Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Joey Koroly
School: Trinity
Year: Sophomore
Sport: Basketball
Koroly’s week: The Hillers’ 5-11 guard scored a game-high 27 points, including five three-pointers, to lead Trinity to a 73-66 victory over Mt. Pleasant in a WPIAL Class AAA preliminary-round playoff game at Peters Township last Friday night.
Korloy made one of his five three-pointers to give the Hillers a 59-47 lead with 6:14 remaining and they never looked back. Trinity, which earned its first playoff win since 2012, was 10 of 18 from three-point range.
The playoff win came one year after Trinity narrowly missed the postseason.
“It was amazing to get that first playoff win under our belt,” Koroly said. “Last year, we were pretty disappointed we couldn’t finish out the end of the season. This year, we came in really hyped and hungry to make the playoffs this year. We put the work in and it paid off.”
Trinity head coach Tim Tessmer wasn’t surprised to see Koroly take over when the Hillers need him most. The only surprise was his point total.
“We expect him to come out aggressive. He made some shots, which was nice,” Tessmer said. “He took big shots and knocked them down. I was shocked when he had 27. I always tell him I’m surprised you had a big number, you were moving the ball and not letting it stick in your hands.”
Expectations: The competition in Class AAA is anything but easy, but Koroly accomplished a rare feat last season, when he led the Hillers in scoring, despite being a freshman in a rugged section.
As he kept scoring and Trinity marched closer to what proved to be an elusive playoff berth, expectations grew.
“Nobody has higher expectations for me than myself,” Koroly said. “I did a lot of things right, but I also did a lot of things bad last year. I don’t pay attention to everyone else’s expectations. I focus on mine, my coaches’ and my teammates’ and just try to get better every day.
He wasn’t going to surprise anyone this season and has given opponents fits with his court vision and outside shooting. Koroly, who missed the Hillers’ non-section win over Mt. Pleasant two weeks ago because of a rolled ankle, is averaging 18 points with almost five steals and rebounds per game.
A lightning-quick running back on the football field, Koroly is the quarterback of the offense on the basketball court and his development the past 14 months has a young Trinity roster beating opponents in a variety of ways.
“He’s become more consistent,” Tessmer said. “We knew from the first day he walked into the open gym last year that we had something special there, but he took extra time to get consistent with his shot and his decision-making is top notch. He’s a guy who wants the ball in his hands and makes good things happen.”
Brothers: Koroly’s brother, Christian, is a junior guard for Waynesburg University and, like Joey, is a solid perimeter shooter. Basketball is a family affair for the Korolys. Their father, Michael, is Trinity’s eighth-grade basketball coach.
According to Joey, some of his attributes that have led to another successful season came from his brother.
“I adopted his hustle,” Koroly said. “He’s always out there giving it his all. I really try to image that and my shot after his. He’s a knockdown shooter and I try to get to his level, and even surpass it some day. He still has me beat by a little bit.”
Compiled by Lance Lysowski