Hampton boys basketball team reloads in bid for postseason berth

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, November 27, 2017 | 12:26 AM

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What comes up can sometimes go down quickly when a large batch of experienced seniors graduates.

Hampton coach Joe Lafko isn't sure where this new group could land, but he's hoping the fall isn't too far from where it was in February, which was very close to the top.

Lafko and the Hampton program always have found a way to compete, to say the least: seven WPIAL championship games in the past 11 years, including a surprise run to the final last year after sneaking in as the last seed in Section 2-5A.

But there are a number of shoes to fill after losing eight seniors, including guard Antonio Ionadi, the second-leading scorer in school history.

“We have a big learning curve with this group,” Lafko said. “Probably the biggest I've had in 20 years.”

The problem was exacerbated when sophomore Isaac DeGregorio, who emerged down the stretch last season and was expected to be the team's top scorer, needed surgery in mid-November for a heart defect. His return is a major question mark.

“I expected him to be a 20-point scorer for us this year,” Lafko said. “But his issue has been corrected. He's a young man with a bright future. He grew probably about 20 pounds and two to three inches. He's definitely one of the better sophomores in the WPIAL.”

That leaves senior guard Adam Bittner as the only player with varsity experience. Bittner saw extensive time last year, when he transitioned from wing to the point.

“Last year I was the young guy looking up to the seniors,” Bittner said. “But there were eight of them. They all knew how to run it. This year it's just Isaac and I that have been exposed. I think they look to me, so I have to be there in the coaching role and the player role.”

Despite the small senior class, Lafko knows he has a player who is ready.

“Adam is definitely our leader,” Lafko said. “He has experience at the varsity level the past two seasons. He saw considerable time as a key figure for us, and he brings all those experiences in his participation.”

Those experiences are needed for a number of new players, including senior Ryan Dayton (6-foot-4), juniors Brandon Sickles (6-0), Tyler Bischke (5-10), Josh Winek (6-2) and Kyle Constantakis (6-4), and sophomores Colby Mignogna (6-3) and Ben Ringeisen (6-6).

With Ringeisen and Constantakis playing center and the rest rounding out an eight-man rotation, Hampton has plenty of height.

“Certainly what's going to make this team different than some of the teams I've had in recent years is the size,” said Lafko. “We're going to be a similar team that we were in the past in style, but there are some other situations we are going to try to take advantage of because of our size, mismatch advantages.”

Bittner, who knows he will need to score more this season, has been working hard on his shot. Bischke and Mignogna also will start.

“We have lots of big guys,” Bittner said. “It's much different from last year. I feel like we can utilize them to the best of our ability. Not many teams are going to have the size that we do.”

The team will look to hold the fort early and hope for improvement and DeGregorio as a reinforcement if it hopes to compete for a playoff spot in Section 2-5A, which was brutal last season. The top four teams comprised the entirety of the 5A final four in the WPIAL playoffs.

“I think we'll be tested,” said Lafko, whose team's nonsection schedule includes tilts with City League power Allderdice and other top WPIAL programs such as New Castle, Latrobe and North Hills.

Then there's section rival Mars, with Notre Dame recruit Robby Carmody, who Hampton defeated in the WPIAL semifinals in February but could beat in the rubber match in the state playoffs.

“I don't see the section as strong as last year,” Lafko said. “But I do see Mars as the class of the section, and great coaches will make it competitive.

“This is a whole different group. We have a long way to go to get to where we were the last few years. But it's a hard-working group.”

Devon Moore is a freelance writer.

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