Lady Vikings’ Giacobbi welcomes back veteran squad
Mount Pleasant girls coach Scott Giacobbi looks to build off last year鈥檚 WPIAL Class AAAA quarterfinal appearance and has a veteran squad to do so.
Giacobbi, entering his 17th season as the Lady Vikings head coach, welcomes back a big senior class.
鈥淲e have six returning seniors,鈥� said Giacobbi. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no substitute for experience and leadership. They鈥檝e been on the floor since they were freshman and sophomores.鈥�
Hannah Gesinski returns at the point guard position, with fellow senior Alli Bailey handling swing duties as a guard and forward.
Senior forwards Kennedi Rogers and Melissa Davis will play under the basket. Seniors Kaylie Hutchinson and Shiann Stokes are in the mix for playing time.
Junior Ashley Zelmore provides a presence along the baseline at both ends of the floor.
鈥淪he brings a lot of scoring and energy back, and she will bang around inside,鈥� said Giacobbi.
The veteran presence provides Giacobbi depth, as does the 18-player roster.
鈥淲e will have some concentrated and focus subs. We鈥檒l have a lot more individual subbing,鈥� said Giacobbi.聽
One of the situations not faced by Giacobbi in his long career was the impact the pandemic had on the 2020-21 season.
鈥淲e were able to be consistent,鈥� said Giacobbi. 鈥淚t鈥檚 business as usual. We鈥檝e made it part of our preparation and approach.聽
鈥淲e are policing up on the player obligation form with the expectations for me and from them as players.鈥�
The Lady Vikings finished fifth in Section 3-AAAA last year with a 4-6 record, and would鈥檝e missed the WPIAL playoffs if it hadn鈥檛 been for the open tournament because of the pandemic.
Mount Pleasant opened the tournament with a 38-31 overtime victory over Freeport. The Lady Vikings fell to rival Southmoreland in the quarterfinals, 54-23.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough section,鈥� said Giacobbi. 鈥淪outhmoreland is the team to beat. I鈥檝e been around long enough to see the rivalry go up and down.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of parity beyond that. Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward are tough opponents. West Mifflin is new to the section.
鈥淵ough is a team that gave us problems last year. They are really good. They have a great inside game. And, Laurel Valley has a strong tradition.鈥�
Giacobbi understands what his Lady Vikings need to do for a run at the WPIAL tournament.
鈥淲e need to increase our scoring output from last year,鈥� said Giacobbi. 鈥淲e need to be successful on offense to allow our defense to be successful.
鈥淲e need to play aggressive on defense, and try to take a measured approach based on the opponent. Our defense needs to be aggressive.鈥�
Giacobbi added, 鈥淲e want to play uptempo, get out and transition. Our defense sets up our offense.鈥�
Giacobbi said he has established hallmarks for the Lady Vikings to be in position to be successful.
鈥淲e have to execute and be successful in situational game play. We have to control tempo of the game, I hope,鈥� explained Giacobbi. 鈥淲e need to capitalize on the offensive opportunities we have.
鈥淥ur goals to start the season are to be in position to make the playoffs and advance further into the playoffs.鈥�