MAHANOY CITY
A new era for the Mahanoy Area boys’ basketball program began Monday afternoon.
For the first time since 1981, someone other than Mickey Holland led the Golden Bears on the first official day of preseason practice.
Scott Hudson was a member of Holland’s team during his first season. Hudson now takes over the program for Holland, who retired in March after 33 years at the helm.
Monday was the official start of winter sports practices across Pennsylvania, and Hudson, along with 18 players and a new staff, ran his first practice at the Mahanoy Area Middle School gymnasium.
“Tonight, it went pretty good,” Hudson said. “We did a lot of fundamentals and stressed defense. Some kids are out of shape. We worked them pretty hard for a good solid two hours.”
With offseason workouts now a part of any high school program, the first night of practice perhaps doesn’t have the anticipation it once did. Still, Hudson said he was a little bit nervous before practice began.
“The first day you are always nervous until you get going,” he said. “Once I started talking to them and they started doing the drills, I was fine.”
Hudson, a 1984 Mahanoy Area graduate, has been involved with the school’s boys’ basketball program in some capacity since he was a sophomore in 1981, including 18 years as the head freshman coach (1989-2008). Hudson was most recently a volunteer varsity assistant coach under Holland the past four years. He would have been involved with the program this year, too, although not as the head coach.
When the job first opened up after Holland’s retirement, Hudson, 48, wasn’t interested in taking it. He did, however, agree to help out Ty Wartman, who ended up getting the job April 24.
Hudson assisted Wartman throughout the Golden Bears’ summer program. But then in late August, Wartman decided to step down when he found out his wife was having twins.
Hudson then became the head coach.
“I sort of felt it was a responsibility of mine to take it over,” he said. “Summer was already over, the football players on the team, they were already in with football, so by the time they would have hired somebody new that wasn’t in the program the last couple of years, it would have been a whole new thing for them.
“I don’t know who they could have got, but it would have been a whole new system so they would have been coming off football into these workouts with a whole new system, learning everything in like a matter of 10 days.”
Hudson wants to put his own stamp on the program, and the staff — Ethan Eichhorst (JV coach), Teddy Styka (assistant varsity), Kyle Schafer (9th grade coach), Bernie Forgotch (7th and 8th grade coach) — is mostly new. But don’t expect much to change from Mahanoy Area on the court.
The Golden Bears will still play the man-to-man defense they’ve been known for under Holland and be patient on offense, looking for the best shot.
The biggest challenge is continuing the Bears’ recent success with
what will be five new starters.
Mahanoy Area (25-3 overall, 13-0 Division III in 2013-14) won both over Schuylkill League and District 11 Class A championships last season, and reached the quarterfinal round of the PIAA playoffs for the second consecutive year. In fact, Mahanoy Area went 66-15 the past three seasons, reaching making the league playoffs and District 11 Class A title game in 2012. In 2013, the Golden Bears lost in the league title game and won a district title.
“We are spoiled around here,” Hudson said.
Four of the starters from last year’s team have graduated, including All-Area Player of the Year Dylan Mahmod. Larry McNeil is currently playing at Penn State Harrisburg, while Tyler Cavenas is a defensive lineman at Lehigh University.
Senior Jason Richmond (5.8 points game in 2013-14), last year’s point guard, would have been the only starter returning. However, he injured his knee early during the football season and will likely miss the entire basketball campaign.
The player returning with the most experience is senior Brian Miller (5.9 ppg.), while junior Matt Yedsena (4.0 ppg.) saw his playing time increase as last season progressed. Sophomore Mike Joseph (27 points in 19 games) is expected to take over at point guard.
The Bears’ junior varsity team went undefeated last season, however, that won’t necessarily translate to success at the varsity level. Right now, Hudson is stressing fundamentals, with rebounding one of his biggest concerns.
“Rebounding is going to be a big problem for us because we are not big,” Hudson said. “We are not the quickest team so we have to make sure we do everything fundamentally.”
Hudson feels some pressure taking over for Holland, who had a 614-243 career record at Mahanoy Area, but said more of the pressure is “self-inflected pressure.”
“Eventually, somebody was going to have to take over,” Hudson said. “I’ve been with the program for a long time and hopefully I can do a good job. Mick is Mick. Nobody is going to be like him.”
Hudson also goes into the season with a touch of sadness, knowing that Holland, along with assistant coach Robert Killian, won’t be around this season.
“Coach Holland lived across the street from the St. Canicus playground,” Hudson said. “I basically lived up there when I grew up, playing basketball. Bobby Killian was always up there playing, too. I coached with them, but it was also like a real good friendship. I am real good friends with those guys and they are like older brothers to me.
“That is why I am sad in a way because they are not going to be there. I enjoy coaching basketball and being around basketball, but the other half was I enjoyed being around them because I was real good friends with them.”
Mahanoy Area will scrimmage at Blue Mountain on Nov. 29 and at Berwick on Dec. 3 with MMI and Southern Columbia. The Golden Bears open the season Dec. 5 against Marian at the Panther Valley Tip-Off Tournament.
“The expectations are always high here,” Hudson said. “I am not expecting them to be like McNeil or Cavenas. I want them to carve out their own niche.”
Scott Hudson file
Age: 48
Hometown: Mahanoy City
Family: Wife, Diane
High school: 1984 graduate of Mahanoy Area
Coaching history: Volunteer at Mahanoy Area (1984-89), head freshman coach at Mahanoy Area (1989-2008), volunteer at Mahanoy Area (2008-10), varsity assistant at Mahanoy Area (2010-2014)