http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/
FROM KEITH GROLLER
Grant Whary is one of true good guys involved with local boys basketball.
I don't know anyone who doesn't like the 2003 Allen High School graduate.
So, I am sure a lot of people will be happy to know that he's got a new job.
He has been named the new boys basketball head coach at Jim Thorpe.
The 28-year-old replaces Brian Carroll, who resigned after going 64-77 over six seasons. Jim Thorpe was 35-15 over two seasons from 2008-10, but dipped to 17-49 over the past three years.
Whary, who played with Ray Barbosa on a District 11 title team, has been an assistant coach on Doug Snyder's Allen staff the past two years.
He was named the first coach at Lincoln Leadership in the summer of 2011 and led the program over the summer, but never got to coach an official game at the charter school in a situation that many regarded as unfair to Whary.
"That hurt what happened over there," Whary said.
But now he's got a chance to coach in the Schuylkill League and build his own program.
"The last three years, they've been down, but I see a lot of potential there," Whary said. "I got to see a lot of Jim Thorpe last year because our JV team at Allen was in the Panther Valley Summer League. So, I was up there every Wednesday and I know there's talent. They're very athletic. I thought that if that job opened, it would be a good place to coach."
Whary, who is hoping to have his father, George, as one of his assistants, can't wait to get started. He said his team will be in the Panther Valley Summer League and will also play in the Stellar and SportsFest summer tournaments.
"This school actually reminds me of Dieruff," Whary said. "They actually had a tremendous amount of success in the 1960s. They actually won a state title in 1962 and then finished third in the state in 1972. There's tradition there. Hopefully, we can bring it back to where it used to be."
He knows Schuylkill League basketball is tough.
"There's quality basketball up there," he said. "The league has 17 teams and 10 of them qualified for districts last season."
Whary, who lives in Whitehall and works with emotional support students at Allen, said it would be ideal to get a job in the Jim Thorpe School District.
"It would be very important to be in the building and around the kids," he said.
He said the facilities at Jim Thorpe are outstanding and he's not completely unfamiliar with the area.
"My dad used to be the head football coach at Panther Valley, which is Jim Thorpe's biggest rival, and I was his waterboy when I was nine years old," Whary said. "It's a good place. I'm thankful for the opportunity."
No comments:
Post a Comment