South Xtra: Despite its excellent record, Monessen seeks an identity
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Monessen's Jaisen Irwin battles Wilkinsburg's Jordan Howard for a rebound.
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Designations and labels are impressive and easy to come by when discussing the Monessen High School boys basketball team.
• Defending WPIAL champions.
• Undefeated section champions.
• No. 2-ranked team in Class AA, according to the Post-Gazette.
Talk to veteran Monessen coach Joe Salvino, however, and he might tell you that this group of Greyhounds -- although extremely talented and successful -- have yet to truly find themselves.
"I honestly don't know if these kids have a true identity," said Salvino. "Last year's team, they were friends from grade school on up and they were close. This year's group is not as close.
"I'm not saying they don't like each other, but I will say they're different in a lot of ways. They know it's their year and they want to have their own identity."
In the upcoming weeks, the group will have an opportunity to make their mark.
In what has been commonplace at Monessen throughout the years, the Greyhounds have put together another terrific season. The reigning WPIAL Class AA champions finished Section 3 play with a perfect 12-0 record for the second year in a row after defeating Bishop Canevin, 62-50, Tuesday.
The Greyhounds sport a 20-1 overall record and will be one of the favorites to repeat as district champions when the WPIAL playoff begins next week.
Salvino, who has led Monessen to 17 section titles in his 28 seasons, said his team did not feel like it had a target on its back when the season began, but has a feeling that bull's-eye might become clearer soon.
"It might when the playoffs start," Salvino said. "They might realize 'It's our time.'"
What has made this Monessen team possibly lack an identity might also be what has made it so good. It could be said that no two contributors are actually alike, with each player bringing something a little different to the table.
They have a potent scorer, a dynamite distributor, a player who does the dirty work and some excellent defenders. Throw some leadership into the mix, and you have yourself a team that no other playoff qualifier is going to want to face in the postseason.
Players such as senior guards Jalen Madison and Jaisen Irwin are two big reasons for that. Salvino wants the ball in Madison's hands as much as possible. A 5-foot-10 point guard, Madison has a great handle, passes well and runs the offense smoothly.
Irwin, who is 6-4 and a fantastic athlete, leads the Greyhounds in scoring with more than 17 points per game.
"When the game is up and down the floor, you couldn't probably couldn't find a better player than Jaisen," Salvino said.
Irwin, though, has sort of been an enigma the past two seasons. Salvino suspended Irwin for last year's WPIAL playoffs for disciplinary reasons, and Irwin missed two games last week because of academic issues. According to Salvino, Irwin's status is day to day.
Salvino said Earl Pinkney, a 6-3 guard/forward, is one of the hardest workers on the team and maybe the unsung hero, as he grinds it out with his rebounding and tough defense. Another solid defender is 5-10 senior guard Tyler Young.
One of the biggest surprises has been the play of 6-5 senior forward Alonzo Payne, a reserve last year who has seamlessly stepped into a starting spot this season.
The Greyhounds are senior-heavy, but 6-4 junior guard-forward Chavas Rawlins was selected as one of the team captains, not only due to his talent, but also because of his leadership and unselfish play. Rawlins was recently offered a football scholarship by Pitt.
Salvino is also getting steady production from 5-9 senior guard Vinnie Scirotto, 6-5 senior center Matt Francowic and 5-7 sophomore guard Javon Brown.
Although the Greyhounds are more than capable of putting up some big point totals, their strength might lie in a defense that is one of the best in Class AA.
"When we're playing defense as well as we can play, we're a good team," said Salvino.
And that good team will soon try to defend its WPIAL title and gain the identity for which it has been looking.
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
