was pleasantly surprised with our rebounding and how we crashed the boards, especially being a group of guys who are mostly guards,” DeHart said.

“We were able to execute the offense pretty well. The best part, I think, was our defense and the tenacity the boys showed on that end against a really good team in Valley.”

St. Joseph will scrimmage at Highlands at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Spartans will play home-and-home games in Section 2-A against Environmental Charter, Geibel Catholic, Monessen, The Neighborhood Academy and Serra Catholic.

The Neighborhood Academy, the No. 2 seed for last year’s WPIAL Class A playoffs, advanced to the title game before falling to Imani Christian at Petersen Events Center.

Monessen also was a Class A quarterfinalist, and the Greyhounds grabbed the fifth-place berth in the PIAA tournament.

“Our guys are competitors,” DeHart said. “They are looking forward to the challenge of tough section games against talented and well-coached teams like Neighborhood. It’s nice going into every game knowing that you’re going to get the best out of everybody.”

St. Joseph begins its season Dec. 6-7 with its Spartan Tip-Off Tournament. It will face Springdale on the first night of competition.

St. Joseph boys at a glance

Coach: Matt DeHart

Last year’s record: 3-20 (2-8 in Section 3-A)

Returning starters: Gabe Maltese (Sr., G), Anthony Zavolta (Sr., G), Dylan Ferrante (Sr., F), Peter Stickney (Sr., G)

Top newcomers: Ben Bartolovic (Sr., F/C), Ryan McCarthy (So., G)

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: St. Joseph