Dre Corbin jumps quickly into boys basketball coaching role at Riverview

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 | 1:06 PM

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When Dre Corbin came on board in early May as the as the Riverview boys basketball coach, he saw an enthusiastic athletic environment in which to offer his coaching abilities and put forth his goals to raise the program to a level of success.

“This job called to me for a lot of specific reasons,” said Corbin, who succeeds Phil McGivney. “I was a kid who played multiple sports in high school, and it was something I could relate to. I love being someone who can help a player grow in the game of basketball. The people here were great throughout the process. They were transparent with me during the interview process about the connections between the coaches and making sure I knew that the kids are great, but that I would probably have to vie for their time with other sports.

“When I first met the guys, within about 10 minutes, I was surrounded by a group ready to go.”

Through the first few months of working with the players and installing a new system, Corbin said he’s seen a great work ethic and a willingness to absorb knowledge and get better.

“I have truly been spoiled,” said Corbin, who last week took his team to scrimmage against Aquinas Academy and Northgate. “They are such a coachable group of kids. They ask a lot of questions, and they want to see their teammates get better just as much as wanting that for themselves.”

Corbin said he hopes to lead the Raiders back to the WPIAL playoffs after a three-year hiatus.

Riverview went 8-13 overall and 2-10 in Section 3-2A this past winter. Several key players are back, including 6-foot-5 rising senior forward Alex Schultheis.

Schultheis also is a tight end on the football team, and he has been busy with football preparation this summer as well as making it to some basketball workouts. He said the on-court summer work has him optimistic for the upcoming season.

“With football workouts, I haven’t made it to as many basketball open gyms as others, but the ones I have been to, they are full of energy,” Schultheis said.

“That is a great thing for our team. That energy is going to really carry us into the season. There are a lot of kids showing up and willing to put in the work. I am pretty excited to see what happens.”

Corbin has resided in the Pittsburgh region for a number of years, but his roots are in Virginia.

He graduated from Miller School of Albemarle near Charlottesville. He helped the boys basketball team win a state championship as a junior in 2009.

“It was a very competitive basketball environment,” Corbin said. “It was a great feeling to help my team win a state title.”

He arrived in the region for college, playing on the men’s basketball team at Allegheny.

“They found me through recruitment, and it was just a great experience,” he said. “It is a beautiful school with high academic standards.”

His coaching tenure in the game of basketball began about six years ago at the AAU level.

In 2019, Corbin came on board as an assistant coach at Aquinas Academy. He was a witness to the on-court exploits of Vinnie Cugini, who averaged 55.2 points a game as a senior in the 2022-23 season. Cugini’s career points rank first all-time in the WPIAL.

Corbin understands from his time at a similarly small school such as Aquinas that the summer, with all it can offer a student-athlete from work, family vacations and training for multiple sports, can spread them out among several activities.

“When you are at a small school like Riverview, you’re always competing for guys’ time with all they have going on,” he said. “The guys here are very versatile with what they have going on, but they are good to make sure they do what they can to get on the court and get the work in.

“They’ve done a great job of communicating with (the coaches) to make sure they get here and also when they will be elsewhere.”

Corbin said he is excited for what this team can do.

“By talking with the kids who have been here regularly and some of those who haven’t been here as much with other commitments, I can tell their excitement level is high for this upcoming season,” said Corbin, who hangs his coaching hat on his teams playing aggressive and physical defense with strong communication and fundamentals.

“When we have the full team together on a regular basis, that is when the fun will really begin.”

Corbin said he is fortunate to have an assistant with the coaching background of Hart Coleman, more recently the boys coach at Plum and St. Joseph.

“I first met him where we were both training kids at the same time,” Corbin said.

“It was a brief introduction at first. He then reached out and said he was looking for an opportunity to coach, and we sat down and had a conversation. He has such great experience. I’ve been a sponge and have listened to all that he as to offer. He’s great with the kids, and he will make a big difference with this team.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Riverview