Inexperienced Pioneers strive to keep playoff streak alive
West Greene reached the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs for a school-record fifth consecutive year last season but running that streak to six won鈥檛 be easy for coach Jim Romanus.
鈥淭hese are crazy times,鈥� Romanus said. 鈥淭his is the smallest squad that I鈥檝e had since I鈥檝e been at West Greene. We鈥檝e got kids who decided not to come out for basketball for different reasons.鈥�
The COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse effect on the Pioneers鈥� offseason.
鈥淚鈥檝e got this blue print that I鈥檝e always used for coaching and it includes having between 30 to 35 open gyms in the offseason starting in the spring and going through July, and we鈥檝e always played somewhere between 20 and 25 games in that span,鈥� Romanus explained. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something we really worked hard on, whether it was going to team camps and the Brownson House and the shootouts at Geneva College and Robert Morris. We take our kids everywhere. That was the blueprint we had to get our kids better.
鈥淭his year COVID shut everything down big time. We were only able to play six games at the Brownson House but our kids聽improved every game.鈥�
Romanus鈥檚 players made the best of the situation.
鈥淚 gave them a booklet, a workout that I put together. I told them I can鈥檛 be with you. You鈥檙e going to have to do this on your own,鈥� Romanus said. 鈥淲ell, to their credit, I can tell my kids did that. I can see guys like Chase Blake, Caleb Rice, Ian Van Dyne and Kaden Shields whose skill level is much better than last year.
鈥淭he question is can we put that skill level into a chemistry we can use for success.鈥�
One key loss for West Greene was a gain for the Pioneers鈥� wrestling team as Corey Wise has switched sports this winter.
鈥淚 also had five junior high boys coming but only one of them is playing basketball now,鈥� Romanus said. 鈥淎lthough that one is Colin Brady who had a great football season. He鈥檚 a phenomenal athlete.鈥�
With the graduation of starters Austin Crouse, Benjamin Jackson and Greg Staggers, West Greene has little experience returning.
鈥淐aleb was a starter last year and Chase started half the games,鈥� Romanus said. 鈥淏oth of them are coming back. I have 11 kids on the team, total. One of them, Casey Miller, is going to be out until the second week of January. He鈥檚 6-3, 260 pounds. He was our backup to Greg Staggers last year and had done a really good job but he got hurt in football and had to have shoulder surgery.鈥�
Romanus, who will be assisted by Beau Jackson, Ryan Crouse and Austin Crouse, has a tentative group for his main rotation.
鈥淪tarters will be Rice and Blake at guard, both seniors, Ian, a 6-2 sophomore who鈥檒l be a guard-forward, and Wes Whipkey, a junior who is 6-2 about 190. The fifth spot will be either Joe Cumberledge, a 5-11 senior, or Brady, who is a 6-2 freshman.
鈥淎lso at the guard position I have Shields, a 5-8 sophomore. Nathan Reed, another sophomore, might get some action at the guard position, also.聽Those are the primary kids right now.鈥�
Van Dyne missed part of last season due to injury.
鈥淚an had to have major shoulder surgery and he came back for the second half of the season,鈥� Romanus said.
West Greene finished 8-13 overall and 7-5 in Section 2-A last season. The Pioneers, Mapletown, Geibel Catholic, Avella and defending champion Bishop Canevin remain in that same section with the addition of Propel Montour, while Monessen and Jefferson-Morgan have been bumped up to Class 2A.
鈥淚 think Bishop will again be the favorite,鈥� Romanus said. 鈥淎vella has a lot coming back and I thought they might be the second-best team but its seems to be Geibel now. We鈥檒l be fighting for the fourth spot.鈥�
The make-up of his team has changed drastically from a year ago said Romanus, who is entering his 38th year as a high school basketball head coach.
鈥淭he strength of our team this year will be totally opposite of what it was last year when we were strong inside,鈥� Romanus pointed out. 鈥淭his season it鈥檚 going to be guard play.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a lot of numbers. It鈥檚 going to be challenging year. Right now, we鈥檙e a work in progress.鈥�