Starting 5s: Previewing the boys basketball season in Westmoreland County

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, November 28, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Starting 5s

A preview of boys high school basketball season in Westmoreland County:

Boys

5 storylines to follow:

• Postseason basketball can provide surprises and a little magic, as evidenced by Franklin Regional’s thrill ride last year to the WPIAL and PIAA finals. Recreating that scenery won’t be easy, but a few county teams show potential.

Both Franklin Regional (5A) and Greensburg Central Catholic (2A) reached WPIAL championship games at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center before settling for silver.

Franklin Regional was the state runner-up.

Both teams have key players to replace, although GCC still has the look of a contender as the program chases its first WPIAL title.

TribLive Westmoreland Player of the Year Cam Rowell, and his steady supporting cast, is gone at Franklin Regional.

Also keep an eye on a balanced Belle Vernon team in Class 4A, while Jeannette has enough talent back to make a playoff push in 2A.

• Five county programs are under new management, as Norwin (Cam Auld), Valley (Brice Flenory), Greensburg Salem (Paul Sapotichne), Ligonier Valley (Dante Porter) and Yough (William “Boo” Sherbondy) will have new coaches on the sidelines.

Auld coached Greensburg Salem for the last two years before landing with his alma mater at Norwin. His departure opened the door for Sapotichne, a legendary coach at Greensburg Salem who returns for a second tenure. The first lasted 29 years, and Sapotichne won 399 games for the Golden Lions, guiding them to the 2009 PIAA Class 3A championship game.

Another veteran coach, mainly on the girls side, Gene Brisbane, will assist Sapotichne.

Sherbondy, a longtime assistant to Jim Nesser at several schools, takes over a program for the first time, and for the first time without Nesser by his side.

Nesser stepped down at Yough and is now an assistant at Saint Vincent.

Porter is the son of former Mt. Pleasant and Geibel coach Donny Porter, who will assist his son.

• Realignment has a few teams in new territory. Derry and Yough moved up in classification, going from 3A to 4A, presenting an instant challenge. Southmoreland did the opposite, dropping from 4A to 3A, a move that appears to better suit the Scotties.

• Several area players should find their way into the WPIAL scoring leaders as the season gets going. Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore could be at the top of the list. Moore averaged 26.3 points last season and has 1,585 career points, meaning his chase for 2,000 continues.

Eight players from Westmoreland County have reached 2,000 career points, including Yough’s Terek Crosby last season.

Other scorers to watch include Latrobe’s Max Butler (17 ppg), Southmoreland’s Noah Felentzer (15 ppg), Kymon’e Brown of Jeannette (15 ppg), Parker Hollick of Ligonier Valley (14 ppg), John Wetzel of Latrobe (12 ppg), Drew Gordon of Hempfield (12 ppg) and Derry’s Stanley Rajkovich (12 ppg).

• Important dates on the local calendar: Friday, opening night; Dec. 12-13, section play starts; Dec. 21, WCCA Shootout at Hempfield and Jeannette; Jan. 25-26, Shootout at Seton Hill; Feb. 10, WPIAL playoff pairings released; Feb. 27-March 1, WPIAL finals, Petersen Events Center; March 27-29, PIAA finals, Hershey.

5 teams to watch:

• Size, speed and steady guard play can add up to a dangerous mixture, and Belle Vernon appears to have all three. Add experience, as well, with Moore, Alonzo Wade, Trevor Kovatch and Tommy Davis all returning.

Wade and Kovatch can take pressure off of Moore in the backcourt, while also providing scoring, while the 6-6 Davis can produce in the paint, alter shots and rebound for veteran coach Joe Salvino, who is 723-308 in 40 seasons, 34 of them at Monessen.

• After finishing as the WPIAL runner-up for a fifth time, 24-win Greensburg Central Catholic is back to try again with a blend of experience and youth. The loss of standouts Tyree Turner and Franco Alvarez will be felt, but the void forces the team to change how it plays.

Coach Christian Hyland’s team features three returning senior guards who will be the glue of the unit in Liam Gallagher, Brady O’Rourke and Braden Riley.

Another key senior guard is Sean Walker, and junior Samir Crosby is back after skipping last season. Sophomore A.J. Tarpley, a transfer from Greensburg Salem, should make a quick impact.

Also watch 6-6 sophomore Brandon Martin, whose stock appears to be rising.

• Jeannette made a surprise run to the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals and brings back a wealth of talent.

As with many fall-to-winter transitions, Jeannette will convert its football players back to basketball mode and look to carry over momentum from a WPIAL semifinal run on the gridiron.

Junior Kymon’e Brown is primed to continue his rise as one of the league’s better point guards.

The Jayhawks have size in their other returning starters: Xavier Odorisio-Farrow (6-foot-2), Noah Sunder (6-3) and Markus McGowan (6-3).

Jayce Powell is another key in the backcourt.

• With the backcourt tandem of Max Butler and John Wetzel returning, Latrobe should be back in the playoff conversation as it chases transition points on its newly finished floor. Other key players are Kyle McNeil and Ian DeCerb, who helped the Wildcats win key games in the past.

Latrobe lost its last six games of last season and missed the playoffs for the third straight time.

• Looking more the part in Class 3A, Southmoreland expects to be better, despite losing 1,500-point scorer Ty Keffer to graduation.

Noah Felentzer and Elliot Premus (6-4) are back for a team that has quality and size.

5 players to watch:

• Kymon’e Brown, Jr., G, Jeannette — A slashing guard who finishes as the rim and keeps possessions going. An underrated defender.

• Max Butler, Sr., G, Latrobe — Long-bombing 3-point shooter with pedigree and experience. His ball-handling and poise will be important to the Wildcats.

• Zion Moore, Sr., G, Belle Vernon — A volume scorer since his high school career began at Ringgold, he averaged 26.3 points last season, using pull-up jumpers and layups to fill boxscores.

• Stanley Rajkovich, So., F, Derry — Long-armed post presence who can clean up missed shots, rebound and redirect driving guards. A true shot blocker.

• A.J. Tarpley, So., G, Greensburg Central Catholic — Still finding his identity on the court, which will come with consistency, he averaged 13 points and seven assists last year for 4A Greensburg Salem.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Yough