Jeff Stuart has seen a few things in the decades he’s been involved in coaching high school sports.
So, he’s not put off by the fact that the Sto-Rox girls basketball team wasn’t able to complete its season last year due to a lack of players.
“I don’t dwell on the past,” said Stuart, who previously coached at Cornell and is starting his first year at the Sto-Rox helm.
“I’m trying to get them to play for the future. Right now we have 11 girls. I’m getting there – I don’t know how better to explain it.”
Stuart was coaxed out of retirement to help right the Vikings’ ship, as last year’s team finished with only four available players on the way to an 0-10 record in Class 2A Section 2 play and 4-18 overall.
“The program was decimated,” Stuart said. “They asked me to take over the program to see if I could flip it around and get it back to a respectable place.”
Stuart said all four players who finished last season are back this year, as well as some of the players who quit. Stuart admitted there’s been some hard feelings between those who stuck it out and those who chose to leave.
“I’m dealing with some attitudes,” he said. “But I’m good at that. Being as old as I am, I let it roll down my back.”
Stuart said based on some early practice sessions, it looks like he’ll be able to count on about eight players to provide valuable minutes.
Kamiyah Thompson, a 6-foot junior, should be a key contributor.
“She likes to think she’s a guard,” Stuart said, “but we’re going to change that thought process.”
Junior Allie Dotson, who’s also in the 6-foot range, has the ability to play both inside and outside. She, like Thompson, wore a Vikings uniform all last season.
Two players who didn’t make it through the season also figure to contribute in Daniella Reel, a 5-7 sophomore guard, and 5-6 junior point guard Ariana Johnston.
“Who else we can look for (to contribute), your guess is as good as mine,” Stuart said.
Despite the uncertainty, Stuart said he’s looking forward to the season, which gets under way at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Deer Lakes Tip-Off Tournament.
“I always expect a good year,” Stuart said. “Is it going to happen? That’s another story.”
This year, the WPIAL moved Sto-Rox up to Class 3A, where it’ll be joined in Section 1 by the likes of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Ellwood City, Mohawk and Beaver Falls. All four of those teams reached the WPIAL playoffs last year.
Stuart said the teams he helped coach at Cornell reached the state playoffs more than a few times.
“That’s where we’re hoping to be,” he said. “We’ll try to get them there. We’ll see what happens.”
Be First to Comment