Alex Oltmanns | Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, TRIB-LIVE
After advancing to the postseason for three consecutive seasons from 2013-15, the Fox Chapel boys basketball team had become accustomed to winning.
So when the Foxes were unable to meet that expectation last year, they took it upon themselves to turn things around starting in the offseason.
And that commitment has paid off this year, as only three teams in the WPIAL can boast a greater win total than Fox Chapel and its 18-2 overall record.
“At the end of last year talking to the seniors … these guys really had a goal of making it back to the playoffs, of dedicating themselves in the offseason to getting better and that was really good to see as a coaching staff,” Fox Chapel coach Zach Skrinjar said.
“It’s been a work in progress, but all the work is starting to pay off as we’ve continued through the year and seeing the coaching staff and the players working together and having one goal is a really fun thing to be around as a coach.”
At second place in Section 3-6A with a 11-2 record and a share of the section title still up for grabs, Fox Chapel is highlighted as this week’s Tribune-Review High School Sports Award feature team, and is a big part of the Foxes’ fourth-place Trib Cup ranking in Class 6A.
Featuring a deep lineup, the Foxes have been led by a dynamic point guard-center tandem in junior Carson Cohen and senior Jake Livingston, with the help of a strong supporting cast.
“They’ve done a very good job; really we’ve had seven guys who have really contributed on the court,” Skrinjar said. “We’ve had 11 more, with 15 or 16 of us in all, really do a good job together.
“They’ve all kind of found their niche, they’ve found their role, they fit into their role and they’re kind of just doing their job and what we’re asking them to do on a nightly basis,” he added.
A player who can score both inside and outside, Skrinjar said Livingston has developed into not only a versatile scorer, but a coach on the floor.
“When we need to do something in practice or in the game, Jake’s the one that the coaches talk to and Jake kind of gets it done for us. … It’s very nice as a coach to be able to lean on someone like that that you really have a lot of trust and faith in,” he said.
In addition to Cohen and Livingston, Fox Chapel has been led by a pair of guards in senior Michael Snowball — who Skrinjar cited as an elite defender — as well as sophomore Ben Kelly.
“Ben Kelly I think has come into his own this year, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball,” he added.
With senior forward Dimitri Spina working as a strong rebounder in the paint, and Micah Morris and Sam Brown providing energy off the bench, the Foxes have been able to showcase a balanced lineup throughout the season.
Now, with just two games remaining before the start of the postseason, Fox Chapel is eager to return to the playoffs, where it advanced all the way to the semifinals in Class AAAA two years ago.
But as they get set to begin that postseason run, the Foxes aren’t looking to change much. Instead they will simply look to refine what got them to this point and make the most of their opportunities, in everything from the film room to practice sessions.
“When you win 18 games in a season up to this point, I think that you’re doing some very good things,” Skrinjar said. “So I think continuing to work on what we’ve been successful at, maybe looking at some of our shortcomings and try to improve on those things.”