Upper St. Clair boys believing
Having lost all five starters and seven seniors from last year’s section championship club, few expected Upper St. Clair to be a contender in boys’ basketball this season. Except, of course, the Panthers themselves.
Heading into the first full week of Section 4 play in 2015, USC boasted an 8-2 overall record. The Panthers’ lone losses have been to Bethel Park, 52-47, and Erie Cathedral Prep, 66-47, during the Atlantis Beach Bash Tournament played at Nassau in the Bahamas. Some of their victories have included upsets over the top-ranked clubs in Quad-A, including Pine-Richland, 61-41, and Chartiers Valley, 68-64.
“It’s been incredible,” said USC skipper Dan Holzer. “I never saw this coming.”
Neither did others. The Panthers field a squad whose top eight played junior varsity last year.
Junior guards, Andrew Wheeler and Zach Pateras lead the team in scoring with 16- and 14-point averages. Senior point guard Marcus McGinniss averages 10 tallies while Zack Cherup, another senior, follows with eight markers. Junior Doug Wagner rounds out the starting line-up.
“How often do you have five guys who played JV a year ago represent your starting varsity?” asked Holzer. “That speaks to what a good program we have here.
“I’m proud of these kids, particularly my four seniors,” Holzer also added of Garrett Dabat and Nick Beeler. “These guys have waited their turn. They have worked hard. That’s what high school athletics is about. It’s about the program and whether you are ready when it comes to your time. These guys see it’s their time to shine. They don’t want to be the team to let the program down.”
The USC boys’ basketball program is in its 20th season under Holzer and to date the Panthers have yet to let their coach down. In fact, he says, his team has left him speechless yet pleased. The Panthers have been competitive despite some shortcomings. Not only are the Panthers inexperienced, they boast no player over 6-feet-2.
However, in any given game somebody steps up and performs. In the upset over Section 4 rival CV, McGinniss exploded for 20 points while Wheeler pitched in 15 markers. Wheeler poured in 22 against Pine-Richland. McGinniss dished up nine assists and committed ‘zero’ turnovers.
“McGinniss had no points against Pine-Richland but it doesn’t matter to him. He’s happy. They’re all happy. We won.
“It exactly like that adage,” continued Holzer. “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit. It’s such a great team. They’re all playing well together. They share the ball and play well as a team. Plus, we are playing good team defense. It’s sounds simplistic but truly the answer to our success is we play well together and we like each other and believe in one another.”
In addition to the starting five and the senior leadership, the Panthers have relied on junior Ryan Harkleroad for strength inside and on the boards as well as underclassmen such as sophomores Gabe Houy and Darius Radford and freshmen Kyle Meinert and Matt Kissinger.
Thanks to a pre-Christmas trip to the Bahamas for a tournament, USC built plenty of camaraderie. In addition to playing three games, the team spent plenty of time exploring the beaches as well as water parks. The players even enjoyed an experience of swimming with dolphins.
“It was a big confidence builder for us,” Holzer said of the journey. “No question it helped bring us together.”
From the first day of practice, however, Holzer explained, ‘everybody has been on the same page.’ Practices were competitive as players forced each other to become better and prepared them for the season. USC rolled up three wins against Monessen, Franklin Regional and Penn Hills and opened league play with a 71-28 triumph at home against Moon. However, the Panthers succumbed to rival Bethel Park before toppling Char Valley.
“Bethel Park was the first big game of their entire careers,” Holzer noted of his players. “I did not know what to expect but they responded well. I’m upset we lost but I was pleased with how we didn’t quit. Against CV, we shot the ball well,” Holzer noted. “We knew we had to play well to beat them especially on the road at their place. It’s difficult to beat CV at CV. A win at CV gives you a lot of confidence.”
The Panthers are confident in their half-court, man-to-man defense and their offensive skills. They are focused on rebounding to compensate for their lack of height.
“We make it difficult for teams to score and because we play as a team and believe in the team concept, we share the ball on offense. Without question, we lack size so we have to rebound on defense and limit the turnovers on offense.”
The Panthers also have a limited vision of the future. After last night’s game with Baldwin, the focus is on Peters Township Jan. 9.
“Even though we are so young, these guys have truly matured. They understand we need to perform at a high level every game. The only team that matters on the schedule is the game that night. We’re taking it one game at a time.
“We know that we weren’t on anybody’s radar. Nobody expected us to be a formidable team. These kids have embraced that. One thing that brought them together is hearing how they were not going to be good. So for them, the goal is to get better every day and continue to improve.”
For now, nobody is mentioning grabbing a section banner or winning a WPIAL title although the Panthers plan to make the playoffs and advance as far as possible.
“We have that next game mentality,” explained Holzer. “No matter the game, we know each game we have to perform.”