The Knights are rebuilding after a 14-9 finish and first round exit from the postseason last year. Norwin is 7-10 this season and have officially been eliminated from the playoffs this season.
Head coach Lance Maha is in his 3rd year at Norwin after a succesful coaching career which has spanned decades. Coach Maha is closing in on his 350th career boy’s win with a cumulative record of 348-294 over 4 schools. (West Mifflin, Propel Braddock Hills, Quigley Catholic, and Norwin)
“Our biggest strength this season has been our resilience and how we’ve dealt with tough stretches,” said Maha. “We try to be enthusiastic everyday and focus on improvement as much as results.”
Norwin is run through their youth this season with sophomore starters Alex Graney, Christopher McKnight, and Mario Csukes with the team boasting just 4 seniors. This comes in stark contrast to last season’s 13 seniors as the Knight’s Dylan McCollugh, Alex Wiggins, Luke Denny, and Noah Wilson taking charge as seniors.
“It been a difficult season with a lot of ups and downs for the whole team and for me,” McCullough said.
Mario Csukes produced volume scoring for the Knights this season, putting up 17 or more points in 3 contests this season. Csukes isn’t the only Knight taking charge on offense as Noah Wilson’s 18 against Laurel Highlands and 16 against South Allegheny aided Norwin to victory against the Mustangs. Wilson’s performance against South Allegheny wasn’t enough as Norwin fell 67-57.
When speaking on the loss, Csukes reflected positively on the team’s journey so far this season.
“I feel like the games against Penn Trafford and South Allegheny showcased all of the work that we had put in ahead of the season,” said Csukes. “Even though we lost, both teams were very good and we took them to the final buzzer.”
Senior Forward Dylan McCollugh embodies the style of this team. McCullough is a 3 and D-wing and is planning on attending Mount Aloysius State to play basketball in the fall.
“We are a young team and rely on the 3 to win.” said McCollugh, “As a team it can hurt you because we have games where we can’t miss and others our shots just won’t fall.”
Following the break into the new year the Knights remain consistently inconsistent, with a 2-5 record since Jan. 1. The team has struggled down the stretch, facing this season’s toughest opponents consecutively.
Norwin faced Upper St. Clair on both Jan. 5 and Jan. 30 with losing efforts on both dates. A 73-54 loss at Baldwin on Jan. 9 which saw the game move to the alternative gym due to a leak in the roof with over 5 minutes left before halftime. Games are only getting tougher for the Knights.
“In general, I instill an attitude of competitiveness and use that as a measuring stick as much as winning or losing.” said Maha following Norwin’s game against USC on Jan. 30. “I address coaches as educators while emphasizing growth as much as wins and losses.”
The Knights season has hit the home stretch as Norwin is 4 games out of the WPIAL playoffs. Norwin continues their season at home on Feb. 2 against Baldwin (8-4). They travel to Mt. Lebanon (15-3) on Feb. 6 and come back home for senior night against the Hempfield Spartans (4-15) on Feb. 9. Lance Maha and co. finish their season away from home against the #2 team in PIAA 5A Franklin Regional (15-2).
