Charleroi boys preview: Greer adjusts to role as Cougars鈥� new coach
When Joe Greer was hired to take over the Charleroi boys basketball program, he knew there would be adjustments after taking over for longtime coach Bill Wiltz.
Plus, Greer has made a name for himself for years as a top-level assistant.
“The biggest difference is the administrative and organizational responsibilities that come with being the head coach,” said Greer. “I thoroughly enjoy working with our student-athletes, and through my previous coaching experiences, I have had exposure to the behind-the-scenes tasks and responsibilities, some of which I would share with various head coaches that I worked for, and with, in the past.
“But I own it now and the start-up process brings more of this type of work. But, I have an exceptional group of assistant coaches, a very committed booster group, and an outstanding athletic director to assist and support me.”
Greer has brought on several coaches, and they all have various levels of experience, with former Charleroi standout Jim Diaz serving as the first assistant. Tony Bristol played at Penn State Fayette, Jamie Coll played at Seton Hill, Joe Greer, Jr. played at Penn State Behrend, and Jordan Greer played at Westminster.
Greer feels his squad worked hard through the offseason.
“Overall, I’d say it was successful,” said Greer. “I am a big believer that good players and highly successful programs are built in the offseason.
“I think the biggest change for our players is what is expected of them, in terms of their offseason commitment. Even though we share our student-athletes across multiple sports, we eventually need to get to a place where we have enough players to commit to a full offseason program, which includes open gyms, strength and conditioning, spring, summer, and fall leagues, and team camps.
“These are all opportunities that successful high school players and programs take full advantage of.”
Having a solid offseason helped get things going smoother for the season.
“Our players are working extremely hard (at) official practices,” said Greer. “Our coaching staff has meshed well, and we are aligned in the way we want to play and how we want to teach and coach our guys.”
Returning players are senior guards Bryce Large, Jake Beveridge and Joel Chambers, senior forward Jacob Chambers, junior guard/forward Shea Smith, and sophomore guards Jackson Keranko and Brock Henderson.
New players to the program include junior forward Noah Pletcher, sophomore forward Amaru Staub, and freshman forward Braeden Todaro.
Charleroi is in Section 4-AAA with Brownsville, McGuffey, Mount Pleasant, Washington, Waynesburg Central, and Yough.
“Yough and Washington are the top teams, but our section is very strong overall with solid teams and exceptional coaches,” said Greer, adding, “There will be no easy games for us.”
“Our team goal is to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs and make a postseason run,” continued Greer. “This will be our primary goal every year and it will never change.
“Like every program, we obviously aspire to win section, WPIAL, and state Championships. But, and I know this sounds cliche, we need to stay focused on daily improvement.
“As a coaching staff, we are asking our players to come to practice every day with a mindset of working harder than they ever have, to develop their individual skill sets and help us grow and get better as a team.”
What will it take for Greer to call his first season a successful one?
“We will have a good season if we continue to elevate our daily commitment and effort levels to become the best that we can be,” said Greer. “And that we stay together and connected as a group and continue to trust in the process required to become a highly competitive program.”