FARRAH MAFFAI Allentown’s James Petersen grabs a rebound during the Redbirds game against Monroe on Feb. 7.
Craig Parker knew he was undertaking a Herculean task when he took over as the new head coach of the Allentown High School basketball team this season.
After all, the Redbirds won all of two games last year and play in the tough Colonial Valley Conference.
Parker was far from discouraged. In fact, he was downright excited about his first head coaching job after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant at Nottingham High School.
That enthusiasm has translated into some positive steps, too, although on the surface Allentown’s 4-15 record going into Tuesday night’s game against Hightstown might appear as if the Redbirds are just playing out the string on another disappointing season.
FARRAH MAFFAI Allentown’s David Petersen goes up for a layup during the Redbirds game against Monroe.
Not so, said Parker, who points to a number of areas where the program has improved. For one thing, the Redbirds have already doubled the number of wins over last season, and they still have five games left to play.
The team has made subtle improvements in other aspects of its game, improvements that don’t always appear in the box scores.
"It’s been a learning experience for the boys, and for me," Parker said. "But the boys have improved. They have improved more than what you see in wins and losses. They’re better basketball players. Now they can make ball fakes. They can finish with their left hand. They can make a bounce pass into the post. Those types of things you’ve got to learn so you can take the next step.
"So I’m very pleased with our team," the first-year coach said, "but we know over the summer we have a lot of work to put in. We have to get in summer leagues and we have to get into the weight room so we can get to the next step, which is .500."
With a few breaks, the Redbirds would be a lot closer to a .500 record this season.
"This year, a lot of times what happened was we were in games right up until halftime," Parker said, "but then we came out inconsistent in the third quarter and, unfortunately, we would get a stretch of turnovers. I tell the players all the time we have to treat each offensive possession like gold, and we have gotten better the last four or five games leading into the end of the season.
"You have to learn how to win, and we’ve been in situations this season where we had a chance to win but didn’t know what to do. That’s just inexperience," he said.
"I could think of four or five games right off the top of my head that we lost by anywhere from eight to 10 points. But if we had handled ourselves with more composure during a five- or six-minute stretch, I think you would see three or four more wins and three or four less losses.
"That’s what we want to work on for next year. It’s a building process," he said.
With such a young team and only three returning starters from last season, Parker and the Redbirds have relied heavily on the senior leadership of twin brothers and 6-foot-2 forwards David and James Peterson.
"They’ve been our leaders all year long," the AHS coach said. "David averages 15 points a game and has been our offensive leader, while James is our defensive leader. He always draws the toughest assignment on the defensive end. He always takes the top guard or top small forward from the other team. I think there’s only been three or four games where the top scorer reached his average against him. James is definitely a defensive stopper."
The third returnee and other tri-captain is guard Ronnie Gonzales.
"Ronnie has had a solid season, too, especially offensively," Parker said. "If we can get him to improve his defense to go along with his offense, that will make him a more complete player."
Meanwhile, Parker is very excited about the freshmen in his program, particularly Scott Anaker, who has started at guard the second half of the season; Eric Nutt, another guard who comes off the bench; and Billy Bocovin and Chris Mazzella, who were both elevated from the freshman team to the junior varsity.
"Scott (Anaker) started the season coming off the bench, but we inserted him in the starting lineup in game 10, and right now he’s leading the conference in three-point shots made with 46," Parker noted. "And Eric (Nutt) has also done very well until a pulled muscle in his leg slowed his progress, but he’s had a fantastic season on the J.V. level and he was playing about a quarter a game with the varsity. He’s coming along at a good pace."
Then there’s Chris Krantz, a 6-3 sophomore who starts at center. Charles Rini, a junior guard who began the season as a starter, now comes off the bench as well.
"He gives us a nice energy boost," Parker said. "He can play one of three positions, and he can guard one of three positions, which is very important to us.
"Charles and Chris (Krantz) are both having fine seasons. They just need to play more basketball," he said.
In fact, it seems as if time and patience is all the Allentown program needs before things really begin to turn around.
"I’m very excited about the young kids we have, the ninth-graders and the eighth-graders coming in. I think it spells a nice future for us," Parker said. "I’m hoping the young guys will create a competitive environment so they can push each other. When you push one another, you can reach the maximum level, and that’s what we need to take the next step.
"So it’s been a positive season, to be honest. Obviously, 4-15 is not where I want to be, but I took over a program that was only 2-21 last year, and you’ve got to start somewhere. Hopefully we can grow from here and get to the .500 level next season," the coach said.