Waynesburg in prime position for PAC title
Flashback to 2010.
After a successful tenure at Calvin College in Michigan, head coach Mark Christner decided to captain the ship of a program that was coming off a 2-22 season.
With the golden era of Jacket basketball under head coach Rudy Marisa in the rearview mirror, Waynesburg men’s basketball was at its lowest point since the 1955-56 season, when the Jackets only won one game.
One could make the case that the program would not be where its at if it wasn’t for Christner’s first recruiting class.
Enter Jason Propst; a first-team All-State selection from Brighton, Colorado, whose tie to Waynesburg, Pennsylvania was his older sister Michelle, who ran track here. After showing glimpses of the kind of talent that made him a McDonald’s All-American consideration, Propst blossomed as a sophomore starter and has evolved into a focal point of Waynesburg’s opposition throughout his career.
Enter Jacob Fleegle; a four-year letterman and 1,000-point scorer at North Star High School in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania. Similarly to Propst, Fleegle showed glimpses of greatness as a freshman. He too burst on to the scene as a sophomore and has been the dagger in the side of many Presidents’ Athletic Conference opponents because of his scoring ability, which culminated Saturday when Fleegle joined Propst as a 1,000-point career scorer.
Enter Kenny Klase; the Bethel Park Hawk whose head coach Ben O’Connor said was a player who just needed confidence in order to capitalize on his potential. While Klase made his mark on the program early in his career as a three-point specialist, this season he’s become the total package that O’Connor prophesied: being a leader on both sides of the ball.
Enter Thomas Ellis; a First-Team All-Conference player from Fresno, Ohio whose family had ties to Waynesburg University. After making the decision to focus strictly on basketball, rather than split time between basketball and baseball, Ellis’ game improved to a point where the title of “Sixth Man” could as easily be applied to Ellis as the title of Team MVP.
Enter Byrum Louco; from WPIAL powerhouse North Allegheny whose speed is unmatched in the PAC thanks in part to his dominance on the track. Louco already has a couple of PAC titles, all of which were earned in his spring sport, the 400-meter hurdles. Louco’s defensive prowess has never been questioned, especially given the numerous times he has been used to shut or slow down the opponent’s best player.
Enter Casey Hope; a wily on-ball defender from Greensburg Salem High School, who before a significant knee injury, was the team’s starting point guard and has now been a shining example of a player who gives it all for the team, even if his role isn’t one he’s accustomed to.
From the moment these six men joined Christner in his reclamation mission, the clock started ticking. Was this going to an era of renaissance or was the clock going to run out on this cast of characters without anything to show for it?
Though the 2011-12 season resulted in just five wins, the metaphorical fire was built when Waynesburg defeated Washington & Jefferson 69-57, which ended an 18-game PAC losing streak. It was also the first time that the Jackets beat the Presidents in 14 games.
A spark lit the fire the following year when the Jackets upset upperclassmen laden Bethany 67-64 at home. The victory snapped a 22-game losing streak to the Bison. The season ended with the most wins in six years, and Propst finished the season as a second-team All-PAC selection.
The fire started to blaze last season, when the Jackets ripped off five consecutive wins to end the regular season, which included an emphatic Propst dunk that led to a Waynesburg win over Saint Vincent and a home playoff win over W&J. Though the season ended with the Jackets’ stingers having fallen off in a 103-75 loss in the ECAC Southwest Tournament, that sour taste left in the mouths of Jacket basketball fans was the direct result of Waynesburg having bigger and brighter expectations.
Mind you, this was a program that two and three years prior had as many wins as you could count on one hand. Now Waynesburg had expectations, aspirations and possibilities.
Before the season tipped off, I prompted Sports Editor Rob Longo to buy in to the idea that the men’s basketball team could win the PAC Tournament and write this column. After being picked to finish second in the conference standings, Waynesburg dropped its season opener at home 70-65 to a Muskingum team that had 16 underclassmen on its roster. When the team opened the season 1-5, picking Waynesburg to win the PAC seemed to be as risky a prediction as picking W&J football over my grade point average.
But after beating Bethany, who previously was the hottest team in the PAC since winning eight-straight after losing to Waynesburg, my faith has been restored. The road jitters that plagued the Jackets during the middle of the season seem to be gone.
The Jackets have taken Thomas More to the wire in Crestview Hills, so a playoff trip there isn’t as intimidating. They have proven that they can beat Saint Vincent, and unless Dillon Stith and Isaac Turner come back from Australia to lead the Bearcats, another victory is not out of question. Also, Waynesburg has beaten Bethany and Thiel twice.
This championship run has been four years in the making, beginning with Christner’s recruitment of the 2011 sextet. Those six now-seniors, as well as the others who have bought into the idea of restoring Jacket basketball as a contender are in prime position to win the PAC Tournament.
The stage is set with beatable opponents, and Waynesburg’s other role players outside of the seniors are performing exactly the way they should so that the team can win a conference title.
It’s time for these six and the rest of the Jacket squad to set the PAC ablaze.