Norwin boys basketball team working to reach potential

Lance Maha feels like he has been at Norwin for ages, but it has been only about three months since he took the boys basketball coaching job in North Huntingdon.

His transition has been smooth, and he feels right at home.

“The kids have been great,” Maha said. “We’ve had really good participation, and I think we’ve been getting a little bit better every day.”

Maha, who coached the West Mifflin boys for 20 years and made the WPIAL playoffs 17 times, spent last season coaching the West Mifflin girls.

He called Norwin “a sleeping giant” when he took over in August. His goal is to get the Knights back to the postseason for the first time since 2016.

“We’re trying to reach our potential,” said Maha, who won a total of 296 games at West Mifflin. “I’m not sure exactly what that potential is, but the kids are showing up to work to try and reach it.”

His key building blocks will be senior Michael Fleming and junior Adam Bilinsky, guards who started last year.

Fleming provides a long-range threat and is a quality ballhandler, and Bilinsky is an explosive off-the-dribble scorer with serious hops.

“You’re going to see toughness with this team,” said Bilinsky, who was slowed for a few weeks by an ankle injury he sustained in summer league action. “We’ll be talking a lot more on the court and playing much tougher defense.”

The starting five over the summer also included junior forward Justin Weaver, senior guard Ty Stecko and junior guard Ryan Edwards.

“Through the fall, that has been our solid starting five,” Maha said. “We’re trying to build depth, and we’ll keep doing that through (nonsection games) and through film sessions. I think one of our strengths is going to be our balance.”

Norwin went 7-14 last year in Buddy Valinsky’s final season as coach. Valinsky resigned after two years with a 19-23 record.

Adding depth will be junior guard Collin Gunzburger and junior forward Michael Mihalov, the Knights’ tallest player at 6-foot-5.

Mihalov, though, is expected to be on crutches until the end of December with an injury.

Junior point guard Kaleb Pryor likely would have fit into the Knights’ plans, but he transferred back to Gateway.

“We want to play fast, but how fast we play will be determined by the kids,” Maha said. “I am hoping will be a much different team come January than we are now, especially defensively.”

Maha, a teacher at West Mifflin, points to Central Catholic and Fox Chapel as potential front-runners in Section 3 — no surprise there — but expects Penn-Trafford and Hempfield to be in the mix as well, with Greensburg Salem the unknown of the bunch.

His coaching staff includes Eddie Marko, a former boys coach at South Allegheny, Gateway and Yough, and Rob Yeschenko, who has coached girls basketball at West Mifflin, where he works as an assistant principal. He is the cousin of Belle Vernon boys soccer coach Al Yeschenko.

Norwin boys at a glance

Coach: Lance Maha

Last year’s record: 7-14, 3-7 (Section 3-6A)

Returning starters: Adam Bilinsky (Jr., G), Michael Fleming (Sr., G)

Top newcomers: Ryan Edwards (Jr., G), Collin Gunzburger (Jr., G), Michael Mihalov (Jr., F), Ty Stecko (Sr., G), Justin Weaver (Jr., F)