Leopards put trust in Salvino and flourish
Joe Salvino was frustrated.
The first-year Belle Vernon coach, who came over from Monessen, had just watched his team drop a 85-36 decision on its home floor to Uniontown in a January section game last year. Salvino felt his team wasn鈥檛 committed to the system he was trying to implement.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard when it seems like they don鈥檛 trust me as a coach,鈥� he said after that game. 鈥淚鈥檓 putting this new system in and they just don鈥檛 want to adapt to it.
鈥淲ithout sacrifice and dedication, this is the type of team you鈥檙e going to be. So I鈥檓 trying to find five people that are willing to try to work together as a team. It鈥檚 just a little bit hard right now.鈥�
The Leopards were coming off a district final four appearance in 2018, but ended up with an 8-15 overall record in 2019.
A year later, the surprising Leopards are back in the WPIAL semifinals and take on New Castle in a 6 p.m. game today at North Allegheny High School.
The players still around are now working with Salvino, instead of against him, and Belle Vernon got an extra boost with the addition of sophomore Devin Whitlock, who transferred from Monessen.
Salvino recalled the game against the Red Raiders when it was brought up after the Leopards鈥� gutsy 66-61 victory over Quaker Valley in a quarterfinal game at Plum High School on Saturday.
鈥淏eing my first year they didn鈥檛 really know my system that well,鈥� Salvino said, 鈥渂ut all these players came back, they adapted to me and the system and they see it works.鈥�
Winning has a way of convincing players the coach might be right also.
鈥淲hen you win, that goes a long way,鈥� said Salvino, who saw his team improve drastically late in the 2018-19 season when the Leopards won their last three regular-season games, qualified for the playoffs and put up a surprisingly strong fight in a 75-67 loss to Highlands.
鈥淚t was the players,鈥� Salvino said. 鈥淭hey saw, especially at the end of last year, that the way I want it done will work if you just work with me, instead of butting heads.
鈥淭his year they know the system and they鈥檝e worked hard at it, so they deserve credit.鈥�
The Leopards proved to be mentally tough against the Quakers, refusing to fold at certain times when the situation looked bleak, and came up big in the fourth quarter. A steal and layup by Whitlock put Belle Vernon ahead to stay with 1:07 left.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a very big key for us,鈥� Salvino said of Whitlock. 鈥淲hen Devin does the things he鈥檚 capable of he can change a game around.鈥�
Whitlock was one of the keys to the Greyhounds鈥� drive to the PIAA final four last year, and that experience is invaluable.
鈥淭hat means a lot,鈥� Salvino said. 鈥淵ou know what the atmosphere is all about in these big games, you know everything that鈥檚 going on. As a player, you know what you have to do to win. He does and he did a great job.鈥�
The Leopards have key pieces in place besides Whitlock, including Cam Nusser, a senior guard who can seemingly hit 3-pointers from anywhere, along with Mitch Pohlot and Jared Hartman.
Nusser made three 3-pointers in scoring 17 points against Quaker Valley, while Pohlot and Whitlock tallied 14 apiece and Hartman added 13, including a pair of eye-opening treys.
鈥淭hey did well,鈥� Salvino said of the 6-foot-4 Pohlot and 6-3 Hartman. 鈥淢itch does a great job inside on the boards. Jared doesn鈥檛 look to shoot a lot but I guess today he felt good about it and he did it.
鈥淚t was just a great team effort.鈥�
That鈥檚 what Salvino was looking for when he took over and he now has his Leopards all on the same page headed in the right direction.