Young Jeannette roster climbs toward top of section ahead of schedule

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, February 8, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Adrian Batts never has missed the WPIAL playoffs as coach of the Jeannette boys basketball team.

He’s 14 for 14, including, of course, the 2020-21 season when the WPIAL had an open tournament because of the covid pandemic.

But he thought this year might challenge his streak. Not end it, just challenge it.

When the starting five sometimes has three sophomores and a freshman, there are few guarantees, even at a proud program like Jeannette’s.

“I wasn’t sure what we’d have with our young guys,” Batts said. “I thought we might have to grind it out to get that fourth spot.”

Instead, the Jayhawks (13-7, 8-3) are in second place in Section 3-2A with a budding group of guards who could be the talk of the section in the future.

“We’re going to go as far as our guards take us,” Batts said. “We’ve seen some triangle-and-2s (defenses). People don’t just throw that at you unless there is a reason to.

“The future is bright.”

This is the youngest team Batts has encountered experience-wise but might yield one of the better crops of talent he’s had in the backcourt.

Sophomore point guard Kymone Brown is the top scorer at 14.5 points per game, and he often fronts a lineup that also includes freshmen Markus McGowan (9.4 ppg) and Jayce Powell (8.3 ppg).

The rotation also includes sophomores Elijah Jones, Xavier Odorisio-Farrow and Noah Sunder.

Those program futures have blended well with senior leader Isaiah Mallich (8.5 ppg) to make up a playoff-caliber team.

The Jayhawks have swept Clairton, Leechburg and Springdale and split a Section 3-2A series against Serra Catholic.

They beat a good Class 3A team in Seton LaSalle (56-49), defeated 4A East Allegheny (44-39) and handled 5A Connellsville (76-48). Jeannette only lost by two against Class 3A No. 5 Yough.

Senior Noah Sanders also provides an example of toughness to the underclassmen.

Brown is a captain, a unique label for a 10th grader and one that is neither presented nor taken lightly.

“Me and Isaiah bring the energy,” Brown said. “Isaiah keeps me focused. I know the guys are going to look to me to see how I (react to situations). We trust each other.”

Jeannette is on the smaller side as McGowan and Sunder are the tallest players at 6-foot-3.

“What we lack in size, we make up for in skill,” the coach said.

Batts said on the surface, there are similarities between this group and the one he helped coach as an assistant in 2008. Those Jayhawks, with Terrelle Pryor and Jordan Hall making plays, won WPIAL and PIAA titles.

He isn’t saying this group has championship hardware in its future, but the intangibles are there.

“As far as the closeness and unity, you can see it with these guys,” said Batts, who also is the school’s athletic director. “The more these guys play together, the more they know what to expect. Kymone went through that as a freshman. The game starts to slow down for them a little bit. At first, everything seems so big to them.”

Batts noted that Brown, McGowan, Jones and Powell play football, which “helps tremendously” with their bonding as friends and teammates.

What else helps is having experienced coaching. Batts said another skilled crop of former Jayhawks guards are nurturing the next wave.

Assistant coaches Julian Batts, Swade Redman and Mike Pompei work with Brown and company.

“Those guys have been here,” Adrian Batts said. “They know what I expect.”

Julian Batts is the second-leading scorer in Jeannette history.

“Jules shows me how to come off screens,” Brown said. “Some of our coaches are best friends with my uncles (Darius and Duke Brown).”

Jeannette’s closeness could stem from its lineage.

“Like eight of us are related,” Brown said. Brown, McGowan and Sanders are cousins, as are Mallich and Odorisio-Farrow.

Brown also is a cousin of former Jeannette two-sport star Robert Kennedy and former Penn-Trafford standout running back Manny Simpson.

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

Tags: Jeannette