SCRANTON – Official high school basketball practices do not start until Nov. 18, but preparation is well underway.
Pittston Area’s Alan Kiesinger and assistant Jim Blaskiewicz were among the dozens of coaches who made it the Xavier Center Sunday, Oct. 30 to spend six hours hearing from other coaches at the second annual Scranton Prep Coaches Clinic.
They observed hour-plus sessions from Binghamton University men’s basketball coach Tommy Dempsey, University of Scranton women’s basketball coach Trevor Woodruff and Blair Academy (N.J.) coach Joe Mantegna. Scranton Prep coach Andrew Kettel, who organized the event, stepped in to replace NBA D League coach Phil Martelli Jr. because of a late scheduling conflict.
“You’re just trying to pick up one thing,” Kiesinger said. “We all miss stuff. This gives you an opportunity to kind of plug some of the holes.”
It is just part of the offseason preparation for Kiesinger and many other coaches on the high school level.
Kiesinger also visits college practice sessions early in the season to observe coaches. He has already been at practices run by Dempsey, an NCAA Division I coach, originally from Dunmore, and Woodruff, who led the nationally-ranked Lady Royals to a 30-0 start in his first season, this fall. He has also been to watch the Wilkes University men’s team practice under Izzi Metz and plans to take in one of Carl Danzig’s practices with the University of Scranton men.
“It’s an open door,” Kiesinger said of how the college coaches treat visiting high school coaches. “They’re always very helpful, even if you need something during the season, they’re more than happy to help you out.”
Kiesinger was able to pick up strategic ideas – Dempsey discussed out-of-bounds plays when stuck deep in a corner and Woodruff had some helpful defensive tips – at the clinic, but also appreciated hearing other parts about coaching philosophies from Mantegna.
“Talking about how to build a program, the pillars of a program,” Kiesinger said. “It’s good to hear that management stuff from a different perspective.”
