McKeesport’s Matt Miller takes over girls basketball team

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, January 27, 2024 | 6:08 PM

Matt Miller is the head football coach at McKeesport, but he is also the girls basketball coach — at least for now.

Miller was named the acting coach of the Lady Tigers after the resignation of coach Amy Gumbert.

The reason for her resignation is unclear, but McKeesport athletic director Charlie Kiss told the Mon Valley Independent there were some internal issues and that there were “a number of factors in the situation.”

McKeesport (13-2), which will play Greensburg Central Catholic (13-4) on Saturday night in the Shootout at Seton Hill, postponed Wednesday’s game against Connellsville.

Miller, a teacher in the district who has a daughter on the team — senior Madison Miller — will be joined on staff by Nick Lonigro, Ryan Shank, also teachers, and principal Marcella Barry.

One holdover from Gumbert’s staff, Tim Sweeney, also will be an assistant.

“I have been a girls basketball coach for 30 hours,” Miller said Saturday night. “We want to keep things moving forward. We have a good team. These are great girls. We have the No. 1- and 2-ranked girls in the (senior) class. High-flight girls. We’re a senior-led group so we’re going to depend on their leadership.”

Miller was a three-sport athlete at McKeesport (football, baseball, basketball), and played baseball and basketball at Point Park.

The full girls basketball roster remains intact despite reports players had left the team.

“I am going from a spectator to calling the plays,” he said. “I said I would help where I can when they asked me. We’re not going to reinvent the wheel here. We’re going to do a lot of the things we’ve been doing.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: McKeesport