With a new head coach and five new starters, questions surrounded the Shaler Area Boys Basketball team going into the season. Despite some growing pains, the Titans managed to put together a successful season.
After last year’s team recorded five playoff wins, a trip to the WPIAL semifinals and the PIAA quarterfinals, it would be tough to recreate the that success, especially when accounting for the eight seniors that graduated from that team. The job would become harder when in April, head coach Rob Niederberger announced that he would be leaving his position. His shoes would be filled by Brandon Sensor, who previously coached at Chartiers Valley. Coach Sensor faced a unique challenge as a new coach on a team with little varsity experience.
“I thought it was exciting,” Sensor said. “The coaching staff was learning about the team and what we do best. Our players were doing the same and also learning what it takes to compete in 5A varsity basketball. I was ready for some growing pains and we had them, but we also flashed some signs of being a really good team.”
This would be a new challenge not only for him, but for the players as well.
“Having a new coach my senior year was definitely an experience,” senior center Josh Berger said. “For the last three years I was comfortable with the offense and defense I knew. Since Coach Sensor took over the program, new offenses and defenses were put into place.”
The Titans got off to a slow start, losing their first three games against Fox Chapel, Baldwin, and Peters Township, the latter two by 24 and 30 points, respectively. Their luck would change when they faced off against one of their biggest rivals, the North Hills Indians. A tough four quarters saw the game go into overtime, and eventually Shaler won, 79-74.
“It was a great team win,” Berger said. “Especially since we were 0-3 and in desperate need of our first win. North Hills is always a rivalry game, so the fact that it went into overtime made it even better.”
The matchup against the Indians proved to be a desperately needed spark for the team. The Titans went on to win four of their next six games, before another rough stretch where they dropped four straight.
Another highlight of the season would come in a game against another of the Titans’ biggest rivals. In the penultimate game of the season, the team defended their home court against a Hampton Talbots team that got the better of the Titans earlier in the season.
“I thought we put together a complete game,” said Sensor. “We guarded and defended hard, and on offense we were very efficient. I was proud to see them put it together with our backs against the wall, so late in the season.”
Despite the Titans narrowly missing a playoff spot, several players had strong individual seasons. Junior guard Jordan Epps led the team in scoring, averaging 18 points per game and was named First-Team All Section. Berger was the team’s leading rebounder with 10 per game, while Deron Nixon led the team in assists and steals.
The Titans will look similar next year, with only two seniors, Berger and Chad Gavulic, leaving the team. With them moving on, there will be opportunities for younger players to get into the lineup next year.
“We return five guys who played a lot of minutes last season,” Sensor said. “There is a nice group of guys behind them that are going to have the opportunity to compete for varsity minutes. I am excited to see how much they grow and which guys earn bigger roles. We are going to be a lot smaller next season. When you’re a smaller team I think you need to defend all over the court, play uptempo, shoot well, and rebound like a pack of wolves. Those will be some of the things we focus on.”
This year, many players were getting their first taste of varsity basketball. With that experience under their belt, they know what it will take to win next year.
“I am very hopeful for next year’s team,” Berger said. “Because this was a lot of guys’ first year, including myself, experiencing basketball at the varsity level, next year should be a lot better. I think the team will feel more confident in not only themselves, but also with each other.”
After a season of new beginnings, for both players and their coach, the Titans expect to be in a better place when playoff time comes around next season. The key to their improvement, according to Sensor, will be hard work.
“We will miss the seniors,” Sensor said. “They both worked extremely hard this season and helped us be competitive in almost every game. I think we have a good base of experience returning after this season, and we need to build on it and keep getting better. I am looking for the team to mature and to be tougher. I think we have the guys to really get after it on defense, and we should be much more confident and composed offensively. We are going to have to work our tails off this off-season.”
