Stop No. 15 on HS boys basketball preseason: These Indians are ready to make one last stand in the MVC

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Took a ride up the turnpike and stopped in at Lehighton on Monday.

It's not a journey I've made too often in my Morning Call career. But it was worth the ride this time to check in on the Indians boys basketball team which created a stir in the Mountain Valley Conference last season by going 4-8 in the league and making the district playoffs with an 11-11 mark overall. And that record could have been much better had the team been a little better at closing out games.

Still, it was the first time Lehighton had qualified for districts since 2007 and the Indians followed that up with a first-round victory over Southern Lehigh.

Even though they lost in the 3A quarterfinals to Pottsville, it was a breakthrough year for a program that had won just five games, total, over the previous four seasons and just one MVC game in that span.

Now, the challenge is to keep the momentum going. Lehighton's football team made a statement this fall by reaching the district playoffs and I thought maybe some of those good vibrations would carry into the winter.

But Rich Oertner, the former Northern Lehigh coach who has done a nice job turning things around, was a bit gloomy when I talked to him inside the spiffy Lehighton gym. He's worried about injuries and whether or not his team is any better coming into this season, which is the program's last in the MVC before moving on to the Schuylkill League.

Here's a look:

LEHIGHTON

Coach: Rich Oertner (third season, 15-31).

Last year: 12-12, 4-8 MVC (tied for fifth)

Postseason: Beat Southern Lehigh 50-46 in the first round of the District 11 3A tournament, lost to Pottsville 59-30 in quarterfinals.

Staff: Matt Oertner, JV coach; Bobby Hahn, assistant varsity; Rick Hunsicker, freshman coach;

Openers: Friday host Palmerton; Friday, Dec. 13, at Pocono Mountain East.

Key date: Play at Northern Lehigh on Thursday, Dec. 26 in the first round of the Slatington Rotary Christmas tournament.

Players to watch: Anthony Rossino (5-10 Sr. G); James Farano (6-3, Sr. F); Vince Mele (6-4, Sr. C); Max McCandless (6-1 Sr. G); Kris Knappenberger (6-2, Sr. F); Jordan Knappenberger (6-1, Jr. F); Tyler Crum (6-1, Jr. G); Tyler Williams (5-10, Jr. G); Tanner Zwetolitz (6-1, So. F); Tom Ruzicka (5-8, Jr. G). 

That's Crum (No. 11) in the photo on the right.

What's to like: The Indians have a lot of experience losing just one player from last year's team, Jacen Nalesnik. Crum, though injured at the moment, was one of the league's top scorers last season at 13.9 points per game. Rossino is a steady point guard. Oertner likes the offense. "We've got a number of guys who can score," he said.

What's to worry about: The team's health. Crum is out with an ankle injury and his return his uncertain. Mele is also injured. Oertner is also concerned about his team's defense. "We're just not getting the concept for some reason," he said. "I'm afraid that we hit a plateau last year. I thought we played pretty good in the summer, but at crunch time we can't play defense and we still turn the ball over a lot. Fundamentally, we're not as sound as we should be."

Quotable: "It has been a bit of a struggle because we're not frontline deep," Oertner said. "Right now, I'd say we're right about where we were last year. Last year we stole three games that we probably shouldn't have won, but right now we're about at the same level as last year and I see us as maybe as a 12-win team, but that's if the guys are healthy. We're really worried Crum. He had a neck injury in football and then had an ankle injury in our first scrimmage and he has never been able to get into basketball shape. It may talke awhile if he comes back at all.

"We can win a game on any night. Last year, we were ahead of [league champ] Pocono West by 14 at halftime. The league is going to be very even this year. East Stroudsburg North might be as good as anybody. We're going to be in a lot of games, it's just a matter of being to finish games."

Three months from now: Lehighton will look back at a solid season as it makes the transition from the MVC to the Schuylkill League. Oertner has created a lot of enthusiasm and increased numbers with the program.