Boys basketball preview: Seasoned Washington, Chartiers-Houston trying to take next step
Observer-Reporter
Washington’s Zahmere Robinson (1) returns for his senior season for the Prexies.
Observer-Reporter
Washington’s Caleb Jackson is one of multiple players who return for the Prexies this season.
It was Tuesday and Washington High School boys basketball coach Ron Faust finally could practice with a full complement of players.
With long-lasting football seasons being the norm for the Prexies, Faust is used to the wait to fill his roster.
“It’s tough waiting but we get athletes that are used to winning and know how to compete,” Faust said. “Our players are known for that.”
He is planning on using as many as he can on his roster to get Washington further than its WPIAL quarterfinal and PIAA first-round exits a season ago. The Prexies cruised through Section 4-AAA with an 11-1 record but finished the season 14-10 overall.
A deep roster with multiple starters, at least if it can remain that way, could turn Washington into a much different team and quickly add to Faust’s 609 career victories.
“With the returning people from last year, we feel that we can compete,” Faust said. “We have some depth to get out in open spaces and to pressure. We can certainly be more aggressive defensively. The past few years, we’ve been limited with the number of people we could play.”
The Prexies won’t be big in size but fast and athletic, led by guards Zahmere Robinson, Caleb Jackson, Tayshawn Levy, Quamar Patterson and Ian Bredniak. Isaiah Edwards, Brandon Patterson, Chase Mitchell and Marlon Norris will be the forwards for a group relying on tempo to improve its pedestrian 53 points per game last season.
“We’ve been short on numbers because of eligibility problems,” Faust said of years past. “It’s kind of turned into our benefit because we’ve had younger kids playing a lot of basketball. Maybe if we increase the defensive intensity, then we are talking about getting close to 70 points per game.”
A year removed from its first WPIAL semifinal and state playoff appearance, Chartiers-Houston is trying to find clutch points.
Close calls in Section 2-AA, including a pair of losses to Jeannette and Carmichaels to end section play, kept the Bucs out of the playoffs at 11-11 overall.
“It should have been a good season last year,” said C-H coach Eugene Briggs. “Three games we lost in the last seconds and overtime could have put us in second place. Typically we don’t lose those types of games.”
The emphasis for Chartiers-Houston is finding the go-to players in clutch moments, something the program has had plenty of in years past with Alec Ferrari, AJ Myers and Cam Hanley.
A pair of all-district players return. Do-it-all junior Austin Arnold is back after averaging 11 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 3.1 steals per game last year. Senior forward Evan Simpson, who averaged a double-double with 10.9 points and 10.9 rebounds, also returns with point guard Seth Dunn.
“From the past, it wasn’t a secret that at the end of games we had players that wanted the ball and knew what to do with it,” Briggs said. “Some of it’s personality and part is experience.”
Welcome back
This doesn’t happen very often but all five of the Observer-Reporter All-District first team selections are back.
That list includes Trinity’s Michael Koroly, Peters Township’s Colin Cote, California’s Malik Ramsey, Waynesburg’s Lucas Garber and last season’s Player of the Year, C.J. Cole of McGuffey.
The five could play huge parts in carrying their teams to the postseason this year, especially Ramsey, who helped the Trojans make the playoffs a season ago but couldn’t play because of the new transfer rules. He will be eligible for the postseason this season.
Big Mac turnover
Maybe the biggest local roster makeover will be on the boys basketball team at Canon-McMillan.
It’s a stiff challenge for first-year coach Charles Murphy, who will have to replace four starters from last season’s team that went to the WPIAL semifinals for the first time in school history.
The lone returning starter for Canon-McMillan is Tommy Samosky.
Unlocking Whitlock
Devin Whitlock made a difference on the Belle Vernon football team this season.
The addition of Whitlock – a sophomore transfer from nearby Mon Valley rival Monessen – might pay even bigger dividends on the basketball court this winter.
For what the 5-6, 150-pound point guard lacks in size, he makes up for in ability and toughness.
In his freshman season at Monessen, Whitlock averaged 18 points per game and led the Greyhounds to the WPIAL and PIAA semifinals. They lost to Vincentian Academy to end their district and state playoff runs.
Adding another guard that can quickly slash toward the hoop will give Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino plenty of options to balance the starting five that already had a backcourt of Cam Nusser and Larry Callaway.