DAILY NEWS

Like every other WPIAL basketball team, the South Allegheny boys
varsity squad practices each day after school.
But that’s where the normal practice procedures at South Allegheny end.
Although practices before school are strictly optional, almost every
player on the Gladiators roster arrives at the high school gymnasium at
6 a.m. for a 60-minute practice.
What the Gladiators may lack in size and athleticism, they are
attempting to gain in old fashioned hard work. SA head coach Jason
Ruzich has noticed a clear difference in his team and his expectations
have grown dramatically during his second season.
One year removed from a 4-20 start to the Ruzich Era at South
Allegheny, lofty aspirations have suddenly become expected.
“I can’t say enough about these kids,” he said. “The determination and
dedication on this team is phenominal. I can’t say enough about them.
These practices are optional, yet I’m getting 11 or 12 players out of
16 every morning. It’s unbelievable. That just shows how badly these
kids want to win.”
There wasn’t much winning taking place at South Allegheny last season.
Ruzich knew when he accepted the job over a year ago that talent and
experience were thin on the varsity team. The Gladiators took their
lumps last season, but Ruzich believes they are better for it.
He believes a postseason appearance is a reasonable goal.
“Absolutely I do,” he said. “It all comes down to Gladiator pride. It’s
as simple as that. We have a lot of pride in ourselves and when you
want something, you have to go out and get it. And trust me, the kids
on this team want to win basketball games.”
An early glance at the SA roster indicates that size could be a
significant problem for Ruzich’s team. At 6-2, junior Don Rarick
represents the team’s tallest starter. To compensate for their clear
lack of height, the Glads simply plan to rebound and defend as a unit.
“That’s what we have to do,” Ruzich said. “We know we aren’t big and
that we’re a guard-oriented team. If you want to get big results, you
have to focus on the little things.”
While no player has asserted himself as a go-to player, the logical
candidate for such a role is senior point guard Nate Wojciechowski.
Also a star football player, Wojciechowski has always possessed a knack
for intangibles that far outshine his physical attributes.
Ruzich thinks his point guard could be poised for a big season.
“He’s really come a long way in terms of being a leader,” Ruzich said.
The other members of the SA starting five will include senior Athony
Hutskow, senior Chris Brown, senior Jordan Murn and Rarick.
Mike Cleary and Richie White should see considerable playing time
coming off the bench.
With so many seniors in the starting lineup, Ruzich refuses to allow a
lack of experience to persist as an excuse.
“Those days are over,” he said. “Last year we kept saying how young and
inexperienced we were. We aren’t saying that anymore because we’re not
young anymore.”
Ruzich believes his team’s intensity is arguably its finest trait. He
would like to take advantage of his team’s desire to win and transform
the Gladiators into one of the area’s hardest working teams.
To take advantage of said intensity, Ruzich has even altered his
playbook.
Instead of settling for jump shots and playing a passive brand of
defense, the Glads will be aggressive at both ends of the court this
season.
“That’s one thing that is really important,” Ruzich said. “We didn’t do
a good job of gettting to the free throw line last season, and that has
got to change. I’m a big believer that good offenses get to the free
throw line a lot. You’ll see us attacking the basket and looking to
penetrate a lot more this season.”
He also expects his team to play better defense. Even though SA’s size
problems could create match-up problems, Ruzich wants his team to play
a swarming brand of defense that will give other teams fits.
Defense, Ruzich believes, is his team’s gateway to success. His team
“Defense will win us games,” he said. “I think they’re starting to
grasp the concept.”
While it sounds like the Glads will be physically tougher this season,
they also plan on being mentally stronger. Ruzich wants his team to be
prepared for any style of play.
“We’ll be ready in every way possible,” he said. “We’ll be prepared to
battle anyone. We wanted to be regarded as a difficult team to play
against. Basically, we’ll be ready for any team at any time.”