Experienced assistant ready to move into head coaching role with Ligonier Valley boys

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, July 12, 2024 | 6:39 PM

Ligonier Valley’s new boys basketball coach could feel a magnetic pull, almost a calling to be the loudest voice from the bench.

The game is in his bloodline.

The glimmer in Dante Porter’s eye began to show in his third season as an assistant with the Geibel boys basketball team about three years ago. His father, Don, was the head coach but took on the added rigors of being the school’s athletic director, so more responsibility on the bench came Dante’s way, along with the title of associate head coach.

It was then he knew he wanted control of his own team.

“There was a lot of creative freedom in how we prepared for games,” Porter said of working with his father. “The itch started there.”

Porter, 28, a Mt. Pleasant and Saint Vincent graduate, was hired this week to take over the Ligonier Valley program, about three months after four-year coach Tim Gustin resigned.

Porter, who played basketball and football in high school, lives in Somerset with his wife, former Saint Vincent softball player and Rockwood native Samantha Emert. He has a unique day job, working as a special investigator with the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

A member of the fare evasion crew, he looks into unpaid tolls.

“You pay for the service of being able to use our beautiful road,” he said. “But we have people who don’t think they have to pay their bills for that service.”

Porter paid his dues learning from a couple of experienced coaches.

Don Porter also used to coach the Mt. Pleasant boys. He is now assisting Cam Auld at Greensburg Salem.

Dante helped his dad at Mt. Pleasant as a scorekeeper before the pair reunited at Geibel, where they spent five years together (2018-23).

Last season, Dante Porter was an assistant at Berlin Brothersvalley, a District 5 Single-A program that played in the PIAA finals in Hershey before losing to Imani Christian, 79-52. He also was the junior high head coach at Berlin Brothersvalley.

Porter gives Tanner Prosser, the head coach at Berlin Brothersvalley, a ringing endorsement and hopes to model some of his coaching technique after Prosser’s.

“There is no one who runs a public-school program like he does,” Porter said. “It’s not just about the Xs and the Os.”

Ligonier Valley will have three open gyms with the new coach before the Rams take advantage of their late entry into the Berlin Brothersvalley summer league.

Geibel made the WPIAL Class A playoffs five times and the PIAA tournament on three occasions. The team finished third in the WPIAL in 2022 and fourth in ‘23 after back-to-back semifinal trips. They often ran into powerhouse Bishop Canevin and one of their stars, Jalen Gales, who would later play at Saint Vincent.

Ligonier Valley went 5-17 last season and had a 28-55 mark under Gustin with two WPIAL playoff trips. Ligonier Valley joined the WPIAL in 2020 after parting with PIAA District 6.

The Rams lost only four seniors from last year’s team.

“There is a lot of support (at Ligonier Valley) and (athletic director) Wes (Siko) has been great,” Porter said. “I want us to play hard and defend. That is always something I preach. Offensively, we can change depending on the personnel. At Geibel, we were a run-and-jump team, but I am also open to slowing it down.”

Siko believes Porter is an up-and-coming coach who can help the Rams right away.

“Dante is well-known in the Westmoreland basketball community, and his work with the youth will be vital in building our program,” Siko said. “His dedication and influence will be crucial as we continue to develop and grow.”

Porter also serves as the assistant director of the Westmoreland County Elementary School Basketball League, a thriving outfit that houses over 150 teams, again working closely with his dad.

Like the youth in that league, Porter said a key is getting players familiar with common dialogue from an early age.

“For grades 3-12, it’s a culture thing and terminology is important. They need to know basic terms as little (third graders) so they know them when I get them six years later.”

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

Tags: Ligonier Valley