3 hours Ago
This may be the golden era of high school basketball in Lawrence County — at least in terms of head coaches. Certainly, Luann Grybowski, Ralph Blundo, John Corey and Mark Stanley are in the golden years of their coaching careers. The four have combined for a staggering 1,688 wins.
They’ve all won 300 games or are close to that milestone in their storied runs. Grybowski, the dean of county bench bosses, leads the pack. Entering her 45th season, she has a 761-286 career mark.
Blundo, in his 16th season, has a 358-61 mark, while Corey is on the cusp of a milestone with a 299-175 record in 21 years while Stanley is right behind at 280-218 in 21 years as well. Neshannock’s Grybowski has seen — and done — it all in her career, which included stops at New Castle, Shenango and Aliquippa as well. A true trailblazer for girls’ basketball, she became the first head coach to lead a county girls program to WPIAL and state basketball titles.
She has five other WPIAL championship rings as well. Neshannock High coach Luann Grybowski talks to her team during a timeout. Overall, she’s only the third WPIAL girls coach to reach 700 wins.
Don Barth (North Catholic and Domenec Catholic) posted a 788-133 record, while Mount Alvernia’s De Porucznik is believed to have more than 800 wins as no exact records exist. However, both Barth and Porucznik coached many years before WPIAL girls basketball was established in 1972 and both spent their careers at Catholic schools. So, that leaves Grybowski with the most WPIAL girls coaching wins — all at public schools.
At Neshannock, Grybowski has a 260-101 mark entering her 16th season leading the Lady Lancers. So, how has she won everywhere she’s coached? She’s immersed herself in an entire program and not just a team. “For me, the key is building a program.
To do that, you have to be involved in coaching the younger kids,” she said. “A lot of coaches today that start out, they don’t put their programs first. It’s really worked out for me.
Being involved with the program when the players are young, having coached them through junior high and at summer camps, by the time they get to ninth grade, I’ve been around them for four years or more already.” For Blundo, coaching basketball has just come naturally. After guiding George Junior Republic to a 26-2 record in his first year as a varsity head coach in 1998-99, Blundo returned to New Castle as the top assistant under legendary Red Hurricane mentor John Sarandrea for seven seasons.
He moved to Westminster College as an assistant before becoming New Castle’s head coach in 2010. He didn’t think he’d still be on the bench in ’24, entering his 15th campaign. “When I got the job in 2010, my initial promise to my wife was that I’d do it for four years,” he said.
“We just brought our youngest son, Geno, home the day I got hired, literally. So, the timing couldn’t have been worse. But, four years turn into eight.
The next thing you know, you have a son at the high school and, the next thing you know, you’re still here for Year 15.” Blundo has enjoyed immense success leading New Castle, compiling a 328-59 record. He has guided the team to seven of the program’s WPIAL-best 14 district titles and its only state crown.
So, what keeps him going? “Coaching at my alma mater, at a place that I love, it’s just part of who I am. This has been my assignment, kind of what I feel like I am supposed to do,” he said. “The challenge of helping kids, it grows every year.
Ever since COVID, those challenges have gotten tougher. There needs to be an adult handling those things and I feel like it’s something I can do. I am proud to be the head coach at New Castle and proud of the product we’ve been able to put on the floor and the young men we’ve been able to help develop.
“I think if it was just coaching basketball, I could do it forever, at least where I coach. There is just so much more to the job with a lot of the things our players deal with or go through that make it two or three times more challenging. Some of the ancillary things can be exhausting, but, at the same time, they remind us of where we’re needed.
” Neshannock High coach John Corey talks to his team before the start of the second quarter. Corey is next on the milestone watch as his first win of the season will be the 300th of his career. He got his head coaching start at Struthers.
He spent four years there before joining Blundo as an assistant on Westminster’s staff for a season. He took over Neshannock in 2008 and has produced a 268-118 mark in his first 16 seasons leading the Lancers. “Am I surprised I’m in my 21st year as a head coach? It’s a great question.
I guess, at times,” he said with a laugh. “I have a passion for the game of basketball and I have just really enjoyed being in the gym with the guys, whether during the spring, summer or fall. When that offseason starts to get a little tedious, then I know it’ll be time to call it quits.
” Stanley has an outside shot at reaching 300 wins this season with the Scotties. He had a 280-218 mark entering his 18th overall season as a head coach. A former assistant at Ellwood City under Al Campman, Stanley took over the Scotties in 2000 and compiled an 83-101 record, including the 2003 WPIAL Class 1A title and PIAA runner-up finish, in seven seasons.
He left Union to succeed Sarandrea at New Castle and put up a 31-37 record in three seasons with the ’Canes. He returned to take over the Scotties in 2014 and racked up a 166-80 mark entering this campaign. That gives him a 249-181 record with Union.
“I have been in the coaching game since I was 23 years old. I didn’t think I’d be here this long. I didn’t think I’d be doing it this long.
Probably too long — that’s what some people say,” he said with a laugh. “The bottom line is, you like to compete. You get to see the kids getting better and better in basketball and in life, so it’s good.
Whatever the result of the game, the next day is coming. The competitive aspect and seeing kids compete and getting better and getting excited is what drives me.” Story continues below video They don’t do it alone, either.
There are many assistants — paid and not — on those staffs who devote their time, too. “It takes time and patience to build a program and it takes good assistant coaches to do that,” Grybowski said. “I have been very fortunate here the last 14 years.
Jess Shevitz is right there with me coaching the younger girls, too.” Other than sharing an intense competitive spirit, all four coaches have another shared trait – they have children who played basketball and got to coach them. But, also faced the challenge of being away from them – and the rest of their families – many nights, too, Grybowski coached her daughter, Tayler, at Neshannock, while Stanley has guided all four of his boys, Anthony, Mark, Matt and Lucas, who is a senior, at Union, while Corey coached son, Jay, and will mentor Jared, who is in junior high.
Blundo’s oldest son, Ralphie, is a senior standout. “When I was at New Castle, I was involved with the elementary program and coached the junior high and high school teams. My kid paid a price for it because she was either with me or with my mom while I was coaching,” Grybowski said.
“When I decided to come to Neshannock, I had coached Tayler’s group in elementary school, so those kids had already known me. People thought that, when my daughter graduated, I’d done. But, I never had any intentions of doing that.
I really enjoy doing this even if I don’t have any children in the program.” “I have been very fortunate — my boys were coming through and they were into it,” Mark Stanley said. “The groups they’ve been with have been special groups.
That’s made it a lot easier.” Sure, family ties help, but support from the community and administration is a big factor in coaching longevity as well. “I think people respect you the longer you’re there.
In this day and age where parents complain and kids complain — I have been very lucky because I don’t have much of that here,” Grybowski said. “I set the tone. I have coached for so long that it’s a little different with me.
I did have rough-patch years at Aliquippa and New Castle. But, you have to stand firm and say that this is how it’s going to be. This program will still succeed and stand strong whether your kid plays or not.
I have never put one or two kids above the program in any shape or form. It’s always about the team. “The other part of that is that, everywhere I have been, I have taught, too.
So, that always allows you to have better rapport. That doesn’t happen as much today. Not everybody can be treated or coached the same exact way.
The kids have to trust and respect you and believe you have their best interests at hand, not only as a basketball player, but as a student and as a person. If you develop that rapport, it makes the job easier. Being able to get along with the players and parents, I never thought of retiring.
” Union coach Mark Stanley argues a call during a PIAA Class 1A playoff game against Elk County Catholic at PennWest Clarion University. “Being at one place for a long time helps. The community has been big.
If I came in as a new guy, there might be some issues that pop up, but the community has always been very supportive,” Stanley said. “The administration I am working for always has your back. If you don’t have that support, I know it can get tiresome.
I have always had that support. That’s been huge.” “So many things have to fall in line to be able to coach for a long, long time.
The challenges are so great,” Blundo added. “I know, at a lot of places, there is unwanted parental involvement. That’s not a problem at New Castle.
I’ve been fortunate that hasn’t been an issue at all here. Overall, though, staying somewhere 20, 25, 30 years — I don’t think you’re going to see much more of that.” Coaches realize they must change a little with the times, too.
“It keeps you young. I’ll grow and try. You have to change or you’re not going to make it,” Stanley said.
“Some of the things that go on, when I was younger, I would have lost my mind on. Those have changed. I look back at my younger self and think, ‘Aw, man.
’ As you grow and get older, you mellow a bit because a lot changes.” One of the big changes is basketball — and almost every sport – is a year-round activity, with a plethora of offseason camps, workouts and leagues available. That’s added more to a coach’s plate.
“The whole idea of coaching — I have enjoyed it. I really enjoy the offseason stuff and I think that is kind of what separates the longer tenured men and women that are able to do this,” Corey said. “There’s so much that goes into the offseason and that’s great.
Then, getting into the season is fun — playing games, prepping for games, the excitement for Tuesday and Friday nights. That really motivates me.” The years fly by quickly.
“I can’t believe I am one of the ‘old’ guys now, along with John Corey,” Blundo said. “He looks way older than me.”.
