Increased roster numbers have Derry girls coach Brisbane optimistic about season

By: Paul Schofield
Tuesday, November 14, 2023 | 5:34 PM

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Gene Brisbane has been on the bench for 49 seasons, and his passion for coaching high school girls and boys never has wavered.

As he begins his fifth season as Derry girls basketball coach, he hopes the program has turned a corner.

During his first season in 2019-20, he helped lead the team to the playoffs. But since then, the program has struggled with numbers.

That has changed this season. The numbers have improved enough to where Derry will be able to play junior varsity games.

“That’s a first here for a long time,” Brisbane said. “I have six promising freshmen on the roster, which played well at the middle-school level the last couple of years.

“Mix them with the girls I have coming back, we’ll be able to have a better player rotation and give them a breather.”

The Trojans were 9-12 overall in 2022-23 and finished sixth in the tough Section 1-4A behind North Catholic, Knoch, Highlands, Greensburg Salem and Freeport.

While Brisbane said he feels North Catholic, Highlands and Greensburg Salem are considered the top teams, he hopes his squad will be able to challenge Knoch and Freeport for a playoff spot.

He will be relying on a trio of guards — seniors Samantha Gruska and Rachelle Marinchek and junior Jane Huss — to provide leadership.

Gruska averaged 8 points last season, Huss 8.1 and Marinchek 8.7.

“This is the largest freshman group we’ve had since I came here,” Brisbane said. “All will have the opportunity to see junior varsity and varsity time.

“That’s a first since I’ve been here. They did a nice job in middle school, and they’re all decent athletes.”

The group includes guard/forward Haylee Myers, guard Kameryn Dunlap, guard Kylee Metcalf, guard Trinity Miller, guard Adalyn O’Hanlon and guard Kate Thomas.

Brisbane’s assistants, Nathan Keller and Amanda (Mylant) Robinson, were also the middle school coaches.

Brisbane hoping his three starting guards show the newcomers how to prepare for varsity basketball.

“No. 1, they bring a lot of leadership by example,” Brisbane said. “They’ve been through the wars. They can talk about the differences. They know what to expect. They know what needs to be done at practice.

“They don’t miss practice or cause drama. They do the best for the program, and I hope they play the best basketball of their career.”

Three other players Brisbane expects to contribute are the Loucks sisters: senior Ally, junior Rain and sophomore Rissa.

Derry will scrimmage Monessen on Nov. 28 and then open the season at the Monessen tip-off tournament, where it will face Charleroi on Dec. 1.

“We’ll see if we can grind out wins this season,” Brisbane said. “First thing is we want to do better than last year. Want to have a better section record and overall record. If we can focus on that, we’ll see where it takes us.

“We want to have a winning season, more wins than losses. This is a turning point for Derry girls basketball. We want people who watch us play say, ‘That team plays with passion, and it’s fun to watch them play.’ ”

Derry girls at a glance

Coach: Gene Brisbane

Last year’s record: 9-13 (2-10 Section 1-4A)

Returning starters: Samantha Gruska (Sr., G), Jane Huss (Jr., G), Rachelle Marinchek (Sr., G).

Top newcomers: Ally Loucks (Sr., F), Rain Loucks (Jr., F), Rissa Loucks (So., F), Haylee Myers (Fr., G/F), Kameryn Dunlap (Fr., G), Kylee Metcalf (Fr., G) Trinity Miller (Fr., G), Adalyn O’Hanlon (Fr., G), Kate Thomas (Fr., G).

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Derry Area