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Mark Fitzhenry
Tuesday, February 08, 2000 Page: 1B
A wise man once said, “Show me your exhibition schedule, and I’ll show you
how good you think you are.” That wise man isn’t a poet, but an accountant.
He’s a pretty good basketball coach, too. Most important, Bishop Hoban’s Bob
Schuler backs it up. Consider it one part training, one part boredom
prevention. The Argents have been unapproachable through the first 12 games of
their Wyoming Valley Conference Division III schedule, so Schuler relies on an
upscale exhibition slate to prepare for the postseason. You ask what Hoban can
do for an encore after winning a Class 2A state championship? How about
winning at Class 3A Allentown Central Catholic for the first time in four
tries? How about dropping 70 points on traditional 3A power North Schuylkill?
How about going 2-1 against Class 4A schools? How about slapping a 35-point
victory on Nanticoke, which went unbeaten in the first half of the WVC
Division II season? “There’s no way we’d win states,” said guard Maria
Viercinski, “without playing the exhibition schedule we do.” It’s a simple
rationale. The state playoffs have top-notch teams, so why not prepare by
playing larger schools during the regular season? Even so, the Argents are
20-1 and look every bit like a team that can repeat as state champion. Against
a decent Bishop Hafey team last Tuesday, the Argents missed layups, committed
chintzy fouls, couldn’t break Hafey’s press late, and still won by 19. In
their other 11 division games, they’ve won by an average of 34 points. SUBHEAD
Losses prepare Hoban for playoffs Ask the players if it’s tough to stay
motivated for division games, and they’ll answer yes. “By the second half of
the season,” forward Tara Wayman said, “you’re like …” She didn’t need to
finish the sentence. Her blank, bored, open-mouthed stare said it all. So
Schuler lines them up. “You play all the ham-and-egger teams, and you win,
what does that prove?” Schuler said. “It doesn’t prove a thing.” Schuler
knows from experience. In the early 1990s, when Schuler first installed the
tough exhibition schedule, Hoban began 0-8. The Argents went through the
league unbeaten and won the district title. The Argents concluded last year’s
regular season with a 72-37 loss to Wyoming Valley West. Hoban will meet the
Spartans again this season, and a scrimmage with District 2 Class 4A defending
champion Abington Heights is in the works. No small-school team in the Valley
has a comparable exhibition schedule. “A lot of them don’t like to travel,”
Schuler said. “That’s their problem. They’re worried about records and this
and that. Playing these teams, you’ve got to be on the ball. “Never be afraid
to lose.”
Fitzhenry can be reached at 829-7218 or markf@leader.net