By Lynn Saternow
Herald Sports Editor
ROB SPON HAS come a long way since his volunteer basketball coaching days at Our Lady of Fatima School in Farrell. In fact he’s now going a long way — to New England.
On Monday, the much-traveled hoop mentor takes over as head coach of the Manchester (N.H.) Millrats, about 40 minutes from Boston.
“I’m excited about it,” said Spon in a phone conversation Friday morning.
Spon has been involved in coaching for 24 years, working in high school programs locally at various times in Sharon, Greenville, West Middlesex, Hickory and more. He worked with professional teams in North Dakota, Canada, Pittsburgh and Indiana.
Most recently he was head coach of the Gary (Ind.) Steelheads which posted an 18-4 record.
“That was nice, but Gary was a spring league, February to June,” said Spon. “This job is all-year round. I want to be there and be part of the community to be successful. I’ll do some sales, besides coaching, and there are a lot of incentives.
“We have a great general manager and the owner is a billionaire. It’s hard to find owners like him, he wants to win.”
The team plays in the Premier Basketball League, which has 18 teams. The team is in its second season.
He already has recruited former St. John’s University star Eric Barkley, who is coming back to the country to play after a stint in a pro league in Poland.
He is now considering an assistant coach and one of the candidates is a familiar name to all of us in Mercer County — former Farrell High great Gravelle Craig. Craig is associate head coach at Bethune-Cookman University in Florida.
Spon, who also does part-time scouting for the Cleveland Cavaliers, is gearing up for an “exposure camp” in late September. He’ll be evaluating several players.
The league starts in December and the Philippine National team will be coming in for a warm-up game. Last year, the Millrats went to China and played a team from Singapore.
Spon has been invited to coach for a upcoming camp for the Toronto Raptors in Toronto.
For next summer, Spon is planning to put on a clinic at the Buhl Community Recreation Center (former Buhl Club) in Sharon. One of the guest players may be Jamiro Moon of the Raptors, who formerly played for Spon in the minor pro leagues. Moon made a strong showing in the NBA dunk contest this past year and will compete again next season.
Spon has made a lot of inroads in professional coach in the last few years and someday we could even see him on the sidelines at an NBA game. He’s certainly paid his dues.
ä Speaking of traveling a long way, Our Gang’s Lounge softball team will be competing in the National ASA Open Modified Pitch Championships in Georgia over the Labor Day weekend.
Our Gang’s earned the spot at nationals by winning the state championship last month in Erie.
The team is currently playing Mercer Bowl in a best-of-five series for the Shenango Valley Modified League title with the next game set for 6 p.m. Sunday at Patagonia Senior Division field. Ironically, Our Gang’s must face pitcher Jim Kopan of Mercer Bowl, who will be toeing the rubber for the state champs at nationals as he did in Erie.
Anyone who would like to contribute to help Our Gang’s players defray the expenses of the trip may make out checks to Our Gang’s Softball Association and mail to PO Box 1424, Hermitage, Pa. 16148, or for info call 724-813-1380.
Sports
Related Photos
SPORTVIEW: Spon new coach of Manchester Millrats; Our Gang's set for nationals
- Sports
-
-
PIAA Track: Hickory's Bell, Lubarski, Regginello grab gold
SHIPPENSBURG — There’s a big difference between being seeded 1st and finishing 1st — Matt Bell can attest to that.
After settling for silver last year, the Hickory High senior put the shot 59 feet, 6 3/4 inches Friday afternoon to garner gold at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University. -
WM to play for D-10 baseball title; GC, Sharon, Sharpsville lose
Four area baseball teams were in action on Friday in the District 10 semifinals as the squads battled to compete for District 10 championships on Monday.
West Middlesex rolled past error-prone Linesville, 8-0, in Class A action at Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park.
In Class AA, both Sharon and Sharpsville suffered 2-1 losses. The Tigers fell to Saegertown at Ainsworth Field in Erie while the Blue Devils lost to Titusville at SRU.
In Class AAA, the Grove City Eagles were denied the chance to defend their D-10 crown after suffering a 6-3 loss to Warren at SRU. -
Farrell volleyball falls in D-10 semifinals
The Farrell High boys volleyball team suffered a 2-0 (25-15, 25-12) loss to Saegertown on Thursday night in the District 10 semifinals at Meadville Area High’s “House of Thrills.”
“This was the first year we made it out of the first day (pool play) of the playoffs,” said Steelers’ coach Dan Dragicevic. “I’d like to cite my seniors (Eric Demus, Anthony Perkins, Jaylen Chambers and Lawrence Hughes). -
Locals ready to go for gold at Shippensburg
Now that Mercer County is on the map, it’s incumbent upon the area aggregation to chart a course for the ultimate destination — Seth Grove Stadium’s medals stand — during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Led by West Middlesex High sprinter Clay Allen, many Mercer Countians are seeded at or near the top of their respective events for the annual 2-day marathon at Shippensburg University, which commences 9 a.m. Friday. It will continue beginning 9 a.m. Saturday. -
D-10 Playoffs: Local teams go 6-for-6
ä Grove City 1, Harbor Creek 0 — At Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park, what the Grove City Eagles couldn’t accomplish themselves, the Harbor Creek Huskies unwittingly did for them.
Unable to plate runs themselves, Torin Smith scored the Eagles’ only run when teammate Tyler Devine’s seeming inning-ending pop-up to left field was dropped by Harbor Creek’s Chris Merritt in the bottom of the 7th inning of Tuesday’s tourney opener. -
Great year for WM track; local qualifiers listed
It’s been a big year for the Big Reds.
Though there’s no official documentation, the 2011-12 academic year may be the most successful in West Middlesex High’s athletic annals. -
SPORTVIEW: Local names Kroko, Lutz, Kareklas in news elsewhere
IT’S ALWAYS GOOD to hear of former area people who have gone on to athletic success in other areas, or the family of former area residents. Following are a few of those stories:
ä Bob and Betty Kroko of Sharon are avid followers of professional baseball. No, not necessarily the Pittsburgh Pirates or Cleveland Indians like many local fans.
The Krokos keep a close eye on the Austria Major League! -
Petty an all-around great athlete in track and gymnastics
When Mercer County’s contingent convenes at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships this weekend, it will be well represented
Clay Allen, Matt Bell, John Yohman, Johnathan Jacoway, Jeremy Jansco, Nico Zahniser, DeShawn Coleman, Dan Jaskowak, et all, should haul home some hardware. But with all due respect, the aforementioned young men may or may not be best athletes in the area’s aggregation that will assemble this weekend at Shippensburg University. -
Lubarski, Richards, Petty, Allen shine at D-10 Track Championships; Hickory girls, WM boys team champs
Hickory High’s high-jump state champion Lauren Lubarski suffered a severe blow to open her competion at the annual District 10 Class AA Track & Field Championships Saturday at Hickory HIgh Stadium.
She failed to qualify for state in the event she had won the previous year. -
Baseball, softball D-10 playoff pairings
The District 10 pairings for the baseball and softball playoffs have been released. Five area baseball teams and four (possibly 5) softball squads have qualified.
- More Sports Headlines
-
