2002-03 SCHEDULE

Dec. 3 -- Lakeview Dec. 6 -- Sharon Dec. 10 -- at Grove City Dec. 11 -- at Kennedy Catholic Dec. 13 -- at Slippery Rock Dec. 16 -- Commodore Perry Dec. 17 -- Hickory Dec. 20 -- at Sharon Dec. 23 -- at West Middlesex Dec. 27-28 -- at Oil City tourney Jan. 4 -- Grove City Jan. 7 -- George Junior Republic Jan. 10 -- Wilmington* Jan. 11 -- at George Junior Republic Jan. 14 -- at Greenville* Jan. 17 -- Mercer* Jan. 21 -- Slippery Rock Jan. 24 -- at Sharpsville* Jan. 28 -- at Hickory Feb. 4 -- at Wilmington* Feb. 7 -- Greenville* Feb. 11 -- at Mercer* Feb. 14 -- Sharpsville* [* = MCAC-AA contest]

By The Herald Sports Staff

Cue the theme song from the 1980s ABC sitcom "Welcome back, Kotter" and you'll think of Brian Brown.

Reynolds' new boys basketball coach is a former Raiders' standout point guard who paid his dues, coaching at every level in Reynolds' system for the past 15 years before being promoted.

"We're making strides -- little ones -- but we're moving in the right direction," Brown reported. "We're doing things well, but not consistently yet. We're having our moments, but we have to get that consistency, and we're not there yet."

Reynolds will feature a nucleus of five returning lettermen from last year's 11-13 team and three others up from the junior varsity ranks who will form his 8-man rotation, including seniors Adam Maurer, a 5-10 point guard and 3-year letterman; Collin Glover, a 6-0 off-guard; 6-2 power forward Dan Mahlon; 6-1 forward Matt Moore, and 6-3 post Mike Williams. Curtis Ague is a 5-11 senior off-guard who will lend depth, as will a pair of junior 2-guards, 5-10 Matt Weaver and 5-11 Doug Murrin.

Assessing his rotation, Brown said, "Adam is a good shooter (and) a good defensive man, who's very quick ... Collin's been struggling a little bit, coming off football and we're waiting for him to get a feel for things, but he's improving daily ... Dan's a very good shooter and good leaper ... Matt does a lot of things well; nothing that really stands out, but he's really consistent and a solid ballplayer and we expect him to give us 10-12 points and 8-10 rebounds ... Mike is gaining confidence every day. He has very good feet and goes to his left well and finishes well, and he's also improving daily ... Curtis had a strong offseason and worked very hard; he's very solid ... Matt is very quick and probably the most fundamentally-sound ballplayer we have ... and Doug is a very good shooter; we're expecting big things from Doug."

Brown appraised, "We're not very big, but we don't lack any quickness. We'll look to push the ball and play a little bit of a transition offense. Mainly, we'll match up (defensively) if we can, but (opponents') size will factor into that. But we like to play full court, pressure the ball and that should be one of our strong points, the fact we do pressure the ball well. I'm not real sure what our strengths are," Brown admitted, "but I know we'll be an up-tempo team and defensively we'll match up accordingly."

On being at his alma mater's helm Brown, a mid-80's Mercer County League MVP, related, "It's been fun, the people (administrators, boosters, parents) have been excellent, and the kids are starting to respond to things I'm trying to bring to the table. It took some time, but they're starting to see what it's all about -- not just improving as a basketball player, but improving yourself as a person. ... They're beginning to realize that once you become a better person off the court and you start to respect one another and work together, you improve on the court. It's been a total attitude change and they're looking at things differently from the way they used to."

Brown replaces 3-year head coach Don Andres, and Reynolds is returning from the playoffs for the first time since Brown's heyday.

"That's one thing we do have on our side. We did make the playoffs last year (losing 55-54 in the opening round to then-undefeated Eisenhower), and we'll try to keep that in the back of our minds," Brown said.

His club's early-season slate, including a couple 3-game weeks, will be a "baptism by fire."

"You look at our schedule and it's brutal, but we want to play the best. ... But we won't have any time to breathe or to lick our wounds," Brown reflected. "One thing we've been preaching to the kids is: 'A loss in December hurts us, but a loss in January (when MCAC-AA play begins) kills us.' So we're hoping to come through the preseason by getting an idea of who we are and how we want to go about things, see what kind of team we're going to be, then roll into January."

Regarding MCAC-AA, Brown said Mercer mentor Mike Williams and his Mustangs may be favored, but allowed, "AA has always been difficult, always competitive."

And asked if any newcomers would be making an immediate impact on the 2002-03 Raiders, Brown snickered, then sheepishly admitted, "With me being in my first year, it's tough to describe any newcomers 'cause I'm one myself. I'm starting out fresh."

Welcome back, Brownie. -- By Ed Farrell, assistant sports editor