The Montour boys basketball team could make some special memories this year.
At least that’s the way Spartans coach Bill Minear sees it.
Not only does his roster have a bevy of talented players, led by University of Tennessee at Martin recruit Ama Sow Tening, but Montour will be featured in several high profile matchups at local college venues – La Roche and Community College of Allegheny County – as well as PPG Paints Arena.
If that’s not enough, the Spartans will escape the cold and venture south to the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational in late December, then head west to North Canton, Ohio, for a showcase in early February. “It should be a great experience for the kids,” Minear said of the various trips the Spartans will take. “It’s exciting for them and hopefully it gets us battle tested for the (WPIAL) playoffs.”
There’s no doubt that Sow is one of the main reasons that Montour is such a hot ticket. The 6-foot-11 native of Senegal averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and nearly four blocked shots per game. After originally landing in Pennsylvania to play for First Love Christian Academy, he wound up at Montour after First Love left its Western Pennsylvania location.
Minear, starting his seventh season as Montour’s coach, said Sow has come a long way since he first arrived at Montour two years ago. “Now he’s a D-1 player,” Minear said. “He worked his rear end off to get there.”
Minear said Sow is an example of how basketball has changed in recent years and become what Minear calls a “positionless game.”
“The thing that’s hard for the casual fan and some who are used to more traditional roles for big guys is to see him shoot the (three-point shot) and bring the ball up the court,” Minear said of Sow. “If you watch the NBA, they have 7-footers shooting 3s and bringing the ball up. He can do all that. The influx of European players in the NBA and colleges recruiting overseas has changed the game a lot.”
For example, rather than using Sow in the low post, UT-Martin plans to play him on the wing. “Ama’s a really good passer,” Minear said.
Montour is hardly a one-man show, though. Minear said he considers six of his players – all seniors — as starting-caliber performers. They’ll help to make up for the departure of Jake Wolfe, a 1,000-point scorer who helped lead the Spartans to their first section title in 12 years. Montour finished 9-1 in Class 4A Section 4 and 21-6 overall, falling in the WPIAL quarterfinals and losing in the first round of the PIAA tournament to eventual state champion Lincoln Park.
Aside from Sow, the other five “starters” are Kaleb Platz, AJ Alston, Trey Hopper, Ryan Gamble and Colton Straight.
The 6-1 Platz, a standout on the football field, possesses some of the same skills as Sow but in a shorter package. “He can shoot, bring the ball up, can post up and passes well,” Minear said of the two-year starter. The 6-foot Alston, another football standout, is a three-year starter who plays the role of a distributor and a defensive disruptor. “He and Kaleb both have very high sports IQs,” Minear said of the Spartans point guard.
Another Montour player with a high sports IQ is 6-3 Trey Hopper, the Spartans’ standout quarterback this fall. “He sees the court like a quarterback – really well,” Minear said of Hopper. “He can give teams a lot of problems defensively.” The 6-3 Gamble provides another inside presence and is a strong rebounder. The 6-2 Straight, Minear said, entered the program relatively late but made an impression on the coaching staff as a sophomore. He started several games as a junior and had an outstanding summer, Minear said.
“He can score with either hand and has a quick release,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll play somewhere next year.”
Overall, Minear said, “It’s a nice mix of kids – really nice. A lot depends on their attitudes and their defense, because they can score.”
The Spartans moved up to Class 5A this year, where they’ll run into reigning state champion Lincoln Park, defending WPIAL champion Moon, West Allegheny, Mars, Blackhawk and Chartiers Valley in Section 4. Montour’s Dec. 22 matchup with Lincoln Park will be played at PPG Paints Arena. In terms of preseason tests, the Spartans open the season at home Tuesday night, Dec. 3, against defending City League champion Allderdice and take on last year’s Class 6A champion, Upper St. Clair at LaRoche on Dec. 14.
Minear, who had two separate stints at Sto-Rox and won a state title there along with two WPIAL crowns, said he likes to give his teams challenges during preseason play “to expose what flaws we have and get our guys battle tested.” The Spartans did that a year ago, beating Upper St. Clair and losing to Allderdice.
Minear said in addition to his seniors, his team also features several talented juniors and sophomores. In preseason workouts he’s been mixing up his teams to compete against one another, rather than having the first five battle the second five.
“I like to let the experienced guys teach the guys coming up,” he said. “When they’re on the floor with the seniors, it gives them a chance to run through what we do. And it helps the seniors to learn even better, and to show some leadership.”
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