Time for Lions to switch to basketball
Many of South Fayette’s football players did not have long to celebrate repeating as PIAA Class AA champions. After defeating Dunmore Saturday in Hershey, many were back to work Monday on the basketball court or the wrestling mat.
Though practices began Nov. 17 for the WPIAL basketball season, four of the Lions’ players were busy leading the school to WPIAL and PIAA titles. The regular season began Dec. 5, but South Fayette has yet to play a basketball game.
Lions head coach Rich Bonnaure is accustomed to a late start. With the football team reaching the state championship in three of the past five years, he has experience managing practice with a lack of players.
Speeding up the conditioning process and allowing players to get acclimated to shooting a basketball have been the focal points as the Lions gathered for practice Monday, just two days after the final football game.
“They won that championship Saturday. They came in Monday and I had to hold them off the court while the girls were practicing,” Bonnaure joked. “They literally couldn’t wait to get out there. When you have that to start with, there’s nothing to complain about. It is what it is and if they had a different attitude, it would make it a lot harder. They’ve been perfect; they really have.”
Senior guard Jack Relihan, a standout defensive back who averaged 10.6 points per game on the court as a junior, was one of the players who had less than 48 hours to celebrate the victory over Dunmore.
Like last season, there was a lot of rust to his game.
“It was a little rough with the change of pace and you run a lot more in basketball, but it was fun,” Relihan said. “Having done it before, it makes it a little easier. I think last year when we had our first game, it was pretty rough. We had a little bit of a championship hangover. We still won, but it was a rough one.”
The Lions have a history of success despite starting late. The Lions lost in the PIAA football championship game in 2010, but South Fayette’s basketball team went undefeated in section play. The Lions reached the WPIAL Class AAA title game, lost in the PIAA semifinals and finished with a 25-3 record.
Last season, the Lions struggled to find consistency on offense, but defeated Greensburg Salem in a preliminary round playoff game before losing to Elizabeth Forward.
Bonnaure is hoping for similar results this year. With Relihan, Brett Brumbaugh and Matt O’Rourke among the football players joining in the basketball team, South Fayette added leaders who will be expected to immediately contribute.
Though getting the players in basketball shape before Friday’s first game and Section 5-AAA opener against Trinity is a tall task, having a large group who has experience winning is something Bonnaure values.
In addition to the football players, South Fayette also has soccer players on the roster who reached the PIAA semifinals. The most notable is senior guard Nick McKee, who was the Lions’ leading scorer last season.
“It definitely is a huge factor. It’s still a skill game, but give me a group of kids who are hungry and want to win,” Bonnaure said. “I’ll hang my hat on that any day. I don’t know how pretty the basketball will be for a while, but I’ll take these kids any day.”
South Fayette will not have much time to prepare. After going against a young, energetic Hillers squad, the Lions get another section opponent Tuesday night in West Allegheny. The section also includes South Park, Montour and others, but Bonnaure is concentrating on Trinity.
“We are kind of putting the cart before the horse with the older kids for a week,” Bonnaure said. “We have to be ready for all the situations. Obviously, I’ve been around a long time and I have a decent idea what will help us (against Trinity).”
The football players are not entering basketball season completely unprepared. Every Sunday for the past month, the group got together for shooting drills. With the guard pairing of McKee and Relihan coupled with Brumbaugh in the lane, the Lions are confident they can make a trip to Pittsburgh to play for their second WPIAL title this year.
“It should be fun, but I definitely think we can win our section and hopefully make a run to the playoffs,” Relihan said. “We want to get to the Peterson Events Center to win that second WPIAL title.”