Just a few months ago, Quaker Valley athletic director Mike Mastroianni honored boys soccer coach Gene Klein for winning his 500th career game.
On Friday, it was Mastroianni's turn to celebrate his own milestone win.
The Quaker Valley boys basketball team's 86-43 Section 5-AA win over South Side Beaver was Mastroianni's 400th victory as a coach, giving him a career win percentage of .687 (400-182) in his 23 seasons, 16 of which have been spent at Quaker Valley, his alma mater.
“When I sit back and look at it, that I graduated from here and then was afforded the opportunity to come back and coach here, they've been so good,” Mastroianni said. “They really let you do your job here at Quaker Valley. That's very fortunate.”
The win came on senior night for the Quakers, fitting for the way that Mastroianni has built his program through the years.
“We talked about that on senior night, that as you move on from the program, it's always here to help you the rest of your life,” Mastroianni said. “It's a really short period of time in your life, but you're free to use the program for as long as you like. Some guys are here a lot, and some guys never reach back, and that's all good. But if you ever need any type of help the rest of your life, that's really what we build our program on.”
The dedication showed by the long-time Quakers coach to the program has not been lost on the current generation of players.
“We're all really lucky to have someone who cares about us and as a program,” sophomore guard Amos Luptak said. “A lot of schools have coaches leave every two or three years, and he's been here forever it seems.”
Mastroianni knew before the season that he was approaching the milestone win, but wasn't aware until assistant coach Matt Welch told him the day before that Friday was his first chance to reach it, Mastroianni said.
With his Quakers on the closing stretch of yet another season qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs, his focus was elsewhere.
“It was the next game up, and we need to get better late in the year and worry about making a run in the playoffs,” Mastroianni said. “I was worrying about those types of things.
“I think at some point I'll have a bigger appreciation of it. Not that I don't, but I think that at this time as a coach, you're just churning and moving and worrying about your team at this time of year.”
No doubt, his team is on the same page. The players understand, and even appreciate, that mindset.
“It's great for coach,” senior Tyler Garbee said. “He deserves it. But as a team, we celebrate it that day, and then it's on to the next one.”
The Quakers came into the week with a 9-3 section record and have been securely in the playoffs for a few weeks. Aliquippa clinched the section title with a win over Our Lady of Sacred Heart on Friday, meaning the Quakers don't have much to play for over their final three games as far as playoff positioning goes.
Without anything riding on the outcome of the games, Mastroianni sees them as an opportunity to start practicing like they will for playoff games, spending lots of time gameplanning and working kinks out of the system.
“We feel really good where we are now,” Mastroianni said. “It's probably the best time to come on. You don't want to wait for the playoffs, so you want to come out a little bit earlier. Regardless if we win or lose some of these games here, it's just about how you're playing.”
After suffering three losses in a five-game stretch in January, many of the Quakers saw Tuesday's rematch against Aliquippa as being one of their most important games of the season, along with Monday's season finale with the reigning WPIAL Class AAA champion Central Valley.
“In the past three games, our team has come together more than ever,” senior Tre'won Marshall said. “It's my last three games, so it would mean a lot to go out on a win in all three games. Us seniors, and everyone else, we're still going to play hard even though we made the playoffs.”
Gary Horvath is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at ghorvath@tribweb.com or via Twitter @GHorvath_Trib.
