Culture change
Mt. Lebanon girls transition under Walsh
Mark (Knobby) Walsh has transitioned nicely from coaching boys to girls in basketball.
With the WPIAL playoffs about to commence, Walsh has the Mt. Lebanon girls poised to make noise in the Class 6A tournament.
When the Blue Devils travel to Seneca Valley on Feb. 21, Walsh will remind his charges of a motto he adopted when he coached the Seton LaSalle boys.
Walsh spent 13 seasons at his alma mater. He also coached for six years at Bishop Canevin. He owned a 383-173 record on the boys side, which included a WPIAL title in 2014 for the Rebels as well as a PIAA Class 2A title appearance that year.
“I’ve always emphasized, and this is no detriment to any opponent, but it’s not who you play, it’s how you play,” Walsh said.
After an “extremely strong schedule” the Blue Devils are heading into the postseason on a high note. They knocked off the No. 2-seeded team in the Class 5A tournament. Their 48-45 win against Peters Township on Feb. 10 marked the first time this winter a WPIAL club defeated the Indians, who were 19-3 heading into their first playoff game at home against Fox Chapel (13-9).
“When you schedule a game like this before the playoffs, you want to have a team the caliber of the teams you will play in the playoffs or better,” Walsh said. “Every single game this year we played was a nail biter. For a few dollars, people saw a great game.
“To come to Peters Township and win it at the end in this fantastic facility is great preparation for us heading into the playoffs. I am so proud of these girls. It was a very good effort.”
The victory came on the heels of a 65-35 loss to arch rival Upper St. Clair, which is the No. 2 seed in the Class 6A bracket. The Lady Panthers finished runner-up to Norwin in Section 2 with an 8-2 record. They were 16-6 prior to hosting their playoff game on Feb. 20.
“We tip our hats to St. Clair. Credit them,” said Walsh. “They played incredibly.
“So coming off that big loss on their senior night, we went back to the drawing board and looked at the mistakes we made. I think we corrected them because my girls really stepped up (against Peters Township).”
Sophomore Anessa’s Donoghue fired in 18 points.
“We gave her the reins at point guard and she made some key plays and got the ball to the basket,” Walsh said.
“It was a total team effort,” he added. “We had girls come off the bench that did good things for us. We really used our depth to come out against them.”
Leadership from twins Payton and Riley Collins as well as Shea McCarthy has been the hallmark of this year’s young squad as the trio are the lone seniors.
Payton Collins, who registered 11 markers against the Indians, is the team’s leader with a 15.6 scoring average. Bound for Bowdoin College to continue her playing career, she surpassed the 1,000-point plateau earlier this season.
“Payton has had a tremendous career. She’s a tremendous shooter and a hard worker.
“She’s our leader but not just in scoring,” Walsh continued. “Payton makes big plays. Gets offensive rebounds,” he added. “People fail to realize how important that is but that’s huge because three or four of those can put you over the top.”
Riley Collins, who will attend Wake Forest in the fall, and McCarthy, who is on par with the Collins twins academically, provide intangibles to the program as it continues to rebuild into the championship caliber club it had been during their dominance from 2009 through 2012. The Blue Devils won three district and state titles in that span.
Walsh remarked how the three seniors have taken even the managers under their wings as well as their younger teammates of which there are six sophomores and four freshmen on the varsity roster. Laila Nicholson and Reese Hall are the lone juniors.
“When you have seniors taking girls, who are nervous about being game managers, and showing them what to do, that’s a culture you can’t describe and as a coach you cannot teach,” Walsh said. “You make an impact on a young kid, work with our youth, then that builds the program.
“The culture these girls created. How unselfish they are,” Walsh remarked. “They pick up each other when someone might be down. That’s so vital to what we are doing here. It’s a team and every night it’s a different player that steps up for us.”
Though a 10th grader, Cali Green has stepped up. She is averaging around nine points per game while Lebo’s staunch defenders are permitting just 41.3 points an outing.
“Offensively we have good balance. We try to create that but defense is the key,” Walsh said. “While we have struggled at times to score, defense is the same in every gym. No matter where you go, especially in the playoffs and historically for the great teams, it’s all been about defense.”
In Seneca Valley, the Blue Devils face a formidable opponent in the playoffs. They are led by Gracie Cato, who is averaging 16.1 points per game.
The Raiders and Blue Devils met during the Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament over the holidays at Shady Side Academy with Lebo posting a 44-40 victory.
The Raiders, however, have rebounded. They won the Section 1 banner with a 10-0 record and entered the playoffs at 15-6 overall.
“We know they are a great team,” Walsh said. “It was a great battle when we beat them in a nail biter. So, in a playoff game, it’s going to be amped up. It’s on the road and at their place and both teams have grown from their experience.”
Walsh, himself, has developed as a coach. He credits his seniors, who have had three new coaches in three years, for their “openness” and “willingness” to do the things he instructs.
He has adjusted his “demeanor” towards the girls, being less aggressive verbally, and acknowledged the vast gulf between private and public schools.
“In private school, kids come from all over the place and it takes time to mesh together. But these girls have grown up together,” he said. “I have had some good teams at Seton LaSalle and great kids but sometimes they didn’t get along that well. Here, the girls get along with each other.
“Really it hasn’t been difficult and I haven’t had to make too many adjustments because the Xs and Os are similar. They may be even more important in the girls game because it’s played on the level, not at the rim. I am still learning a lot though,” Walsh added.
Ironically, he learned his most important lesson from another female. His wife, Carrie, told him how vital the right assistants would be to the team’s success. Walsh hired Anna Betz, a Brentwood graduate who played at St. Vincent, and Maura Castelucci, a South Fayette alumna that played at Wheeling.
“I struck gold with them,” he said. “They are closer in age and understand all the things girls go through.
“Even though I have been a father of daughters. I could tell them take it or leave it but it’s different coaching high school girls,” he said. “My wife was right when she said how important my assistants would be, especially watching those girls.”
Walsh will have his players, including: Lily Dwyer, Lucy Sussman, Aubrey Betler, Lily Samreny, Emily Smith, Elizabeth Twyman, Arabella McGonigle, Ann Tinnemeyer and Madj Harpst; prepared for their playoff run because he has been around long enough to know that anything can happen.
“Norwin is coming off a championship and USC has Rylee Kalocay and when they are making threes, they are tough to beat,” Walsh said.
“We are just trying to grind it out every day and get better. We are excited because we have younger kids with a ton of experience and the youth program is going.
“In the playoffs anything can happen. There have been times when you go into a game thinking a team will win and then you are texting a buddy that it’s a one-point game with a minute left. It’s high school sports. So pure,” he concluded.