Young roster ready to start rebuilding project for Mt. Pleasant girls

By: Shawn Annarelli
Wednesday, November 27, 2019 | 3:07 PM

Scott Giacobbi has experienced a lot in 15 years at the helm of Mt. Pleasant’s girls basketball team, and he’s gearing up for another rebuild with a youthful roster.

The Vikings lost five players to graduation, and they won’t have a senior on this season’s roster to lead the team.

“We have some players who had experience playing roles, but nothing like what our seniors were doing last year,” Giacobbi said. “We’ll seek to find early on what our team identity is, and we want to get different players on the floor in different situations to see who can emerge as a leader.”

Juniors Lexi Stanek and Haylie Brunson and sophomores Melissa Davis and Hannah Gesinksi were letter winners who came off the bench last season and made occasional spot starts due to injuries.

“Melissa is a back-to-the-hoop player, and she’ll contribute to our interior game,” Giacobbi said. “Hannah is a ball handler and a savvy defender. Lexi will be a scorer, and Haylie is a balanced guard/small forward and can shoot a bit too.”

Sophomore Alli Bailey has also caught Giacobbi’s attention for several weeks.

“Alli has been terrific in the offseason, so she’ll contribute for us,” Giacobbi said. “She turned into one of our better shooters, and she’s a smart defender. She’s capable of making plays for the team on both ends.”

The Vikings have “evenly balanced skills” throughout the roster, which is made up of five juniors and seven sophomores.

Giacobbi will wait to define roles in order to give players a chance to show how they respond to playing in an up-tempo offense and an aggressive, full-court defense.

Section 3-4A won’t give any breaks to Mt. Pleasant, Giacobbi said.

Elizabeth Forward, McKeesport and Southmoreland will be the favorites for the section title.

“They’re each very strong in different aspects of the game,” Giacobbi said. “It’s an eight-team section, and Belle Vernon has a great group. West Mifflin brings back most of their guards. Ringgold and Yough have improved a lot, so every night will be competitive.”

Giacobbi said he wants the Vikings to approach every game and situation with the “right” mindset.

“This group is going to compete with great enthusiasm and intensity,” Giacobbi said. “We’ll have a positive outlook with a young team in a tough section. I think every night will be a challenge, and we want to rise to meet those challenges.”

Tags: Mt. Pleasant