Olean's Jeff Anastasia is the 2014 Centercourt Coach of the Year

 

Every season for Olean head coach Jeff Anastasia begins with high expectations.  That's what  happens to a coach like Anastasia - one who builds a program that starts with the kids in grade school, one who gets his kids to play the right way, and one who not only wins more than he loses every year, but wins titles.

 

The Huskies have won a title in just about every season that Anastasia has been behind the bench.  They've won countless league titles, so many in fact, that it becomes somewhat of a historical achievement when someone else wins their league.  They've won Section VI titles, seven in just the last eight years alone.  Olean has claimed the Far West Regional title in four of the last eight years. And in 2008, the Huskies won the NYSPHAA Class B state championship in Glens Falls.  Oddly enough, that team may have exceeded expectations in that season.  

 

For the Olean squad that just completed its 2014 campaign, exceeding expectations wasn't an option.  There simply were no  expectations to exceed.  With a core group of four starters that played three seasons together and had already reached the state semifinals two seasons earlier, there was a state championship or bust mentality surrounding the Huskies.  It came from the community, from casual fans of the team from the Buffalo area, from followers upstate who remembered the core as sophomores, and from local media types like myself.  But it also came from within the locker room, from within the team and coaches itself.  They knew they had a special group, and when you combine that factor with the name Olean across the front of the jerseys, expectations soar.

 

Olean petitioned for and were granted an independent schedule for this season.  Once they received the go ahead, Anastasia lined up meat grinder of a schedule for his team, one that would not only push and challenge them, but also create more competitive games that would afford his stars time to play together and experience momentum swings, lead changes, large deficits, rewarding hard-earned victories, and even defeat.   The results were exactly what the move to go independent was intended for.  The Huskies split a memorable two-game series with Section V Class AA champ, Greece Athena, won on a buzzer-beater against Manhattan Cup champion Nichols, twice trounced a very talented Bishop Kearney team who were the defending Class AA state champs, swept a pair of games against Timon, and took to the road to rout St. Mary's.  They also experienced a tough losses to Canisius and Aquinas.

 

Ultimately, Olean fell short of its expectations this season.  They did reach the promised land, the Class B state championship game.  But the outcome is promised to no team that arrives there.  On a Saturday night in Glens Falls, Anastasia could only look on and marvel and what was transpiring in the title game.  Eventual Federation champion, Westhill of Section III, put on the type of shooting display you couldn't repeat playing a video game.  The first half became a surreal experience - watching a dominant team get dominated.  Calling timeouts didn't help and playing defense didn't matter.  The avalanche of momentum Westhill had in that game wasn't going to be stopped.  A sad ending to a magical season for the Huskies to be certain.  However, as time passes, the 2014 Huskies will likely be remembered as the best of a long line of great teams to take the court in Olean.  

 

There is definitely a lot of talent that passes through Olean, but it's not like something exists in the water there.   Every area has talent.  But rarely do you see talent manifest itself the way it does in Olean.  What makes the Huskies different and what does exist in Olean is a man who teaches the game to the program he has built.  Anastasia has his own expectations for his teams every year.  He expects them to conduct themselves with class, to properly represent the school, and to be commited to improving as a team.  But he also manages the expectations placed upon him and his team admirably.  He's a gentleman in every encounter you have with him.  His players are polite and respectful.  His staff is welcoming and accomodating.  His fans revere him for the years of success he has given them.  And his team's are a pleasure for someone who loves the game of basketball to watch.  

 

What we saw this season from the Huskies, the number one small school in WNY, was the manifestation of superior coaching combined with special talent.  Olean's dominance and downright clinical routs of Burgard, Depew, Fredonia, and Charlotte, en route to Glens Falls this season, were the result of a coach who was meticulous about the details.  The spacing, ball movement, offensive sets, and defensive strategy at Olean are almost taken for granted - it's just what everyone has come to expect.  Anastasia has created that culture over the years, on his way to winning more games than any other active coach in WNY.  Already a legend in WNY coaching circles before this past season even began, he developed arguably the best Huskies' squad in school history this year and guided them on a memorable journey that went as far as it could and would never have gotten as far without him.  For that, Jeff Anastasia deserves to be recognized, and he becomes the fourth annual recipient of the Centercourt Coach of the Year.

 

-centercourt

Comments

[hoopster]

CC, on this happy occasion of confirming what everyone knows, Anastasia is perennially a top 3 or so coach in WNY, why is it that you like you were just arrested for robbing a bank? :)

No one can dispute the fine job that Coach A did this year and always does. However I'm not sure you can separate what Coach Drake did with the Red Raiders who took a team that few expected to advance outside of WNY let alone make it to the AA state title game. And to accomplish that with the Kellam transfer makes the accomplishment all the more impressive.

While Jamestown exceeded expectations, Olean didn't quite meet them while doing everything possible to win a state title. Of course, one can argue that trying to meet outsized expectations and falling just short while having a tremendous season is even more challenging than exceeding lowered expectations. Every year there are teams touted to reach great heights that fall short demonstrating how difficult it is to carry the burden of great expectations on your shoulders throughout a season. The teams that do are indeed special.

And I'd say someone who was right there this year with Coach Anastasia and Coach Drake is Coach Reinholtz at Nichols. One cannot ignore how they finished the season. They broke the stranglehold Canisius had on the Manhattan Cup in a year when the Crusaders were almost universally viewed as not only WNY's best squad, but one was an odds on favorite to win a state title and make a serious run at a federation title especially after defeating Nazareth handily, performing so well at the Georgetown tournament and breezing through local competition through the year.

Frankly you couldn't go wrong with choosing any of the three. Each, as well as their teams, are to be commended on an outstanding season.

In my view the pollsters got the small school ballot wrong. With Tyson, east may well have been the best team and deserving the top spot. And they certainly gave Olean a huge scare in the B finals. They dealt with adversity and performed well. Despite that they should not have been #2. The poll reflects the best teams this season and the final poll reflects the best teams at the season's conclusion. Nichols defeated Canisius! Not only that they they gave the Crusaders their toughest local game in January with the Crusaders putting some distance between them on foul shots in the waning moments of the game. Meanwhile Canisius ran over Olean earlier in the year while Olean needed a buzzer beater to beat Nichols at Olean in December. And I think Nichols would have given Westhill a much tougher game assuming they matched up in man D. I think Cam Lewis would have posed some problems for Westhill's sharpshooter with his length that Olean could not.

Thus I think Nichols deserved consideration for the #1 spot and certainly should not have been #3 behind East.

[hoopster]

Now that's what I'm talking about Mr. Andrews! That smile with your daughter on TBN PT blog says it all!!!

[sal]

June 7th team camp at NFHS- participating teams-Holland,wilson,Canisius, NF, Depew, o'hara, st. joes,East Aurora,Starpoint and Batavia. Come check it out if you ned a hs hoops fix games start at 9am. Also sad to see Chinoso lose a year of college eligibility because they say he was to old in hs. kids are pawns nowadays

[sal]

State Rankings -I know AA and A were down this year but Green Tech wins AA and ranked 8th, and A does not have one section 6 team in top 25? Canisius is 7 and Nichols 19 but no publics. How bad was it

[fullcourt1]

SCOTIA and WESTHILL were probably the 2 best " public" schools in the state this year regardless of CLASS. Where can I get PAL/ACE results?

[sal]

sorry no Buff news coverage they are in spring sports mode(understandably) fr/so game Howard and Charles lamar(NF) were game MVPs Howard was himself scoring 24 and setting teammates up. Lamar had 12 pts, 2 dunks for the 14 yr old(hopefully good for me down the road lol). Don't have the book with me but Randy Golda( Park) played great was West MVP and Kordell (st francis ) I believe ,sorry on vacation mode. 2 good games both were close games kids shared ball West had 4 kids in double figures. Tough getting kids to play ahrd in all star games but for most part was good. about 200 fans so Niagara PAL benefited a bit. Nice to see about 10 d3 coaches in gym and afterwards talking to players really what the games are about, helping kids.
On another note how about Chinoso(Kearney) having a yr taken away by NCAA because he was to old in HS. Things have changed

[fullcourt1]

Thanks SAL; sounds like the future could be bright for WNY Basketball. I need to find out more about CHIJONSO. situation; he is a very good kid but there were always questions about his age in Section 5.