Kid looks good in Blue and Gold!
Quakertown's new league has old feel
By Ron Kohl | Special to The Morning CallKevin Keeler has been waiting for this kind of a winter. New alignment, NCAA Division I recruit at center Â… what more could a veteran coach ask for?
In his 26th season prowling the sidelines at Quakertown, Keeler has 6-foot-10 Marquette-bound center Brett Roseboro, and to complement the Panthers' inside strength, Keeler can also look to guard Dalton Nice, who led last year's squad in scoring with a 14 points-per-game average. Besides that, for the first time, the Panthers will compete in the new-look Suburban One Continental Conference, which is basically a retread of the old Bux-Mont League.
Instead of trying to slow the pace against greyhounds such as Cheltenham, Plymouth-Whitemarsh and Norristown, Quakertown will slug it out with North Penn, Souderton, Pennridge, Hatboro-Horsham and the three Central Bucks schools.
''I like it, because it's closer,'' Keeler said, acknowledging that his kids will spend less time on the bus. ''But it will be very competitive from top to bottom.''
Indeed, aside from rebuilding Pennridge, everyone in the SOL Continental looks competitive. North Penn has a new coach with a state-wide pedigree in former Central Catholic coach Ron Hassler, Souderton has been a contender for the past several years, and C.B. West, South and East all boast solid squads.
So Keeler isn't going rash on his preseason predictions, and for good reason. ''I hear there are some very good teams that return a lot of players,'' he said. ''We should be competitive.''
While Keeler has been at Quakertown for more than a quarter-century, the other two Bucks-Mont area squads -- Pennridge and Upper Perk -- also boast veteran coaches. At Pennridge, Dean Behrens is back for his 11th season with an almost-new lineup, while at Upper Perk, longtime North Penn coach Mike Fergus succeeds Jeff Huddleston, who retired after taking the Tribe to the District One 3A playoffs last year.
QUAKERTOWN
Coach: Kevin Keeler (26th year)
Last year: 10-14 overall, 6-10 Suburban One American
Key losses: Aaron Brunner, Paul Lamb, Dave Howell, Vinnie Mirarchi.
Key returnees: Sr. C Brett Roseboro (6-10), jr. G Dalton Nice (6-0), sr. F Donnie Thomas (6-2).
Newcomers: Sr. G Jake Kandel (6-0), sr. G Brad Cook (5-8), sr. F Steve Shells (6-0), sr. F Mike Richards (6-2), jr. G Rick Kivela (6-2), jr. G Kenton Gruver (6-2), jr. G Kenny Gula (5-11, transfer from Becahi).
Outlook: While Roseboro (12 ppg, 10 rpg) is going to attract most of the attention, Nice's outside sharpshooting could make the Panthers go places. Thomas' return gives Quakertown a solid three-veteran tandem, and solid guard height from the newcomers should help with rebounding and defense. Keeler says his goals are simple: ''We want to get back to districts,'' but he also noted it will take time to blend his veterans and newcomers into a cohesive unit.
http://www.mcall.com/sports/highschool/all-s-bucksboysbkb.6694736dec04,0,6940078.storyHere is the Quakertown MaxPreps website (for scores/schedule):
http://www.maxpreps.com/pennsylvania/basketball/quakertown-(pa)-(quakertown)/schedule.aspx?schoolid=a389552d-7d59-467e-87d7-23c48fa4ae97&gendersport=boys,basketball&urpath=,local,team
