A handful of returnees from a team that reached the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals a year ago has Our Lady of the Sacred Heart boys basketball coach Mike Rodriguez in an upbeat mood as his 18th season is about to start.
“We have a wonderful group of kids,” Rodriguez said of the Chargers, who open their season on the road against Riverview at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“They play extremely hard.”
That’s not good news for OLSH’s opponents – but not unexpected from the Chargers. A year ago, OLSH put together a 12-2 record in Section 4 play, good enough for second place behind Neshannock.
The Chargers wound up sixth in the WPIAL tournament, falling to Greensburg Central Catholic in the fifth-place game, and then were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament by Sewickley Academy in a game they led by four points at halftime.
Several key contributors from last year’s team are back to lead the way for the Chargers in 2025-26, including senior Jake Johnson and junior Tiernan McCullough, both of whom stand in the 6-foot-4 range.
McCullough sustained a knee injury in OLSH’s first scrimmage and has been sidelined since then, but Rodriguez said he hopes to have him back by mid to late December.
Also returning are 6-7 Patrick Altmar, 5-11 Austin Avsec, 6-foot Frankie Igrec, 5-9 Owen Minzer and 5-10 Chad Minton. Altmar will step into a starting role after coming off the bench last year.
Also expected to contribute are Owen Tonery, a 6-2 senior forward who played his first two years but sat out last season, and 6-2 sophomore guard Nolan Reed, who transferred from Sewickley Academy.
Rodriguez said Reed is a solid shooter who saw plenty of action during the summer.
“He’ll have an impact on our team,” Rodriguez said.
Overall, Rodriguez said he has no complaints with the way his squad is shaping up.
“I like our nucleus, although we’re still going through some growing pains, with kids filling new positions,” he said. “We’re still working in bits of our system that some of them are unfamiliar with.
“But I like our effort and our cohesiveness. They get along well. I’m pleased with what I’ve seen so far.”
Rodriguez said he expects his section schedule to be the same as it was last year — rugged.
“It’s always a grind,” he said. “We’re playing a lot of Lawrence County teams, and those road trips during the week are long. But there are wonderful coaches up there and great teams. They play good basketball up there.”
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