Looking for a basketball coaching job?
Then the Schuylkill League is the place to be.
An unprecedented six coaches have stepped down from their girls’ basketball coaching positions since the season ended in early March.
It’s not strange for one or two coaches to call it quits when the season ends, typically to spend more time with family or devote more attention to a full-time job.
But six?
I’m not saying those coaches who left didn’t have good reason. Those who spoke with me all certainly did. It’s simply an astonishing number of vacancies for one season.
It’s even more astonishing when you consider that 10 girls’ basketball coaches have left during the last two seasons.
The current turnover rate is something long-time area coaches haven’t seen in quite a while.
“This is almost 30 years in the Schuylkill League and I’ve never once seen this kind of turnover,” Blue Mountain coach Ruth Weidman said.
“The opposing kids are going to be the same, it’s just a matter of scouting and seeing what kind of game strategy the coaches are employing. It’s going to be a challenge to say the least.”
Let’s review the departures so far:
• Nick Reichert, Schuylkill Haven
• Brad Hurley, Panther Valley
• Brian Unger, Williams Valley
• Rick Wojociechowsky, Pottsville
• Joe Berezwick, Tamaqua
• Chris George, Pine Grove
George wasn’t only the sixth coach to step down in the Schuylkill League this offseason, he was also the fourth in Division I. That’s half the division getting new coaches next year.
Weidman, North Schuylkill’s John Rizzo, Jim Thorpe’s Rob Kovac and Lehighton’s Eric Gidney remain at their Division I posts.
“I think it makes things even more interesting,” Rizzo said. “Obviously new coaches bring new philosophies, new systems. With all the talent that’s in the division right now, I think it’s going to be very exciting to see what these new coaches and teams bring to the table.”
Gidney just finished directing Lehighton in its first season in the Schuylkill League. With all the new coaches around him, it could feel like starting that process all over again.
“The first reaction is you might have a leg up, you might have a head start, especially at this time of year,” Gidney said, noting Lehighton will soon be starting summer league. “... But when you think about it, you go, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve got to scout all over again, I’ve got to get to know these teams all over again.’ ”
The most attention is on Pottsville and Pine Grove, simply because of the expectations on both programs.
The Crimson Tide have all their starters back next year after two straight berths in the Schuylkill League and District 11 Class AAAA playoffs, putting them among the favorites for the Division I title next season.
The prestige surrounding Pine Grove obviously makes it an attractive opening, but the talented freshman class that emerged last season put the icing on the cake.
The two openings in Division II, however, are also pretty appealing.
Schuylkill Haven’s record last season (7-15, 2-11 D-II) was a more accurate representation of the Hurricanes’ difficult schedule than it was a portrayal of the team’s talent. A good group of underclassmen provide an opportunity for someone to mold a great team in the coming years.
Williams Valley was only a few points away from the PIAA Class A quarterfinals last season and only loses two consistent starters for next year.
Adding two new coaches to the already deep Division II with Minersville, Lourdes and Tri-Valley will make for an interesting season.
“You’re pretty familiar with the coaches that have been there a long time, but anytime anybody new comes in, they’re going to do things differently,” Minersville coach Jared Homa said. “Most of the preparation and the tendencies that you’re used to for opposing coaches, you have to throw that stuff out the window.”
The good news is that only two of the 10 coaches who resigned in the last two years occupied that position for three years or less (not including Unger, who was an assistant at Williams Valley between his head coaching stints).
When turnover at a program becomes common, that’s when we should start worrying about the effect it has on the kids.
“When I came in to Lehighton, I was the fourth head coach in four years,” Gidney said. “There were a lot of players that chose not to play in my first year, seniors and juniors who played for years, but because of the turnover, they didn’t play any longer.
“You just hope that’s not going to happen in these other programs as well.”