The Herald, Sharon, PA Published Wednesday, March 4, 1998
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  • SportsEXTRA
    TEAM OF THE MONTH: Sharon boys basketball
    Tigers' turnaround year continues in state playoffs

    photo
    Sharon's Bear Shimrack battles inside against Franklin's Dave Smith (40) and Ryan Ruditis (55) during the District 10 AAA championship game. (Gene Paulson/Herald)

    By Jeff Greenburg
    Herald Assistant Sports Editor

    A year ago, Sharon first-year coach Gary Revale watched in agony as his Tigers dropped their final nine games and 12 of their last 13 to finish 7-17.

    And although much of that team returned this season, even Revale might admit that, while a goal, winning the program's first Mercer County Athletic Conference crown since 1990 and gaining its first state playoff nod since 1995 was at least somewhat of a surprise, albeit a pleasant one.

    ``It's been a lot of fun, and the fun part has come from seeing a bunch of guys set some goals and then being able to realize those goals,'' said Revale, whose squad has been named The Herald Sports Extra's Male Team of the Month for February. ``Last season was very difficult and it was very difficult for me to keep grinding at them the same way. It was hard for me not to let up on them, but I believed success would come with us if we worked hard.''

    It has, as the Tigers' 20-6 mark and state playoff berth certainly attest to. One of the keys? Work ethic, which Revale said was something that was lost ``for a long time.''

    ``There was tremendous psychological damage done to this program,'' Revale continued. ``The kids still needed to understand the concept of what being part of a unit was all about, the kind of commitment you've got to make and just being a good team. That was all gone, the work ethic was gone. I said time and time again we have a tremendous amount of good athletes and good kids, but when it came to understanding how to accomplish things, that's what they've had to learn. And that's what we worked for the last couple of seasons.''

    It appears to have paid off, and part of the reason was the extensive off-season preparation the Tigers put in.

    Among the destinations, Revale took seven players to Bobby Knights' camp in Indiana, where he said the team played 15 games in four days against talented teams from all over the country.

    ``They saw, No. 1, what that level of competition was like and they understood they could compete,'' Revale said. ``This camp was a unique experience and we were locked in.

    ``It wasn't a social situtaion. You just went up and played. And I think it brought us together.''

    Which has been another important ingredient in the success of the '97-98 edition of the Tigers, composed of the balanced starting unit of Marty Barnett (14.5 ppg.), Jeff Valentino (12.5), Bear Shimrack (12.5), Earl Chapman (11.0) and Bobby Roberson (7.0).

    Ralph Odem has also provided quality minutes as the first man off the bench.

    ``I think what happened was the kids came together,'' Revale said. ``We have a close-knit group. (Football coach) Jim Wildman pointed to that during football season and that carried over in basketball. They enjoy being around one another and they know how to pick each other up. And that's very important.

    ``I think if you look behind any teams that are good, especially in basketball and football, you have to have kids that are going to work together at different times. And any successful team has that certain camaraderie about them. It doesn't have to be rah-rah stuff; you just have to have that comfort zone and respect. That's probably what was missing last year. This year we've got it, and I've got to give the credit to the kids. It's a good group of kids I've got here.''

    Another one of the big keys to the Tigers' success has been its offensive balance. With four players averaging in double-figures, it's proven very difficult for an opposing team to hamper Sharon by stopping one or two of them.

    ``We haven't seen a lot of junk defenses,'' Revale said. ``I've always been a coach that wants to run continuity stuff _ I don't like to run sets _ and we've had success with that this year. At different times different guys are going to be the guys to go to and the kids recognize that. Sometimes it's an up and down game, other times it's just ramming it down into the big guys. We're opportunists. Whoever can score does. We don't go into any game thinking one guy has to score for us to win and that's what the kids enjoy. They all know they can do something and all know they are contributors.''

    Among the major contributors lately, however, has been the lightning-quick senior point guard Barnett, who has surpassed the 20-point plateau in three of his last eight games _ hitting 19 one other time _ after scoring more than 20 points only once the previous 18 games.

    ``He's really toughened up and is starting to realize he's a talented kid on a good team,'' Revale said. ``And for us to win and realize our goals he has to play well. And now he's accepted that as a challenge. The more he's willing to be assertive and work toward being the player he can, the better we're going to be. He's been the difference when we've played the way we're able to play. When he's had his best nights, we've been every difficult to beat.''

    That was certainly evident in the Tigers' 48-46 loss to Franklin in the District 10 AAA championship game Friday. Barnett hit 11 first-half points as the Tigers raced to a 27-20 advantage, but was limited to 5 second-half points as the Knights rallied.

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