The NA Varsity Boys’ Basketball team endured a long, roller coaster ride of a season, finishing 7-15, and missing the playoffs for class 6A. The Tigers finished 2-12 in section play, last in the section. This season definitely did not live up to some expectations, but it was not a failure.
This team was run by four seniors: Carter Melzer, Carson Burns, Jon Jubeck, and John Nestor. These players majorly impacted each game, but with help from juniors Peter Bratich, Justin Stalter and Will Robertson, the team had good depth and a winning recipe coming from Coach DeGregorio.
“I love this team,” Jubeck said. “Even through the ups and downs, we were like a family. The coaches, JV players, and my closest varsity teammates went through this long season together and enjoyed all of it.”
The team’s two section wins came against Butler and Pine-Richland, but their losses were not as bad as they seemed. They lost multiple games in heartbreaking style by fewer than five points, and dropped an overtime loss to Butler in the middle of the season.
“The losses were disappointing due to the amount of hours and effort all the players put into the season, which made it difficult at times to find a reason to compete,” Melzer said. “A big factor of the disappointment came from the multiple games we needed to win and ended up falling short by a bucket or two.”
The team also had some injuries interrupt their season, as sixth man Will Robertson missed multiple games throughout the year, and junior Blake Craft missed all but one game.
“The players that stepped up when we were out did a great job, but replicating the athleticism and defense that Will brought was hard,” Craft said. “The rest of the team did a great job replacing me for the entire year. I just wish I could have played more and contributed, but it was a great season otherwise.”
It is quite unusual for a North Allegheny sports team to miss the playoffs, but it did unfortunately occur this year with this team. Finishing last in the section, the boys did not qualify for a spot in the 11-team 6A playoff.
“It is upsetting realizing I’m done with the sport I have played since second grade,” Melzer said. “I don’t remember a time where I didn’t have to worry about working on my skills and becoming a better basketball player. Recently I have thought back to sophomore year and how I fought for a starting spot, thinking I have so much time until I’m done. Looking back I wish I realized how special it was to play with those older guys and the connections made with teammates.”
Nevertheless, the team is looking exciting next year, as the current junior class showed promise this year, and there is a large sophomore class waiting for their turn.
“Even though we lost a lot of games, we found ways to push ourselves and become closer as a team, which hopefully leads the underclassmen to a better season next year,” Melzer added.
While this season is not what many hoped for, it still provided good memories and gave the program a foundation to build on as the team chases its first WPIAL championship.
“The main takeaway from this season was the mindset to continue to fight no matter how many times you get knocked down,” Melzer said. “We could have taken practice lightly and made it more enjoyable once we were out of the playoffs, but we continued to get better every day.”
