Raiders hope to make another run at section title
Waynesburg Central boys basketball coach Michael Juliano beefed up his team无毛视频檚 non-section schedule last year to help prepare for section play.
The result was a 0-7 start but the plan worked.
The Raiders wound up 9-14 overall but were 7-3 in Section 4-3A and were in the battle for first place up until the final week. Southmoreland won the section with a 10-0 record but was taken to overtime in its second meeting with Waynesburg before prevailing, 58-51.
无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 imagine that we were going to start out 0-7,无毛视频� Juliano said with a chuckle, 无毛视频渂ut we did play some competitive games early and it actually did prepare us well for section play.无毛视频�
Juliano foresees his team getting off to a bit of a better start in his third season at Waynesburg.
无毛视频淥ur schedule is very similar this year in terms of who we play in the non-conference but I think we无毛视频檒l be much more prepared for those games this time around,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 again think that will help us when we get to section games.无毛视频�
The Raiders have a trio of returning starters.
无毛视频淲e lost two starters from last year, Alex VanSickle and Alex Eck, and we also lost Dom Benamati who came off the bench for some spot minutes.无毛视频�
Senior Jackson Dean and junior Ace Litwinovich will step into those roles.
无毛视频淛ackson came off the bench and started a couple of games last year and Ace was out all of last season because he tore his ACL playing football but he无毛视频檚 back,无毛视频� Juliano said. 无毛视频淎ce is our glue guy, our hype guy. Even last year when he couldn无毛视频檛 play he was present at everything we did, vocal and communicating with the guys.无毛视频�
The three returning starters are junior Cole Headlee and seniors Dane Woods and Austin Surber.
无毛视频淥ur top returning scorers are Headlee, then Woods and Surber,无毛视频� Juliano said. 无毛视频淐ole is our point guard who has started every game with us since his freshman year. I think he is primed and ready for a breakout year.
无毛视频淐ole is going to be an impact player at the next level. He无毛视频檚 our best player, our leader, our floor general, a little bit of everything and a high-IQ guy. He无毛视频檒l usually play 32 minutes a night for us.无毛视频�
Woods is a force inside but is very versatile.
无毛视频淒ane is going to be our big guy, our bruiser underneath, offensively and defensively,无毛视频� Juliano said. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 one of those all-around guys. We无毛视频檝e referred to him as our Draymond Green. He无毛视频檚 a big guy who can handle himself along the perimeter. He has good court vision, a good feel and knack when he has the ball in his hands.
无毛视频淒ane doesn无毛视频檛 shoot a ton from the outside but the last two years he无毛视频檚 been our highest percentage 3-point shooter. He can do a little bit of everything. He无毛视频檚 been our best player at times.无毛视频�
Surber is a high-energy guy.
无毛视频淎ustin is our energizer bunny. He really gets going,无毛视频� Juliano said. 无毛视频淗e gets after it on both ends of the floor. When he can play free and in space his athleticism allows him to make plays. He plays great in transition. He无毛视频檚 also one of our top defenders.无毛视频�
Waynesburg无毛视频檚 bench is a work in progress.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 going to be a bit different from last year,无毛视频� Juliano said. 无毛视频淲e don无毛视频檛 have a ton of depth. We无毛视频檙e going to rely on that first five a good bit. Early in the season we无毛视频檙e going to try to groom and develop some depth, some role players.无毛视频�
Juliano singled out a few of those players who he will hope to get quality minutes from.
无毛视频淎 senior, Dom George, is one and Quentin Williams, who is a sophomore, those two will be the first off the bench. We无毛视频檒l have kind of by committee some big guys off the bench who can give us some minutes. Hayden Housel is a junior and is our tallest player (6-3). We have two sophomores, Landon Darr and Mason Loughner, who will likely see some time, too.无毛视频�
Juliano prefers to play man-to-man defense although he may alter that plan slightly this season.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e predominantly man-to-man. Our goal is to not just get to the playoffs but compete in the playoffs and if you want to do that you无毛视频檝e got to be able to match up and get stops man-to-man in the halfcourt,无毛视频� Juliano said. 无毛视频淎lthough, we will play a lot more zone this year than we have in the past due to our lack of depth and size. But our bread and butter is still man-to-man.无毛视频�
The 2025-26 Raiders have earned Juliano无毛视频檚 respect.
无毛视频淚 have a really great group of guys who are very responsible,无毛视频� Juliano said. 无毛视频淚 teach at West Greene so I don无毛视频檛 always get to practice before it starts but my assistants are there, except for a week or so ago.
无毛视频淲e had a situation where no coaches could be there so I walk in late but there they are, they had stretched out, had shot their free throws and were in their pre-practice shooting routine. They had taken it upon themselves to do that all without any coaches present. That无毛视频檚 the kind of players I have. They无毛视频檙e all leaders in different ways and just high-quality guys.无毛视频�
Juliano again sees the Scotties as the team to beat in the section.
无毛视频淪outhmoreland returns most of their team and they won the section last year so you无毛视频檝e got to figure they无毛视频檙e going to be heavy hitters again,无毛视频� Juliano said. 无毛视频淟igonier Valley will be right up there again. Brownsville is returning everybody so you无毛视频檝e got to figure they无毛视频檒l be improved. Charleroi are very different personnel-wise than they were last year and play a different style than what they have traditionally. I figure it无毛视频檚 going to be a pretty competitive section again.无毛视频�
Waynesburg opens section play at Brownsville on Dec. 19.