‘This is home’: Rob Niederberger set to lead North Allegheny boys basketball team

By: Josh Rizzo
Friday, August 8, 2025 | 2:00 PM

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Rob Niederberger took last season off coaching varsity basketball. During that time, the newly-minted North Allegheny boys basketball coach did color commentary on games for the TribLive High School Sports Network and went to help a few teams work on things in practice.

Niederberger’s passion for basketball is his sickness.

“It’s non-stop, like a disease,” Niederberger said. “There is no cure. When I did games for the Trib last year, mostly in the north, I watched a lot of teams and got a chance to see how they did things. It was nice to leave games and not be stressed or angry.”

The peaceful gym exits will end soon. Niederberger, who is a 1999 North Allegheny graduate, jumped at the opportunity to work at his alma mater. Niederberger still lives in the district and has children who attend school there.

He also got a job teaching social studies at North Allegheny High School after spending 22 years at Butler. Three assistants who will be joining Niederberger at North Allegheny — former Avonworth coach Mike Mancuso and North Allegheny graduates Anton Constantino and Shawn Hartle — worked under Niederberger at Shaler.

“I’d be lying if I said this move isn’t more special because this is home,” Niederberger said. “When I went to Shaler and Burrell, the only place those programs had to go was up. This is an opportunity for me to put my own stamp on the program. I’m excited about the caliber of athletes we have at North Allegheny.”

The Tigers are looking to bounce back from last season when they finished 7-15 overall and finished in the basement of Section 1-6A with a 2-12 mark. Dave DeGregorio, who won more than 500 games in his career in 31 seasons at North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, North Catholic and South Allegheny, resigned following the season.

Niederberger has a reputation for reviving programs. During his last stop at Shaler, Niederberger weathered a 5-39 record during his first two seasons.

He finished with a 106-98 mark during his nine seasons with the Titans, including three trips to the state playoffs. Shaler went 25-4 during his final season in 2023-24, eclipsing the 20-win mark for the first time since 2012 on their way to the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals.

Niederberger also coached at Burrell and led the Buccaneers to an appearance in the WPIAL Class 2A final in 2013. Niederberger doesn’t believe he has a perfect formula to produce winning programs.

He asks for buy-in and thinks that results will follow.

“There’s no secret recipe,” Niederberger said. “I ask for two things from my guys: No. 1, high-level commitment and No. 2 for them to work hard. I’m going to grind, so I expect them to grind too. The results will come out of working hard.”

Tags: North Allegheny