City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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For the past few seasons, Arcadia coach Justin Scott has based his early practices off of what he did in years past.

He couldn’t do that this fall -- not with a roster that features 11 freshmen.

Out of Arcadia’s 20 players, more than half are in their first year, and that’s presented obvious speed bumps for Scott and his staff leading up to the season.

“It’s just been very different,” said the coach entering his fourth season with the Knights. “Practice has been a lot slower, there’s a lot of blowing your whistle and stopping plays so you can teach. The flow hasn’t been there as in previous years. We haven’t put as much stuff in as previous years, because we want them to get what we’re trying to accomplish first.”

As Scott tries to get everyone on the same page, he does have some returning players that can aid the process. The Knights return one starter in John Landro, a senior guard who averaged 9.4 points and 33.4 minutes per game last season.

Arcadia also returns Ryan Kelley to its backcourt, as the junior guard started 17 times last season and averaged 8.1 points per game. Small forward Alex Cohen, who averaged 14.9 minutes per game in 2014-15 gives the Knights a bit more experience, but after that, it’s a lot of new faces.

Of the 11 freshmen, three hail from the Philadelphia region: guard Josh Scott (Darby/Penn Wood), guard Kelsey Gray (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) and forward Evan Slone (Souderton/Souderton).The Knights also have sophomore Brandon Thompson, who graduated from Conestoga and is expected to get some minutes this season.

All the turnover has caused Scott to do things differently during practice and also after it.

“I’m watching more film than I have in the past,” Scott said. “We film all of our practices, and I’m trying to use that as a teaching tool to kids. We’re doing film probably about 3-5 times a week so they can see their mistakes.”

One newcomer that has stood out to Scott, in person and on the film, has been freshman Phil Pierfy. The 6-5 forward is from Easton and was one of the top players in the Lehigh Valley last season.

Scott said he expects Pierfy to start for the Knights, but there are still a lot of questions that will need to be ironed out early in the season – which tips off Friday against Haverford College.

Arcadia went 16-13 last season, including a 10-6 mark in the MAC Commonwealth. The Knights were bounced in the first round of the league playoffs last season, and even with a uniquely young roster, Scott thinks his team has a chance to qualify for the MAC postseason again.

“We have a lot of talent. If the kids continue to buy in and compete and make us better, I think we can be competitive,” Scott said. “There are some really good teams in the league, but a lot of others are also young.”

But for now, he’s more focused on getting more than half of his players comfortable in an Arcadia uniform and up to speed with where he is used to be. Regardless of how the season turns out, Scott will likely never experience one like it again.

“It has tested my patience, but it’s making me a better coach for sure,” he said.