Fresh start for Eagles as Corso takes over

By JEFF OLIVER
MVI Sports
A new direction for Serra is underway as the Eagles feature a fairly inexperienced team led by a first-year coach.
A.J. Corso, who served as an assistant in the program a few years ago, is eager to start off his varsity head coaching career.
“I’m very excited,” Corso said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how this season shakes out.”
Corso’s first team returns three players who started at least part of last season when Serra went 11-12, but was 9-3 in Section 2-2A and made the WPIAL playoffs.
The returning starters are 5-11 senior Mark Thomas and a pair of sophomores, 5-11 Joey DeMoss and 5-8 Elijah Ward.
“Those guys are our leaders and I expect they will be doing the bulk of our scoring, starting with Thomas,” Corso said.
The front-runners for the other two starting spots are 6-3 junior Ryan Brooks and 5-9 sophomore Michael Schanck.
However, Corso was quick to note that his team will feature an up-tempo style of play that will demand lots of fresh legs.
Among the players Corso expects to see a lot of time are seniors Jayden Mertz (6-0), Nick Almeter (6-1) and Dom DeMoss (6-1) and junior Brendan Cooley (6-2).
“We don’t have a true big man or a lot of height to speak of, but what we do have is a lot of speed and athleticism,” Corso said. “We’re going to take advantage of our athleticism and really push the tempo. We’re going to play fast and trap all over the court.
“To do what we plan on doing, we’re going to use a lot of kids so we can wear opponents down.”

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