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SCRANTON – Five days before they play their first game of the upcoming season and more than eight months since they were the last District 2 team standing with a state semifinal appearance, the Holy Redeemer boys basketball team took center stage Sunday.
Through media questionnaires at an afternoon event and comments at the annual Wyoming Valley Conference Coaches’ Press Conference in the evening, the Royals were established as one of the most clear-cut favorites to win a regular-season title in the upcoming season.
Coach Paul Guido and three of his veteran players were among those receiving the most attention during the first Coaches vs. Cancer Media Day at Riverfront Sports.
That included a public interview session that emcee Landon Stolar of WNEP-TV conducted with the Royals and other defending District 2 champions on the center court at Riverfront as players moved around to different stations on the facility’s three basketball courts.
Nearly 50 coaches and close to 150 team captains were the focal point of the event, meeting with local media, posing for pictures, getting assistance with their social media platforms, competing in a 3-Point Shootout and learning more about the Coaches vs. Cancer cause.
“I think the next guys up are going to be perfectly fine,” said guard Zach Perta, one of the key returnees that make the Royals favorites to repeat as Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 champions. “I think it’s just a little of everything we’re going to have to do this year, replacing positions, but I feel like the guys that are next up can handle it.”
The Royals need to replace all-state guard Justice Shoats, who scored more than 1,500 career points before heading off to Lock Haven University where he is seeing significant NCAA Division II playing time as a freshman, and current Wilkes University player Matt Prociak, a 1,000-point scorer.
“We’re going to look to pass the ball probably a little more to get everyone involved,” Darryl Wright, another speedy guard, said. “We have multiple people who can score.”
The Royals wound up as one of the centerpiece interviews along with players from Pittston Area’s defending District 2 Class 5A champions because of some of their many impressive wins last season.
Jacob Hunter was thinking about other games from last season when asked about what he was looking forward to in a season that starts Friday night against host Wilkes-Barre Area in a new Tip-off Tournament.
“We play a lot of the teams we lost to last year, so we’ll get an opportunity to win those games,” he said.
The Pittston Area girls, coming off a Division 1 championship season, were also in attendance.
Holy Redeemer, Nanticoke, Pittston Area, Tunkhannock and Wyoming Area all had both teams take part in the event along with four other WVC boys teams. Even MMI Prep and Berwick make the trip to Scranton take part in the day.
Scranton Prep boys coach Andrew Kettel, the chairperson for Coaches vs. Cancer NEPA, decided to create the district-wide Media Day as a replacement for the former Coaches vs. Cancer breakfast, an annual event that was halted the last two years because of COVID.
Stolar and Kettel got the event started by speaking to all those gathered, including interested fans who paid an admission fee to be an early part of the Coaches vs. Cancer NEPA fundraising. Since starting 15 years ago when Kettel was coaching at Lackawanna Trail, teams around District 2 have combined to raise more than $3 million for the American Cancer Society, making northeastern Pennsylvania one of the national leaders among high school chapters.
Sunny Sunseri, father of Mid Valley boys assistant coach Christian Sunseri, spoke about his on-going fight with cancer.
Valley View principal and former head boys coach Larry Pegula was presented with the first Coaches vs. Cancer NEPA Champion Award for his dedication to the cause over the past 15 years.
“Over the last few years, the Valley View School District has routinely raised over $10,000 while also honoring survivors, remembering those who have passed on from this horrendous disease and has consistently raised awareness,” said Pegula, one of the first to join the cause when Kettel decided to expand it beyond his own team. “There are many people who only make it to one game a year, but always try to be at that Coaches vs. Cancer game.
“It is always an amazing evening.”
Following the program of speakers, players moved through various stations that included the shooting contest and their media sessions – spending time in front of cameras, microphones and recorders, discussing the upcoming season – along with meeting up with some of their opponents.
Frankie Antoniacci from Riverside and Cadie Lewis from Dunmore received prizes as the 3-Point Contest winners.