Wage Increase Deceptive, Say Feds

Another Snow, Another Day Off In W-b Area

By JAMES P. GALVIN; Times Leader Sports Writer
 Sunday, January 16, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 15C QUICK WORDS: HAFEY'S O'HARA HAS
BECOME ONE COMPLETE PLAYER 





WILKES-BARRE -- If you watch Bishop Hafey play basketball this year, you
will see a complete basketball player in Kevin O'Hara. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 O'Hara does it all for the Vikings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I wish I had five of him," said Bishop Hafey coach Ron Gerlach. "He is a
complete player, he will make passes, get the rebound and dive on balls. If
you want the ball, he is going to be around to get it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He is a shooter, a rebounder, and his passes aren't bad for a forward.
O'Hara is just 6-foot tall, but is still one of Bishop Hafey's leading
rebounders this year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He moved to forward this year, after playing shooting guard last year as a
junior. He didn't see much time in the lineup, averaging just two points per
game. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I was a guard last year, all four years I played, I played outside," said
O'Hara. "It (playing forward) is no big deal as long I am playing, it is not
much difference." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 First-year coach Gerlach wasn't concerned with the change of positions for
O'Hara. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The move was something he felt he had to do. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It was not a concern, it was a necessity," said Gerlach. "He can handle
the ball and that is something he still can do. There is not much of a change.
He is in our shooting rotation the way we want to run the offense." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 O'Hara hasn't been shooting the ball, all that much this year, and is only
averaging about eight points a game. But he's making his contribution. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He isn't shooting. He is a rare breed," said Gerlach. "He does pass the
ball well, but sometimes he over-passes." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gerlach said he would like to see O'Hara shoot the ball more, because he is
pure shooter. Gerlach certainly thought O'Hara would have a higher scoring
average, but so far it hasn't worked out that way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We are looking for him to rebound for us," said Gerlach. "We are
encouraging him to shoot the ball more; he is not shooting as much as we would
like him to, and he is one of our pure shooters." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 O'Hara knows he has to score more this year, and just wants to help the
team do better than last year. Last season Bishop Hafey finished at just 5-19,
and so far this year Bishop Hafey is 3-4. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hafey has a new coach in Gerlach, and with the change comes a new offense.
Last year Bishop Hafey was a running team, but this year Gerlach has slowed
down the tempo to look for better shots. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This year we slow it up. We can't run with some of the teams in the
league," said O'Hara. "So we hold the ball and get good shots and play good
defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "That is good," O'Hara added. "It is going to get better. At the start we
were so us to running down and shooting, now we are jst holding the ball and
looking for the shot." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 O'Hara also fills the role of leader for Bishop Hafey. O'Hara is a leader
in his own way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Right now he is the type of kid you want for four years," said Gerlach.
"He is a team leader, but he takes an unassuming role. He will pat someone on
the back or give a high five, but he is a quiet leader." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 O'Hara is also a baseball star at Bishop Hafey, as a left-handed pitcher, a
role he also plays on the Hazleton Area Legion team. he helped that team tot
he regular season and playoff titles of the Wyoming Valley American Legion
Baseball Conference. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As a result of his baseball success, he is being recruited to play college
baseball at various colleges. Right now, King's is his preference. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He is a good student and a great kid," said Gerlach. "He is also one heck
of a baseball player."

Hafey's O'hara Has Become One Copmlete Player He Shoots, He Rebounds, He Passes As Vikings Are Winning Once Again