JERRY WOLKOWITZ Allentown junior Ronnie Gonzales will be looked upon to be one of the leaders for the Redbirds this year as they look to improve under new head coach Craig Parker.
A new era in boys basketball at Allentown High School will be ushered in Friday night when the Redbirds open their 2001-2002 season against defending Colonial Valley Conference champion Trenton at home at 7 p.m.
The game will mark the debut of new AHS head coach Craig Parker, who takes over the reigns of the Redbirds after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach under Nate Webber at Nottingham High School in Hamilton.
"I’m very excited," Parker said between preseason practices earlier this week. "It’s a lot of work, but I’m very excited. It’s a lot more work than being an assistant or JV coach, believe me."
But Parker doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, he loves a good challenge. He certainly seems to have found one as he tries to rebuild the Redbirds’ program after a disappointing 2-19 campaign last season.
"We’re coming off a tough year," the rookie head coach understated. "We’re a Group II team, and we play a lot Group III and Group IV schools, which are the biggest schools like Nottingham.
"But coming into this season, we’re working hard and concentrating on having fun. The bottom line is we know we have to work hard to be competitive, and that’s what we want to do, be competitive. We want to build something here."
With only two returning seniors and another returning junior, Parker and the Redbirds will have their work cut out for themselves this season.
"They’re our only returnees and they’ll be our three captains," Parker said. "Everybody else is new blood as far as being varsity. But our motto is ‘Let’s Get Better Together.’ That’s what I’m telling them. We’re going to grow.
"We’re a young team, and I’m a first-year coach, so we’re going to grow together and get better together. We’re going to have some pitfalls and some highs, but we want to build a program, and I say "we" because we’re a team."
The two returning seniors are twin brothers David and James Petersen, a pair of 6-foot-2 forwards.
"They both have excellent leadership abilities and are very good defending ballplayers," Parker said. "They bring a lot of intensity to the game."
Meanwhile, the lone returning junior is guard Ronnie Gonzales, who could be the key to the Redbirds’ offense.
"He’s a very good shooter with very good ball-handling skills. Plus he’s got range out in 3-point land," Parker said. "I call him a combo player. He can bring the ball up and start the offense, but depending on our substitutions, he can also run down the court and look for his shot."
Rounding out the starting five are Cris Krantz, a 6-3 sophomore center up from the JV ranks, and Charles Rini, a junior guard, also up from JV, who Parker says is "probably the most athletic kid on the team."
Parker will also be counting on his bench to provide help with sophomore Matt Morgan, expected to be one of the first players to come into the game.
"He’s a wiry 5-10 kid with good leaping ability, who can play either the two (shooting guard) or the three (small forward)," the coach said. "I call him a slasher. He likes to go to the basket."
Scott Anaker, a 5-7 freshman guard, should also see a lot of time off the bench.
"That is the future," Parker said when talking about Anaker. "He’s got very good range on his jump shot. If he gets an open look at the three, it’s going in."
Thomas Keely is a 6-foot junior, up from JV, who Parker says "is great on the boards and a good defender."
Meanwhile, freshman Eric Nutt will be the backup point guard and another key component when Parker talks about the future of the program.
"He’s going to be one of our swing guys," Parker said. "He’ll get a JV run, but he’s also going to be on the varsity bench so he can soak it all in and see what it’s like, so hopefully next year he can run the team. We’re going to groom him this season."
Junior guard Patrick Mazella, sophomore guard Mark Acciani and sophomore forward Bobby Harchetts will provide the Redbirds with even more depth.
Of course, Allentown couldn’t have picked a tougher opening-game opponent. Trenton is not only the defending conference champ, but one of the most storied and tradition-rich programs in the league.
"Welcome to the CVC," laughed Parker, who’s also looking forward to a Jan. 31 game at Nottingham against his former team. "But I’m approaching this season with one eye on the future, and hopefully we’re going to learn a lot. And with such a young team, next year the learning curve should not be as big. The players will be more used to my style and hopefully that will help us start to grow.
"When we walk off the court this season, as long as we know at the end of the game that we worked hard and did our best, and we made the other team work hard, we’ll feel good about ourselves."