Nobody has nicknamed Alan Seretti the "Bench Barrister" or the "Counselor of the Court" in Altoona, but what they are calling him in that central Pennsylvania community is an outstanding young basketball coach and a winner.

A Montour High School graduate, Seretti took over the Penn State Altoona Campus men's program three seasons ago. In that short time, he has the team on the plus side of .500.

Penn State Altoona finished 14-13 overall for the 2007-08 season. More importantly, Seretti's team was 10-8 in the Division III Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference and won its first home playoff game, defeating Pitt-Greensburg, 79-73, in overtime.

Considering NCAA Division III schools do not give athletic scholarships, thus limiting any quick-fix solution for a troubled team, what Seretti has done in three years is remarkable. And with nine players, including four starters, returning for the 2008-09 campaign, the winning should continue.

The references to a court of law?

They stem from the fact that Seretti, who played at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., after starring at Montour High School, graduated from the Duquesne University School of Law in 2002.

His father, Al, jokes, "I send him to law school and look what happens ... he becomes a coach."

"That's one of the first questions people ask," Seretti said of his law degree. "But it has worked out well for me because to coach at the small-college level, you need a master's degree."

Always a student of the game, Seretti wasn't sure he wanted to get into coaching. But while going to law school, he hooked up with former Point Park College coach Jerry Conboy, who coached Seretti at Montour and was guiding the girls' team at Seton-LaSalle High School. Together they helped the Seton-LaSalle girls to the WPIAL Class AA title in 2000.

From there, Seretti became an assistant on the men's team at Washington & Jefferson College for three seasons. The Presidents played in the PAC title game in 2005, losing to Bethany, 94-78.

Before that, however, the verdict was in ... Seretti wanted to continue coaching.

So, when the head coaching job came open at Penn State Altoona, Seretti decided to apply. He has discovered there is a major difference in being an assistant and the guy running the program.

"It's the difference between always being right and always being wrong," he said with a laugh. "As an assistant, you're never wrong in what you want to do. But as the head coach, if you make the wrong move, well, it's all on you."

Seretti didn't make many wrong moves the second half of last season. Penn State Altoona won seven of its final 13 games and three of those losses -- to Pitt-Greensburg, Medaille and Frostburg State -- were by two or fewer points.

The 14 victories are a school record for wins in a season and broke the mark of 10 set the previous year when Penn State Altoona won eight of its final 12 games. And for his team's accomplishments, Seretti was the AMCC Co-Coach of the Year with Penn State Behrend's David Niland.

The fact Seretti had coached at a Division III school at W&J gave him insight into what he had to do to turn the Penn State Altoona program around. In the four season before he arrived in the Allegheny Mountain community, the team had gone 9-16, 7-18, 2-25 and 4-21.

"What you have to understand at the Division III level is that a lot of teams get players who are coming back to them after they've tried something else or been somewhere else," Seretti said. "So, you can have freshmen and sophomores who are 17, 18, 19 going against guys who are 23 years old and that makes a difference."

Last season, Penn State Altoona had two seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and five freshmen on its roster. Only one of the seniors -- Quintin Dziabo -- was a starter.

It would make sense for Seretti to try and upgrade his non-conference schedule for the 2008-09 season, except he did that last season in an effort to toughen his players.

"Of the seven non-conference teams we played, six went to the postseason in their conferences," he said. "But that's something we'll continue to do ... play a tough non-conference schedule in order to make ourselves better."

With a talented team returning that gained confidence last season, and some gifted recruits, the future looks bright for Seretti and Penn State Altoona.

He had just one WPIAL player on the roster -- Bethel Park's Justin Gasbarre, a 6-foot-1 sophomore -- but expects to get more talent from Western Pennsylvania, especially since good friend Adam Kaufman has taken over the boys' team at Montour.

And just for the record, that law school education hasn't gone to waste. It's just that these days he's making his arguments to guys in striped shirts instead of jury.