Two years removed from winning WPIAL and PIAA Class A titles, the personnel enveloped by the gold and burgundy Serra Catholic uniforms are engrossed with unfamiliarity.

You won't see Pat Grubbs patrolling the paint. Nor will you witness T.J. Heatherington pushing the ball up the court. And if you're expecting to see guys like Anthony Epolito or Dave Menzies, you're out of luck.

The fact is, just a lone contributor remains from what was the most successful team in school history.

And because of that, the days of the Eagles winning section titles and contending for postseason hardware are history too, right?

"Not at all," coach Bob Rozanski said.

"I've never gotten carried away with who we lost or how many kids we graduated. I think sometimes we've had our best years with no returning lettermen because guys who are back know it's their turn and are ready to step in."

While most of the names have changed, the consistent winning nature of one of the premier Class A programs in the WPIAL has not.

Serra (3-0) began the season by gaining two wins in its own tip-off tournament. The Eagles defeated East Allegheny, 69-55, last Friday, before pasting South Allegheny, 80-38, one night later. They defeated Summit Academy, 69-62, Tuesday night at home in a non-section game.

The opening victory, while unspectacular in terms of execution, featured a landmark achievement, with Rozanski picking up his 500th career win.

"It was really not a big deal," said Rozanski, in his 32nd season as a head coach, all at Serra, his alma mater. "I'm not a guy big on stats or individual accomplishments. I value section titles, WPIAL championships and PIAA championships."

With one of the top players in Class A in their nest, the Eagles could again be contending for all three. Senior Rob Heatherington is the only critical link remaining from the 2007-08 squad, and his skill and background should do wonders for a team deep in talent, but shallow in experience.

"He's played in a lot of big games," Rozanski said. "As a coach, I really value him.

A 6-foot guard, Heatherington averaged 14.6 points per game last season for an Eagles team that finished 23-4 and lost to Sewickley Academy in the WPIAL final.

Rob's brother, T.J., was one of the stars of that game, but with the elder Heatherington now at Point Park, Rob's role has escalated. It's a heady challenge for Heatherington, with Rozanski expecting him to handle more of the scoring load, while at the same time putting an emphasis on setting up his stable of young teammates.

"I've had conversations with him about not being T.J., just being himself. They're two totally different players, and when you try to do too much as a player, it backfires on you," Rozanski said.

"I think Rob has to get familiar with the other players. I would hope he'd be able to do some scoring, but we have to be able to score when guys are focusing on Rob. I think our guys are good enough that, when teams put extra emphasis on Rob, we can beat them other ways."

Evan Sargo, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, has shown in the early going that he can do just that. Sargo averaged 20 points per game in the Eagles' first two contests -- second to Heatherington's 21 per game -- and provides the team an excellent second option.

"I think he'll be a solid player who will have a big season," Rozanski said. "He's not just an inside player. He steps out and hits the 3. He makes us versatile on the inside. Teams are all going to want to take away Rob first, but the more they see [Sargo], the more they'll worry about him, too."

Rozanski also mentioned junior center Chris Miller and junior guard Matt Loftis as being intricate players in the starting five.

Among the other players seeing time are an additional group of juniors, guards Dave Szanca, Kyle Taylor and Nic Merzlak, forward Joe Jurofcik and 6-8 center Daryan Robinson, a transfer from West Mifflin.

"I really think we have four solid starters," Rozanski said. "It's just a matter of finding the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth guys. I think we have them. It just takes time."

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