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First Posted: 11/21/2013 Talk about a close-knit basketball team.
Pittston Area heads into the 2013-14 season a little bit under the radar in the Wyoming Valley Conference. But with an intense cast returning for coach Alan Keisinger, the Patriots will try and hang with the likes of Hazleton and Crestwood for a league championship.
Most of Keisinger&#8217;s players pretty much spend the whole year with each other, whether it&#8217;s on the diamond or the gridiron. Now, they are on the hardwood.
&#8220;I think we have some focused guys this year,&#8221; Keisinger said. &#8220;It&#8217;s the type of situation where they have such a good relationship with each other. They aren&#8217;t afraid to get on each other.&#8221;
Pittston Area returns all but two players, starters James Tobisch and Jayson Crawford, from last year&#8217;s 13-11 team. Center Mason Gross, a first-team all-star last season, is the Patriots biggest threat back on the hardwood.
Teams will focus their attention to him, Keisinger said. That might help the Patriots sneak into a shot at a league title this season.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think anyone expects much out of us this year,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But we&#8217;d like to vie for a league title. We want to be in the mix. It&#8217;s been a long, long time&#8221;
Gross and Tobisch were last year&#8217;s leading scorers, averaging around 30 points per game combined. The offense this year will run around Gross, both inside and out.
&#8220;He has tremendous footwork for a big guy with a really nice touch around the basket,&#8221; Keisinger said. &#8220;He&#8217;ll be a handful in the league. Good things happen when Mason touches the ball.&#8221;
Michael Schwab will be back to assume his leadership role - much like he did for the Patriots on the gridiron this season. Schwab, a wide receiver and defensive back for the Patriots football team, is returning at point guard.
&#8220;Michael Schwab is just a natural leader for us,&#8221; Keisinger said.
Along with Schwab and Gross, James Emmett, Tyler McGarry, Hassan Maxwell, Carmen Labrutto and Michael Delaney will round out the rotation for Keisinger, who is in his fifth season for Pittston Area.
But after that, the Patriots will struggle with depth. That&#8217;s seven solid players, so you can imagine foul trouble may be an issue as the PIAA has announced the officials will be calling a tighter game this year.
&#8220;That can benefit us with how athletic we are,&#8221; Keisinger said. &#8220;But we do lack depth, so that can hurt us.&#8221;
The Patriots were able to get out of the first round of the District 2 Class AAA playoffs last season on a buzzer-beater from Gross to beat Coughlin 48-46. Tobisch&#8217;s floater from the lane with three seconds left didn&#8217;t drop, but Gross was in the right place at the right time.
Pittston Area was then victimized by Scranton Prep, 57-24, in the semifinals. In those two contests, the Patriots went 1-for-20 from long range.
&#8220;If we get anything from the outside this year, we&#8217;ll take it,&#8221; Keisinger said. &#8220;Mason and Tobisch were kind of on their own (last year against Prep). We&#8217;ll be really tough if we get buckets from the outside.&#8221;
Pittston Area will start the season with four road games, something Keisinger isn&#8217;t too worried about. He has an experienced team, and they&#8217;ll be road-tested early.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s going to be good for us to play at places like West Scranton, a shoe-box gym - Holy Cross,&#8221; Keisinger said. &#8220;(Scranton) Prep is outstanding this year so that will be tough. So we have to be ready to go right out of the gates.&#8221;
Pittston Area opens its season at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at Hanover Area. The Patriots first home game will be Wednesday, Dec. 18 against Nanticoke.

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