New coach Salih hoping to instill toughness in GCC girls

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, November 22, 2018 | 6:15 PM

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Knee pads and mouth guards have become part of the uniform at Greensburg Central Catholic.

The Centurion girls won’t be tall, but they also won’t be talked down to.

“We want our girls to play hard and to be physical,” said first-year coach Samuel Salih. “I started having teams put that stuff on years ago. I call it battle gear.”

In addition to preaching toughness — “We might foul you a lot or get a ton of steals,” Salih said — the coach also expects his team to play fast. That was his primary goal when he took over a team with a veteran backcourt that includes seniors Anna Eisaman and Bella Skatell and junior Melina Maietta. All can handle the ball and score, particularly from the perimeter.

“We’re going to be a dribble-drive, motion, continuity type of team,” Salih said. “We’ll be looking to speed teams up.”

Salih, who begins his 19th season coaching at the high school level after stints at Vincentian, East Allegheny and South Fayette plus a stint at LaRoche, will look to send GCC to the WPIAL postseason for a 19th consecutive time.

He replaced Joe Eisaman, who resigned after five seasons and a 90-40 record.

Salih inherited a roster that includes nine freshmen.

“We have that nucleus in place, which is great for us,” Salih said. “But we’re still a young team. I am taking baby steps in terms of the process and what I want to put in place.”

Skatell will be the floor leader at the point. The Division II Mansfield recruit averaged 10.5 points and three assists last season.

The 5-foot-8 Eisaman is a quick slasher and sneaky-good defender.

“Things have been fun and relaxed so far,” Eisaman said. “We have some talent back, and now we need our freshmen to have some confidence. We know we can’t be selfish. We need to always be looking for the extra pass.”

Eisaman put up 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season.

“To have a D-II point guard and another potential college player (Eisaman), we have that veteran leadership,” Salih said. “(Skatell) is like a coach on the floor. “That makes it easier from the start.”

Maietta, who could be headed for a Division I or II career, is a streaky shooter and likely will be a key to GCC’s transition game as the team drops into Class A.

“We had a shot clock at LaRoche,” said Salih, who played at Allderdice and Knoxville College before a short stint in the pros. “Instead of four or five passes, now it’s two or three. This group is smart and heady. We’ll look to take some transition threes, rebound and run. Defense-wise, we need stops and scores.”

Junior Gia Scala who, like Maietta, transferred from Norwin, is expected to have an effect when she returns from a foot injury.

Rachel Riley, a 5-9 senior, will be a key forward on a team full of guards. Others looking to contribute are junior Teresa Kondas and 5-11 freshman Rebecca Hess.

Other freshmen include Laura Kondas and the Zambruno twins from the golf team, Meghan and Ella, among others.

“I could play eight to 10 kids, depending on who steps up,” Salih said. “We need the three E’s: energy, effort and enthusiasm.”

GCC, which oddly ended last year with three straight losses, has reached the PIAA playoffs 14 times in the last 15 seasons.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Greensburg C.C.