When girls basketball coach Marty Matvey took over the Fox Chapel Area program four seasons ago, one tradition he continued from his years coaching at South Park High School was an annual “Iron Challenge.” The idea is to get his players in top physical shape, while simultaneously encouraging important team bonding. The Iron Fox, as it’s now called, has proven to be just as successful here as it was earlier in his coaching career.
“I got the idea from watching the NBA combine,” he explains. “What I’m mainly looking for during the weeklong challenge is strength, stamina, how far each player will push herself, and teamwork. This was the most competitive Iron Fox contest we’ve ever had at Fox Chapel Area.”
Junior Skye Byrnes eked out a back-to-back top score, followed closely by versatile junior Sarah Slember, who returns this season after missing all of 2021-2022 due to an offseason injury. Promising freshman Lyla Jablon, slated to play point guard, finished third in the Iron Challenge.
However, Elsie Smith, a four-year starter who led the team in scoring and rebounds last year, will lead the team once again. She had a lot of responsibility placed on her last season to mentor and guide a very young team, many of whom were freshmen.
Elsie says, “Last year was very tough with such a young team, but we learned how to handle losses and then use them to bounce back. Especially after playing in summer and fall leagues, the younger players have matured and now are becoming more vocal and comfortable on the court. I think we also are showing strength in our ability to work together, and everyone is practicing unselfishly.”
Skye, a very multitalented player on both ends of the floor, also will be counted on to provide leadership. She agrees with Elsie that the offseason and preseason have been very productive.
“The team is in 100% better shape than last year,” says Skye, whose own offseason efforts concentrated on her endurance and shooting. “We are quicker, more energetic at practices, and physically and mentally strong.”
She continues with a comment about her teammate, Elsie. “The pressure on her to score should lessen this year because more players have the confidence to contribute and help us win.”
Junior Isabella Barbour contributed last season and will be depended upon again. She is described by her coach as “athletic, dedicated, and someone who has always bought into our program. We feel comfortable moving her around on the court because she knows every position.”
There are many other athletes who are expected to add to the team’s strengths.
“We had many different players we rotated into the starting lineup last year,” says coach Matvey. “Bella Urso and Natalia Schaffer started some games as freshmen, and so did Adina Rosen. Having that experience, along with fellow sophomores Avri Ebig and Shay Pick, will make us stronger. I’m also looking forward to seeing how they can help acclimate our massive freshman class of 10 players to a level much higher than they were previously used to. We expect them to help make our freshmen’s transition to high school basketball a smooth one.”
In addition to Lyla, this year’s freshmen class are Caroline Leland, Morgan Monteverde, Ava Orie, and Zehra Ozkaya, all of whom are competing for varsity time.
Following the team’s first scrimmage versus Pine-Richland and Freeport, coach Matvey comments, “We performed well, but the team has set its standards high. The juniors and seniors know what it takes to compete for a section title. We know that we’ve been playing relatively well during the summer, fall, and preseason, but now the focus turns to real games, and we have a lot to prove. We are the hunters this year and look forward to getting back to achieving our standards and making the playoffs now that the foundation has been built.
The number of capable players coming into the program last year and this year is indicative of just how much the overall girls program has grown.
Coach Matvey explains, “There has been exponential growth. We have made a concerted effort to build upon our foundation at the middle school level by inviting sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders to join our high school summer and fall travel league games and our summer and fall skills sessions. We had 36 seventh-graders, 12 eighth-graders, and 24 high-schoolers try out this year. These are big numbers as compared to when we started four years ago and then lost a year-and-a-half due to COVID.”
Skye adds, “I think we will surprise a lot of people this season.”
