Dec 13, 2018 3 min read

If any lesson was taught to the Washington High School boys basketball team last season it was to expect the unexpected.

Several of the players who started in the Prexies’ WPIAL quarterfinal playoff game against North Catholic – the only upperclassman in the opening lineup was since-graduated point guard Jordan Swart – probably never thought they’d be in that situation, or at least in it that early.

“One of the comments made at a recent practice was look back at last season before starting this one,” said Washington coach Ron Faust. “We asked, ‘How many of you were put in a critical situation?’ You might end up being at the free-throw line in a WPIAL playoff game. You need to be prepared. We were taught that lesson last year. It’s about making sure everybody is ready for that this year.”

And for Faust, who is in his 34th season as head coach at his alma mater, it’s vital that the Prexies do things better off the court in order to fulfill their high aspirations on it.

“We are looking for consistency on the court and off the court, in the classroom and with behavior,” Faust said. “We can’t neglect that. If you don’t perform off the court you are letting your teammates down. We are starting to get that point.”

Washington, which opened with an 82-62 victory over Belle Vernon to begin the season Monday night, still has a young roster. But with eight different players scoring in the opener, Faust hopes that will be a trend that carries the Prexies throughout the season and deeper into the playoffs.

“If you are only playing five or six people, it becomes hard to execute,” he said about a below-average shooting team Washington was last season.

Junior guard Zahmere Robinson is what Faust called the catalyst for the offense with his ability to make the mid-range jumper and also drive to the basket. Other key returners for Washington include Dan Ethridge, Joe Mercer, Ian Bredniak, Caleb Jackson and center Isaiah Edwards.

“Hopefully, we can keep our depth and the consistency. If we have all of our people, it will only allow us to get better.”

However, the most recent success for the Prexies has been derived on solid defense. In 13 of their 18 wins last season, they held opponents to fewer than 50 points. In 2016-17, opponents scored fewer than 50 points in 15 of Washington’s 22 wins. In the two seasons, Washington is only in a group with three other teams in the entire WPIAL – New Castle, North Catholic and Clairton – to give up an average of less than 50 points in both seasons.

“It’s a difficult concept to stress, but I tried to talk about the whole picture and looking toward the end of the year,” Faust said. “You can’t give up 62 and can’t expect to score 82 in the playoffs. The common factor has to be at the defensive end. We’ve had some success with that in the past and we want to get back to that. It has to be the most consistent part of our game.”

Washington (1-1) lost at Uniontown, 61-55, Wednesday night. The Prexies open the Section 4-AAA schedule tonight at home against Charleroi (2-1).