Allentown High School boys basketball coach Tim Magnus feels his team’s 3- 14 record coming into this week’s action is no indication of the progress it has made.
Allentown’s Matt Morini soars past a Hopewell Valley High School player during a game at Allentown on Jan. 29. The Redbirds lost a close game, 43-40. SCOTT FRIEDMAN “Despite our record, we’ve shown vast improvement over the last few years,” said Magnus, an assistant coach for the past three years before being named head coach for this season. “Only four games were lost by double digits, and we had three games go into overtime [winning one of them]. The way we’ve been playing, we’ve shown improvement.”
The Redbirds are preparing for the 16- team Mercer County Tournament that begins on Monday, Feb. 15.
With three seniors in the starting lineup, Magnus feels the varsity team can continue to make strides for next season with the young, talented prospects off a junior varsity team with a record that has been around .500, and a freshman team that won nine of its first 14 games.
Because Magnus is coaching in the program for the fourth year, he is familiar with the challenges of playing in the Colonial Valley Conference and has made the players’ adjustment to him as head coach subtle and smooth. He said there have been different high scorers in games throughout the season, but that is a positive thing “because [different] kids have been stepping up every game.”
“From day one, it has been a team concept, no individualizing of players,” said Magnus. “If we do not play well as a team, we will not win. We’ve been holding teams to 44 points a game, which shows the players have a hard work ethic, and if you have a strong defense, you’re in the game. A lot of kids on this team are scrappy.”
Magnus said his philosophy starts with the defense, and his defensive schemes mix traps with man-to-man and zones that Magnus said “keeps teams out of a rhythm.” He said Dean Search, a 6-foot-3-inch senior forward, is the team’s “best defender.”
While the defense has measured up, Allentown’s offense has been sporadic at times. Matt Mueller, a 6-foot-5-inch senior center, has the highest scoring game of any player on the team this season, with 20 points, and that included an overtime period when Allentown beat Nottingham, 58-53, for the team’s highest scoring game this season.
That victory snapped a 20-game losing streak in the conference. The other two victories came in the Christmas tournament that Allentown hosted and won, beating Robbinsville in the championship game.
Allentown was scheduled to play Robbinsville again this week on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
The rest of the lineup includes senior 6-3 forward Mike Ballo, junior guard Dennis Brophy, and sophomore point guard Matt Morini, who was out sick for two games last week and was capably replaced by senior guard Greg Valesi.
“Every game we lost, we’ve scored in the 40s,” Magnus said of the sputtering offense. “In a lot of our close games, the difference has been free throws, where we’ve been outshot from the line. We need to attack the rim more in the county tournament and draw more fouls.”
The rest of the eight-player rotation includes Paul Palladino, a 6-4 senior center, and junior guard Curt Macysyn, who both have made the most of their playing time with significant contributions when they take the court.
Magnus believes his team will go into the county tournament well prepared and will look to leave behind the frustrating losses that have taught some valuable lessons.