In their second season in the Laurel Highlands under Head Coach Luke Rhoades, Assistant Coaches Steve Ramsey, Joe Laukatitis, and Randy Miles; a district-VI championship remains elusive.
However, the boys are determined to earn Tyrone their first district-VI championship since 2000.
This season the Golden Eagles bring back five varsity letter winners, four of which started in every game last season.
These lettermen include point guard Ashton Walk who led the team in assists with 7 per game, shooting guard Sam Crilly who led the team in points with 16 per game, small forward Eli Woomer who shot 41% from three, hybrid guard and forward Drew Escala who averaged 13 ppg, and Forward Kendall Lehner who averaged 13 points and 6 rebounds per game.
Even though the Golden Eagles lost just two seniors last season, they left with big shoes to fill for those after them.
Drayvn Crowell was a point guard with great ball-handling skills and could handle the half-court pressure. Brady Ronan was a bruiser who would guard every team’s star on defense and grab rebounds constantly.
However, new, experienced seniors including forward Landon Hamer who pulls down rebounds at will, a true hustler in Trent Adams who transferred in from Bishop Guilfoyle in the summer, and Dante Novak who holds high standards in agility and defensive capabilities around the perimeter, are looking to not only fill in the shoes of Brady and Dravyn but go on to build something bigger.
Depth is the strong suit of this team as they will bring 9 seniors; many with varsity experience.
The Seniors are:
#1 Sam Crilly
#2 Ashton Walk
#3 Andrew Escala
#4 Trent Adams
#5 Kendall Lehner
#11 Dante Novak
#13 Landon Hamer
#14 Ethan Dasher
#34 Logan Harpster
Other notable players that increase quality roster depth include:
Juniors: Billy Rudden, Brayden Parsons, Owen Oakes, Ashton Emigh, Eli Woomer
Sophomores: Ben Walk, Carter Gwinn, Mason Emigh, Jackson Murphy, Tytus Novak
Freshman: Connor Zupon
The focus for the Golden Eagles this year is to generate points off turnovers. Coach Rhoades believes that full-court man-to-man defense with trapping and double teams, suits the chaotic and fast-paced style of basketball that many followers of last season remember to a tee.
This defensive scheme is due to the Golden Eagles’ struggle to keep teams from scoring. Tyrone’s goal was to hold teams under 40 points per game, but ended the season allowing almost 60 ppg.
“We want to focus on playing solid man-to-man defense with high energy and communication to be the most effective,” said Head Coach Luke Rhoades
While the defensive side of the ball is undergoing new schemes and critiques, the run-and-gun transition style of offense that helped the Golden Eagles score an average of 66 ppg is here to stay.
While the strong suit of the offense is the transition break, the weakness of the offense in the past has been the halfcourt efficiency. The coaching staff and players have been turning their focus to improving this aspect of the game, testing new plays to find mismatches, or getting the ball to the scorers in their strong suits of the game.
Competition with LHAC champion Bishop Guilfoyle, LHAC West crossover Penn Cambria, and Penns Valley all challenging for district-VI Class 3A Championship, the Golden Eagles will get a chance to look at during the regular season at home.
A pair of other LHAC teams which include the recent Champions Westmont Hilltop and runner-up Forest Hills who ended the Golden Eagles run last year in the semi-finals, are reloaded and ready to challenge for District-6 glory.
According to senior Sam Crilly,
“We have to take it one game at a time, not worry about other factors and focus on getting better every day.”
Opening Night is tonight at home against Penns Valley. Tipoff is at 7:30pm, 12/3.
