Expectations are high for the South Fayette boys basketball team after winning a PIAA Class AA championship -- and coach Rich Bonnaure says he knows it.
"I was thinking of how to play it out with the players," Bonnaure said. "Should I talk about it⢠Should I not talk about it⢠But we have just been taking it day to day.
"There is no reason to doubt that we won't have another good season."
South Fayette defeated Philadelphia power Strawberry Mansion, 49-47, at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center for the PIAA Class AA title last season. It was a fitting end to the Lions' Class AA run because they moved up to Class AAA this season.
South Fayette will call Section 5-AAA its new home. The Lions will battle Trinity and Montour -- two teams ranked in the Tribune-Review's preseason Class AAA Top 10. South Fayette was ranked second in the preseason poll.
"It will be a tough section," Bonnaure said. "Waynesburg and McGuffey are both supposed to be really improved. Ringgold dropped down from Class AAAA.
And we know all about Washington, who moved to Class AAA with us."
The Lions' stiff section competition will top a difficult out-of-section schedule that includes match-ups with Class AAAA schools Chartiers Valley and Shaler.
The Lions also will face Class AA Shady Side Academy and Class A North Catholic. The Troy Hill school's team is a former Class AA section rival of South Fayette; the two teams split their series last year.
"We are going to have a big target on our back," senior guard Adam Silko said. "Everyone is going to want to say they beat a defending state champion."
The team also will make an early-season trip to Baltimore to take on Maryland programs' North County and Old Mill. Old Mill was the runner-up in Maryland's Class AAAA tournament last season.
Bonnaure said the move up in classification could not have come at a better time for the Lions. The team returns eight seniors and lost only two players from a year ago. But the two players lost were key components of the team's success.
Mike Burroughs and Tyler Henry were lost to graduation. Burroughs averaged 10.6 ppg last year. Henry averaged 11.8 ppg and scored the winning basket in the Class AA championship game.
Filling the void left by Burroughs and Henry will be eased by the returning talent that the Lions possess.
Senior guard Mike Lamberti led the Lions in scoring with 15.5 ppg last year along with 9.1 rebounds per game. Lamberti was chosen as Tribune-Review preseason player of the year.
South Fayette also returns its second-leading scorer in Patrick Zedreck, who averaged 13.4 ppg. Zedreck also led the Lions in assists, with 5.9 per game, and in steals, with three per game.
Nick Elder is a player whom Bonnaure mentioned as getting extended playing time this season. The senior guard averaged 2.8 ppg with 1.5 assists per game last year.
"Having eight seniors on a team is something I have never seen as a coach or assistant," Bonnaure said.
The Lions might start slowly because of the success of South Fayette's football team, which plays Saturday for the PIAA championship.
The basketball team shares 11 players with the football team. Five of those players make up the Top 10 of the Lions basketball team, according to Bonnaure. And, three of those five make up the Top Six.
Key contributors to the basketball squad who are also members of the football team include senior forward Christin Brumbaugh, who averaged 5.5 ppg and 5.4 rebounds per game last year, and senior guard Josh Patterson, who averaged 5.4 ppg last season.
