A Look at Valley View H.S. Basketball

With the established core players lost to graduation, the seasoned athletes need to adapt to varsity basketball in order for Valley View to be a successful team.
Lackawanna League Division ll all-stars Kyle Colachino, a 1,000-point scorer, and John Strauss have graduated and they were responsible for 70 percent of the Cougars’ scoring.

Returning seniors Brandon Cholish (guard) and Matt Cunningham (guard/forward), junior Jordan Siddons (point guard) and sophomore center Nyeem Wartman need to gel with new sophomores Matt Prusinski, Brian Lalli, Cory Callegas and Brandon Bednash in order for Valley View to be a competitive Lackawanna League team.

Leading scorers returning are starters Cunningham and Wartman, who each averaged 5.6 points per game and averaged 71 and 54 percent from the field, respectively, as well as Siddons, who averaged 3.7 points and was second on the team in assists with 55.
“I lost my core,” coach Larry Pegula said. “I have to find a new core.”

Valley View finished with a 9-5 league record last year, 12-11 overall, and lost in the opening round of the District 2 Class AA tournament. The exhibition season kicks off with all Division l teams that are expected to be strong — Honesdale, Abington Heights, Scranton Prep, Scranton, and West Scranton. So that’s going to raise the bar for the young team right away.

“My kids are going to have to grow up real fast to be competitive,” Pegula said. “We have to minimize our mistakes and take advantage of opportunities when we have them.”

All-around athletes are prevalent throughout the roster. Included are Siddons, a cross-country runner, Cunningham, a soccer player, and football players Wartman, Lalli, Brian Kubilus and Greg Simonetti, as well as golfers Matt Casey, Jordan Fata and Ryan Yagelski.

“They’re all-around multi-sport athletes, but they don’t have the time on the court,” Pegula said. “They do have some varsity experience but not a lot.”

To combat the lack of established basketball-specific talent, Pegula plans to run an up-tempo game that will allow him to take advantage of his team’s athleticism. He also will utilize a deep rotation, not only to keep his athletes fresh and from being keyed on, but also to figure out who the new core will be.

“Our kids are tough kids and very aggressive,” Pegula said. “They play hard and are getting better. We’ll see who shines once the lights are on.”

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For Valley View to contend, the small players need to make the tall player look good.
Division 1 prospect Rebecca Keegan, a 6-foot-1 all-region senior center, is the Lady Cougars’ primary scoring threat, and everybody knows it. She’s a dominant player who will be constantly keyed on. So it’s going to take the play of lesser-known guards to move the ball, keep the defense off balance and take advantage of openings.

Valley View finished with an overall 15-8 record, third place in the ultra-competitive Lackawanna Division ll, and ultimately had its season come to an end with a District 2 Class AA quarterfinal loss. The Lady Cougars are focused on winning the Division title and qualifying for states.

Accomplishing goals means added responsibility for junior Elena Stambone and sophomores Caroline Mancuso and Elizabeth Aniska. The undersized returning starters — Stambone, a point guard, and Mancuso, a shooting guard, are both 5-foot-4 while defensive-minded Elizabeth Aniska is listed liberally at 5-foot-7 — need to keep the ball coming past half court and ultimately set up Keegan.

“We have a force in the middle with Rebecca and are very athletic,” coach John Duffy said. “Our guard play must improve and our outside shooting.”

An ability to move the ball often lies in communication and chemistry, and the guards are all very good friends. Stambone and Aniska are cousins and doubles partners in tennis.

Overcoming injuries, however, will also play a part. Keegan is coming off knee surgery and isn’t expected to be in games until Christmas-time, while Mancuso is recovering from a torn knee ligament, and according to Duffy is almost back to full capacity.
Due to her injury, Stambone took over at point guard a solid part of last season, which improved her ball-handling skills and could add to the guard game.

Aniska, who is more of a natural athlete than a basketball player, is being looked at to be as aggressive on offense as she is on defense.

“I’m more comfortable in my defensive game than in shooting those outside shots,” she said.

Athletically, all signs point to her being able to improve her all-around play. She plays tennis, soccer, cheerleads and was a gymnast until seventh grade.

“She’s probably the best athlete I’ve ever coached,” Duffy said. “I’m counting on her to be more offensive minded.”

Keegan, who holds the school record and unofficial state record for blocks in a game with 22 (the national record is 25) is the only player (boys or girls) in District 2 to have a triple double last year. She did it twice.

“People know her so we’re going to have to rely on our guard play to get the ball past half court and hit outside shots,” Duffy said.

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