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Prepping for Preps: Holy Ghost Prep (Pa.)

11/05/2015, 6:00pm EST
By Rich Flanagan

Jack Coolahan (above) is the only returning member of Holy Ghost with any starting experience. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of CoBL's "Prepping for Preps," our series of articles previewing area high school teams for the 2015-16 season. For the complete list of schools previewed so far, click here)

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Last season ended quite differently for the Holy Ghost Prep Firebirds than in years past. For the first time in six seasons, they failed to reach the Bicentennial Athletic League championship game, falling to Lower Moreland in the semifinals.

Despite the loss in the Bicentennial League semifinals, the Firebirds (15-10, 11-3) advanced to the District 1 Class AAA tournament, but the week prior to their matchup with Pottsgrove head coach Tony Chapman caught pneumonia, was hospitalized and unable to coach in the game. Holy Ghost lost 52-48.

Chapman, who is entering his 38th year as head coach at Holy Ghost, is back healthy but he will have to replace a core group of seniors: Liam and Tim Brennan, Andre Puleo and Mike Kirby. Swingman Liam Brennan is now playing at Lebanon Valley College. Tim, last year’s starting point guard, is playing baseball at St. Joe’s. Puleo was the Firebirds’ starting center and best post player.

If last season ended differently than usual for the Firebirds, this season will be beginning a whole lot differently. Other than senior guard/forward Jack Coolahan, Holy Ghost returns no player who started multiple games or played significant minutes last year.

Coolahan started several games last season, but Chapman has never had a team like this one with so little experience.

“[This is going to be] my most challenging year. We’re going to be pretty young, and we’re not very experienced,” Chapman said. “We’re thin with the senior class. Over the years with the way we’ve run our program, we’ve been deep with our senior class. We’re going to have to be patient.”

Chapman said Coolahan is the “only person in the starting lineup” but after him “it’s wide open.” Coolahan has had a tough time staying healthy. During his sophomore season, he suffered a concussion that caused him to miss all but two games. Last year, he missed a couple games with a sprained ankle.

Chapman called him an “unknown factor,” but Coolahan is healthy and ready to take on a bigger role this season.

“I think the other guys are going to rely on me to be primary scorer,” Coolahan said. “We have two rotation players back from last year so most of them haven’t played at the varsity level. I just have to keep everybody on the right track, and give everyone tips on what to do.”

One of those rotation guys from last season will not be playing this year. Senior Joe Braun tore his anterior cruciate ligament playing for the soccer team and will miss the season.  The other guy Chapman is hoping to take some of the pressure off of Coolahan is Mike McFadden, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL of his own.

The 6-foot-2 guard has had a year to recuperate and get back to full strength, and Chapman is expecting a big season from the junior guard. Chapman knows McFadden can score and said he has “done a great job getting in shape.”

Even Coolahan noted how far McFadden has come since his injury.

“I’ve watched him all summer. It’s almost like he’s a sophomore. He’s a good scorer and pretty athletic. He’ll take on a pretty sizable role,” Coolahan said.

After Coolahan and McFadden, there are question marks about where production and minutes will come from. Seniors Ryan Wade and Jim Armentani both saw minimal time last year and could see their minutes increase. The junior class of John McCrane, Aidan Bauer and Luke McDonald could make the biggest jump. Chapman believes these three could potentially fill out the starting five. McCrane, a 6-2 guard/forward, was hurt last year. Bauer and McDonald are both under 6-foot, but have the chance to play meaningful time.

Two more guys who will be looked upon to play this season are sophomores Connor Fife and Jack Elliot. Both are still developing but may need to be thrust into the lineup for the shorthanded Firebirds.

Chapman understands there will be growing pains as the season progresses, but he wants to see gradual development from his team to eventually grow into a cohesive unit.

“I want to see effort. I want to feel that they’re giving the maximum effort that they can,” Chapman said. “For me as a coach, that’s the guiding line. That’s what kids have to learn. We’re going to struggle because of our inexperience and none of these kids have played together. As the year goes on, I hope to see that.”

Holy Ghost opens its season on December 4 in the Manheim Township Tipoff Tournament. Chapman hopes to see his team’s progress paying dividends by the time Bicentennial League play begins in the hope to contend with Lower Moreland and Church Farm, both of whom Chapman pegged as “good barometers” to measure them against.

Coolahan believes the loss of several key contributors last season “hurts” but he also sees it as a “confidence booster” for some of the new players as it’s a chance for them “to earn their spot.”

As long as the new players follow what Chapman is showing them every day in practice, Coolahan feels this team can compete.

“It’s all about adopting the core values that Coach Chapman has always preached," he said. "Play your heart out on defense and having a higher intensity every night than the other team. If we do that, we should win a lot of games.”


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