City of Basketball Love

Jared Leveson (@jared_leveson)
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2022-23 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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The 2022-2023 season marks the beginning of a new era for the Conestoga Pioneers. 

This past June, head coach Mike Troy stepped down after 16 years of running the Conestoga boys program. Troy handed the keys over to Sean Forcine, who graduated from ‘Stoga in 2001.

Even though many in the Conestoga community, including Forcine, were shocked by Troy’s departure, everyone is excited for Forcine’s era to begin. 

In an interesting twist, Forcine had split his coaching duties as the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant the last four years. With a roster depleted of varsity experience because of senior departures, most of Forcine’s junior varsity squad are making the transition with him to the varsity level. He is optimistic about the Pioneers’ ability to compete because of their prior experience playing under him. But Forcine and his new coaching staff acknowledge their squad’s inexperience and are focused on building a new culture. 

“The fact that we did have nine seniors meant a lot of the underclassmen played for me last year, and some of them played for me the last two years,” Forcine said. “So the transition going from JV last year to varsity this year shouldnt be as big of a jump. As in, they know the system I want to play, they know the schemes, the intensity, the attitude, I wanna instill in the program. 

“So, the transition has actually been a little smoother than expected.” 

Last season, Conestoga finished with a 16-8 record and placed fourth in the Central League with a 13-6 mark. Their biggest contributors were their nine seniors, the largest amongst them was 6-10 center Michael Walz (University of Richmond). Only one returning player, 6-0 junior guard Brendan Styer, saw varsity playing time. 

Forcine is relying on a lot of inexperience for major minutes this season. A few members of Stoga's rising senior class, who did not see the floor often with varsity last season as juniors, are expected to contribute. 

A wrench got thrown into Forcine’s plans when 6-3 center Sean Mackey tragically tore his ACL in the last game of the season for ‘Stoga’s football team. Mackey will not suit up this winter and was supposed to play a major role for the Pioneers this season.

(L to R) Ben Robinson, Abe Dembele and Brendan Styer will be three of Conestoga's featured players for a new-look Pioneers program. (Photo: Joseph Santoliquito/CoBL)

Patrick Corr, Abe Dembele, and Brian Schubert were going to play major minutes even with a healthy Mackey; however, their roles will likely increase even more with his absence. 

Two notable names are making varsity jumps; junior guard Liam Smith and sophomore guard Ben Robinson. The only freshman on Forcine’s junior varsity team last winter, Robinson, is expected to contribute a lot with Steyer in the Pioneer backcourt this season. 

“It’s a lot of kids without varsity experience at the varsity level who are getting an opportunity right now,” Forcine said. “They’ve been playing their butts off in the offseason and bought into the system I’m putting in and we really share the ball.” 

“They’ve kinda picked up on the concepts right away. We have a lot of very smart players.”

Like how Troy brought along Forcine back in 2006, Forcine has brought in a brand new coaching staff to make the transition to his regime even smoother. Most of them, in fact, had played at Conestoga under Troy and Forcine. Something about ‘Stoga brings their people back to the community. 

Michael DeAngelo, who started at point guard for the 2009 Pioneers squad that won the Central League title, will serve as the junior varsity head coach. Sam Bevin (Ithaca University) graduated in 2012 and played shooting guard. One of Forcine’s volunteer assistants, Mike Erickson is from the class of 2016. The only coach that did not play at Conestoga is volunteer assistant Keefe Gitto, who played with Bevin at Ithaca and coached at the Division III level as a graduate assistant. 

“We’re young. We have some great new ideas,” Forcine said about his new coaching staff. “We’re super hungry to put our stamp on this program.” 

Troy did not coach Forcine when he played at Conestoga, but he brought him on as a varsity assistant during his first season as head coach in 2006. 

It was never a matter of if, but when Forcine would take the reins at Conestoga. Troy had been grooming him for the head coaching position. The idea that Forcine could take over for Troy began when he named Forcine junior varsity head coach in 2018.

The move was a big boost to Forcine’s confidence and belief in himself that he could run his own program. Troy gave him full autonomy over the junior varsity program and provided guidance from afar. It was a first-hand training ground for Forcine to manage an offseason program, deal with parents, and gain in-game experience. 

Coaching in the Central League is a huge commitment. It remains as one of the more competitive conferences in the Philadelphia area. Lower Merion and Sam Brown (Penn) are looking to defend last year’s title. Jackson Hicke (Princeton) leads a strong and athletic Radnor team that’s primed for a championship run. 

Forcine knows he’s taking a big jump in responsibility while also managing his 9-to-5 job, where he’s the Associate Creative Director at Orion Advisor Solutions. The first-year head coach has addressed those concerns openly and with little concern. The support from the Conestoga administration, Troy, and his wife Jessica are making his transition smoother. 

“There were a lot of conversations with Mike about what it really takes from a time commitment and with the athletic director Kevin Pechin,” Forcine said. “There’s just a lot more behind-the-scenes stuff, building up the program and the administrative work. There will be some surprises that pop up, but I’ve had a lot of guidance from Mike and the administration at Conestoga that have prepared me.”

But Forcine noted that coaching at his alma mater would not be possible without his wife's work on the homefront and her dedication to their family and their quintet of boys.

“I have an awesome wife at home, who helps with my five children,” he emphasized. “I couldn’t do this without her. The fact that she gives me the support and the time to pursue this passion has been awesome.” 

Raising a family of five, working a full-time job, coaching at practices, and winning basketball games in the Central League can easily become overwhelming. The pressure to succeed and devote ample time to each commitment can make one lose some hair. But Forcine’s expectations for himself and his team are measured. 

This season, Forcine acknowledged that the Pioneers cannot concern themselves with wins and losses. Doing that is only gonna compound the everyday stresses. For Forcine, it’s about implementing his culture. 

“That’s my number one goal,” he said. “I’m not really sure what to expect this year to be honest. I do think we have some young talent and some good players, but like I said not much varsity experience.”

“I think the wins will start to come second nature once we establish that identity.”