Marian’s Patton, Panther Valley’s Crampsie among a number of area basketball coaches who have returned to lead their alma mater

At the end of the classic film, “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy says, “There’s no place like home.”

For area basketball coaches, Dorthy’s statement definitely rings true.

Seven of the 10 boys basketball teams in the Times News coverage area have head coaches who have returned to their alma mater after successful playing careers.

Lehighton’s Trevor Miller (third season), Weatherly’s Corey Gerhart (fourth season), Tamaqua’s Jim Barron (fifth season), Jim Thorpe’s Jason McElmoyle (sixth season) and Northwestern’s Bill Hallman (sixth season) have all experienced the excitement and the added responsibility that goes with coaching at the high school they attended.

But when it comes to coaching at their alma mater, no one has done it longer than Marian’s John Patton (10th season) and Panther Valley’s Pat Crampsie (18th season).

Patton, who said he had been a fan of Colts’ basketball since he was six years old, played point guard at Marian for their 1982 league championship basketball team.

“I was really a role player on the team,” said Patton. “When I married, I told my wife, Trish, who’s now a business teacher at Marian, that if we had children, they would go to Marian. My two daughters and my son have since graduated from here.”

But coaching the Colts wasn’t as definite a belief as sending his children to the school.

Patton said that was “a little lucky and a little spiritual.“

“Twenty-one years ago, I was sitting in the stands watching a game when I was approached and asked to be an assistant to replace someone who was leaving,” he explained. “I was an assistant until 2010 when Mick Stefanek resigned. Stan Dakosty, who was the Atheltic Director, asked me if I was interested in coaching the varsity. I said yes and that was it. I never had to apply or interview for the job.”

Crampsie was a 1994 graduate of Panther Valley and then four years later from Moravian College, he taught middle school science at Easton for two years right out of college.

“I was a volunteer coach there (at Easton) before I took a job at Palmerton, where I coached JVs for three years,” Crampsie said. “Then the Panther Valley position opened up and I was hired while still teaching at Palmerton. A few years later, I was hired at PV to teach science.”

Crampsie took over a struggling program that had a 3-45 record the two years before he arrived.

“During the interview I said no one would work harder than me and I would put together a staff that would match my passion,” recalled Crampsie about his interview for the position.

While the manner in which they eventually got the positions at their alma maters was different, Patton and Crampsie share a similar passion for where they are and what they are doing.

Patton – who also administers the Men of Marian fundraising program at the school – has racked up 145 wins, and has a career winning percentage of .617 in his 10 seasons as head coach.

He said there is no other place he’d choose to be even if asked to coach somewhere else.

“I don’t coach just to coach,” he said, “I only want to coach at Marian.”

Crampsie bleeds black and gold for his school. He admitted there is some extra pressure to have a successful program at the school one graduated from.

“The pressure is internal, not external,” he said. “I grew up here. So you don’t want to disappoint the people who care about the school and the program.”

Since taking over at Panther Valley, Crampsie has become the school’s all-time winningest boys basketball coach with over 150 victories. The last few years have been some of the most successful in the last three decades at the school with Schuylkill League division championships and state playoff appearances.

But it’s not only the boys programs in the area that have welcomed back former players as head coaches.

Erika Davis has coached Tamaqua girls’ basketball for five years. A storied athlete in three sports, she is a former Times News Girls Basketball Player of the Year, and currently holds the all-time career scoring record at Tamaqua. After graduating from Susquehanna in 2011, Davis was an assistant boys basketball coach under Crampsie at Panther Valley for three years.

She explained how she landed the job at her alma mater.

“I got a call from Joe Berezwick, who told me he was resigning from Tamaqua and I should put in for the job. He said it was my time,” recalled Davis.

Since being named head coach, Davis has not only been successful, but has enjoyed the transition from a former star player to the person in charge of the program.

“Being from Tamaqua, and now coaching here is very special to me,” said Davis.

Davis is also part of a unique situation, as she joins boys coach Jim Barron to make Tamaqua the only area school where both basketball coaches previously played at the school they are now coaching.

Mike Hromyak, a former baseball, basketball, and cross country athlete at Tamaqua, has been the Blue Raiders’ athletic director for the past 26 years. He is largely responsible for filling coaching positions and said candidates who graduated from Tamaqua have some advantage, but only to a point.

“We hire the best candidate, no matter what high school they came from” he said. “But I always ask at an interview, ‘what do you know about the program you’re applying for’ — and it’s not a good answer, if the candidate says the record was 10-10 last year, that’s not what I’m looking for. Anyone can find that on the internet.”

Hromyak prefers candidates who have a deeper knowledge than the previous year’s record.

He also admitted that homegrown candidates have two specific advantages.

“If they played the sport here, they know the league and the reputations of our opponents,” Hromyak said.

The second advantage, though not necessarily one that will result in a hire, is the candidate’s familiarity with families and neighborhoods within the school district.

“Parents of athletes like to know what we’re getting,” Hromyak explained, “and if a qualified candidate has an established relationship within the community, it can make for an easier transition if we hire him or her.”

One thing that’s clear when talking to any of the local coaches who are now at their alma mater is that it would be impossible to have more pride and more passion then they feel coaching players who wear the uniform they once wore themselves.

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BASKETBALL NOTES

TWENTY-SOMETHING ... Pleasant Valley’s Joel Contreras scored 24 points in his team’s season finale on Monday.

Contreras is one of five Bears players to have reached 20-or-more points in a game this year. That figure is the most among area boys team. The only other team over three is Northwestern, which has four.

In addition to Contreras, other PV athletes to hit the mark include Noah Mitchell, Shelby Joyner, Nick Waltermyer and Marcus Arce.

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GETTING TO THE LINE ... On Jan. 28, Marian gained a 76-63 victory over Tri-Valley thanks to its free-throw shooting.

The Colts converted on 28-of-39 foul shots in the contest.

The last time an area team got to the line that often was Jan. 6, 2017 when Marian had 44 attempts against Mahanoy Area.

John Patton’s club averages 17.33 free throws per game this season, which is third most among area boys’ teams. Palmerton is first at 18.45, with Northwestern second at 17.86.

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THE STREAK GOES ON ... Panther Valley dropped its last game to Pine Grove on Tuesday, but the Panthers did hit six three-pointers in the contest.

PV has now hit at least one three-pointer in 227 consecutive games, easily the longest streak among area teams. The next best is Jim Thorpe, who has hit at least one trey in 165 straight games.

The last time the Panthers failed to hit from behind the arc was Feb. 13, 2010 against Tamaqua.

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CLIMBING THE LADDER ... Marian’s Tyler Fritz continues to move up the scoring list.

After tallying 34 points against Weatherly on Tuesday, the senior stands at 1,891 career points. His latest output allowed him to pass Weatherly’s Sue Sernak to sit in 13th place among all players to ever suit up in the Times News coverage area.

Fritz also sits fourth among boys players, trailing just Lehighton Tom Kresge (2,234), Weatherly’s Frank Romano (1,973) and Palmerton’s Bob Mlkvy (1,925). He is also fourth all-time at Marian, behind Diane Decker (2,377), Sue Shimkus (2,182) and Anne Marie Kosciolek (2,164).

Besides his point total, Fritz has set other boys records at Marian, including: most points in a game, most free throws made in a career, most free throws made in a game, best free throw shooting game, and most free throws made in a game.

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WRESTLING NOTES

DISTRICT DUALS ... No. 3 seed Wilson beat Northwestern 57-16 in the second round of the Class 2A consolation matches Saturday at Freedom High School, ending Northwestern’s run in districts. It was the Tigers’ second match of the day after they knocked off No. 4 seed North Schuylkill, 48-21, in the first round of consolations. Still a strong showing for a team that was seeded eighth and forced to forfeit several weight classes. Northwestern secured its spot on the second day of the tournament with a 39-33 first-round win over Pen Argyl in the Class 2A bracket on Thursday. The Tigers fell into the consolation bracket after falling to Saucon Valley 60-24 in the second round. Jim Thorpe’s tournament ended with a 42-33 first-round loss to Catasauqua. Pine Grove defeated Tamaqua 44-34 on the opening night to move to the next round. Notre Dame Green Pond ended Saucon Valley’s seven-year run as Colonial League champs, but the Panthers got revenge at District Duals, beating the Crusaders 33-30 for the Class 2A title. Saucon Valley had lost to Notre Dame in the two previous meetings this season. It marked its fifth-straight Class 2A district title for the Panthers. Nazareth beat Bethlehem Catholic 31-16 for the Class 3A title.

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LOOKING AHEAD ... The individual portion of the District 11 Championships will be held Feb. 21 and 22 at Freedom and Liberty high schools. The top four wrestlers from Class 2A will advance to the Southeast Regional Tournament, which will be held the following weekend at Freedom this season, not Wilson West Lawn High School. The top five from Class 3A will move on to the Northeast Regional event, which will again take place at Liberty. Look for more on the district tournament next week.

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WINDING DOWN ... Palmerton hosts Schuylkill Haven Saturday at 10 a.m. in a non-league match that will round out the Bombers’ regular season schedule. Tamaqua faces Emmaus tonight and also will see Pen Argyl next Tuesday, and Blue Mountain the following day, to finish the season. Jim Thorpe hosts Lehighton next Wednesday in the regular season finale for both teams.

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RUBBER MATCH ... Jim Thorpe’s Derek Hunter edged Tamaqua’s Bronson Strouse 3-2 at 285 pounds in the third meeting between the top two heavyweights in the area this season on Wednesday. The pair had split the previous two matchups. Hunter won the most recent bout, edging Strouse 2-1 in the 285-pound final at the Coal Cracker Tournament. Strouse defeated Hunter 3-1 for his second Schuylkill League title earlier this season. Expect more from the pair, both state qualifiers a year ago, before the season ends.