When it comes to Fox Chapel Area boys basketball, there are usually some high expectations.
Why wouldn’t there be?
This is a team that won the WPIAL Class 6A championship as recently as 2021 and continues to have success on the hardwood.
In the 2023-2024 season, Zach Skrinjar’s team advanced to the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals (losing to eventual champion Moon) and advanced to the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament after knocking off District 10 champion and perennial power Cathedral Prep.
It was a team that amassed a 16-2 record and finished second in WPIAL Class 5A Section 2 with a 7-3 mark. Plus, it was a season in which many players returning this season received key minutes.
“It was a pretty good season, said coach Skrinjar, who is entering his 16th season as the Foxes’ court boss.
As the Foxes embark on the 2024-2025 campaign, many of the same calling cards that have brought them success on the court will be prevalent once again as the team moves back up to 6A.
For the Foxes, that means tenacious defense and a lot of talented players upon whom coach Skrinjar can call on each evening. That stingy defense allowed less than 50 points a game last season.
“We’re going to lean on our defense again,” coach Skrinjar said. “That’s kind of been the heart of our program since I’ve been here – to be a very solid, fundamental defensive team and make the opponents uncomfortable on offense. That’s something we’ve always preached and our players have always bought into.”
That defense is even a bit more important because this year’s Foxes do not necessarily have a lot of length.
“I’ve really never had the luxury of size in my years at Fox Chapel,” coach Skrinjar said. “That’s really nothing that’s different for us. We’re looking to get some paint touches, some easy looks around the hoop, and then looking to spread the defense out and let our offense work from the inside and kick it out for some quality three-point shots.”
What the team was working on in the early part of preseason practice was figuring out which mixture of these players would be the most effective.
“We’re working together, trying to find some cohesion, more so on the offensive than the defensive end,” coach Skrinjar said. “Everyone is working hard, which is a good thing. We’ve had a really good turnout from ninth- through 12th-graders with our open gyms, which is always a good sign. We have 10 guys that I think we can start with some level of comfort.”
Coach Skrinjar points to his three seniors – Caden Kaiser, Ike Moser, and Asher White – as being key to any success that may come Fox Chapel Area’s way this season.
Others whom the coach is expected to count on include juniors Anderson Dockey, Max Melocchi, and John Rehak.
“We kind of had the luxury of getting some of our guys who were sophomores last year a lot of good playing time,” coach Skrinjar said. “Hopefully, some of them will grab some starting roles. We do hope we have some guys who step up and distance themselves from others. We need some guys to make a jump and hopefully get a grasp of who can take a starting role. That creates competition for others to up their game and really try to get in the starting lineup. Although, to me, starters are the guys who just get announced. We’re more worried about who are the guys who will finish the game and close out the games to get us wins.”
The Foxes will be in WPIAL Class 6A Section 1 this season with Butler, New Castle, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, and Woodland Hills.
“It’s going to be very competitive,” coach Skrinjar said. “These are all programs we’re somewhat familiar with since we’ve played them in nonsection games over the last two years. It’s going to be a very competitive section from top to bottom. You’re not going to get many nights off when you’re in section play. It’s going to be a good opportunity to play a lot of good teams and a lot of good coaches to get us ready for when it comes to playoff time.”