WPIAL champion coach brings spark to North Allegheny boys basketball

By: Chris Harlan
Sunday, December 13, 2020 | 1:54 PM

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Matt McDonough and Robby Jones knew there would be some wide eyes in the gym, so they offered words of advice to their North Allegheny teammates about new basketball coach Dan DeRose.

“We let everyone know his style and how he can yell a little bit,” McDonough said. “But he does it with good intentions. We got them prepared.”

McDonough and Jones have played AAU basketball for DeRose for five years, so they learned first-hand about his passion. A former college coach, DeRose spent the past five seasons at Penn Hills, winning the WPIAL Class 6A title in 2018.

DeRose took the NA job in May.

Having two familiar faces already in the gym made the transition easier for everyone.

“Big time,” DeRose said, “because they were able to tell the other kids, ‘Listen, he’s going to let you know and hold you accountable. Just trust the system.’ To have a couple guys with their experience who’ve been pretty successful, it really did help.”

At Penn Hills, DeRose’s teams averaged 20 wins a season and reached the WPIAL playoffs all five years. He also led the South Park boys to the WPIAL playoffs in 2015 during his one season with the Eagles.

His career record in the WPIAL is 116-33.

At North Allegheny, DeRose takes over a program that never has won a WPIAL title, a shortcoming he wants to fix. NA was runner-up in 1995, ’99 and 2015.

The Tigers went 46-44 under coach Keith Noftz, who resigned after four seasons. Noftz’s teams reached the WPIAL playoffs three times but never advanced past the first round.

With a lineup that includes a Division I football recruit and a few others players with experience, DeRose sees this year’s team as a contender, both in the section and maybe in the WPIAL. The Tigers start the year third in the Trib rankings for Class 6A.

McDonough already owns a WPIAL title.

The 6-foot-1 junior won the Class A championship last winter with Vincentian Academy. After two years with the Royals, he transferred home when Vincentian closed its doors last spring.

Despite joining a new team during a pandemic, the transition overall has gone well for player and coach.

“It definitely took some time,” McDonough said. “First we had to be able to get into the gym. Then we had to find out how we play and connecting as a group. Toward the end of the summer, we really started clicking.”

The most well-known name on the roster is Khalil Dinkins, a 6-4, 220-pound Penn State football commit who gives the Tigers an athletic big man. The senior will front their press defense at times, ready to turn steals into dunks.

Dinkins averaged 10.6 points and 7.7 rebounds last season.

“One thing that excites me about him is he’s big-time football,” DeRose said. “He knows where he’s going, and he’s probably the hardest worker on the basketball court.”

Jones and Greg Habib also have spots in the starting lineup. Jones, a junior, is a smooth shooter. Habib, a senior guard, returns from a torn ACL.

DeRose plans to rotate eight or nine players.

“Between McDonough, Jones, Dinkins and Habib, any one of those four could drop 20 on you any night,” DeRose said. “I always had maybe three scorers at Penn Hills. I have four legitimate scorers and a couple of guys that can chip in here and there.”

McDonough averaged 14.1 points at Vincentian.

“We’ll be able to score,” DeRose said. “The key will be how well we can press.”

DeRose has had coaching success on the high school and college level. He coached in college for more than a decade, including six years at the Community College of Beaver County from 2003-09. He went 139-45 and won a conference title every year.

North Allegheny is his newest challenge.

“He’s won everywhere he went,” McDonough said, “so I thought it would be a good fit.”

DeRose, who’s known to be fiery on the sideline, said folks at North Allegheny don’t expect him to be anybody but himself. Still, DeRose is hopeful they’ve seen he’s not just “that crazy Italian running around on the sideline,” he said, laughing.

“I’ve been embraced by many of the parents and people at the school, saying that’s what they’ve needed there,” DeRose said. “They needed change. They needed more structure. Somebody who’s going to push their kids and coach the kids to their fullest. … They’re all for Dan DeRose being Dan DeRose.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny