Brian Scholly
Brian Scholly joined the State College basketball program as head varsity coach in 2018. He is a 2014 graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA and a 2010 graduate of State High. From 2017-2018, Scholly was a member of the Landmark Conference coaching staff, during which the Eagles won a school-record 23 games and captured a share of the program’s first regular season conference championship. His previous coaching experience also includes three seasons as an assistant coach at Juniata College and one year as an assistant coach at Maine Maritime Academy. Scholly has worked at basketball camps across the country, including the HoopGroup Academic Elite camps and camps at the United States Naval Academy and Yale University.
As a coach, Scholly is focused on building a program that represents State College High School and the community with integrity, class, and character. The program promotes the growth of student-athletes on and off the floor, and helps to prepare them for success after graduation. His main goal is to provide all members of the program a positive experience that contributes to the overall experience at State College High School. We are excited to have Coach Scholly as our 2023 Fall Director of all Programming!
Ethan Khoza
Ethan is located in State College, PA and founded Vision Driven Basketball LLC in the Summer of 2019. Since then he has worked with numerous players at the youth level, high school level, collegiate level, including D1, D2, D3, and NAIA, and players at the professional level. He trains players locally in Central PA.
Ethan is also going into his third season as the Head Junior Varsity/Assistant Varsity Coach at Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, PA. Along with that, he also coaches AAU with the PA Prime organization based in State College.
Ethan has worked with many other trainers as well as organizations such as Breakthrough Basketball to assist with running camps and clinics throughout the area.
In addition to Ethan's local basketball training business, he has amassed an audience of over 30,000 though his YouTube channel and Instagram page and works with players from all over the world through his online basketball training platform.
Ethan's goal is to equip players with the necessary tools to maximize their potential and thrive on and off the court. He prides himself in simplifying the game for his players and building their skill level, basketball IQ, decision making, and overall feel for the game. The goal is not just to offer basketball training but to offer complete basketball development by building better teammates and better people by building strong relationships with players who are committed to becoming the best that they can be.
Mike Houser
Coach Houser joined our coaching staff Spring 2021. Mike is originally from Blairsville and was District 6 Champion and a PIAA quarter- finalist amassing an impressive school record 30-1 season. He attended Allegheny College and led the Gators to a North Coast Athletic Conference Championship and the NCAA tournament second round in 1998. He also earned two time all-NCAC selection, including 1st team in 1998 when he was also named team MVP. Mike began his coaching career at Bethany (WV) College while attending graduate school at West Virginia University. After graduating, he moved on to Lebanon Valley College and finally back to his alma mater, Allegheny College. During Mike's college coaching career, he worked at numerous camps and clinics, including University of North Carolina’s Basketball School. After some time away, he missed the game and became the assistant boys varsity coach at State College HS in 2018. "I look forward to using my experience , as a player and coach, to help young players develop individual skill and team concepts."
-Coach Houser
Kent Dwyer
Kent is a Spanish teacher at Park Forest Middle School, having recently moved to State College after spending five years teaching abroad. Kent has been coaching basketball for 18 years, primarily focusing on building players’ foundational skills and understanding at the developmental level. Notable experience for Kent includes coaching for High Performance Basketball, a competitive program based in Qatar. There, he was able to work closely with Eric Carr (former PSU player, professional coach) and his wife Sandra Ramos (former university player, professional coach). Kent went on to found an elementary basketball program at his school in South Korea, a program that served over 150 student-athletes every year. Kent is particularly proud of the fact that female participation in athletics at his previous school grew by over 700% through his efforts. Kent also coaches soccer and volleyball.
Karen McCaffrey
We are excited to announce Karen has joined our CB family! Karen was born and raised in Williamsburg, PA. She is a graduate of Penn State University. She has been teaching 6th grade at Penns Valley for almost 30 years and is a mother of five. Karen brings to CB an extensive resume of experience and enthusiasm derived from her love of basketball. She retired in 2019 as Head Varsity Coach of the Penns Valley girls Program after 27 years amassing an impressive 341-193 career varsity record. Karen has coached at all levels including Jr. High, JV, Varsity and many travel teams. Some of her accomplishments include winning two District 6 Championships (1st one in school history in 1996/97 season), 7 League Titles and coached seven 1,000 point scorers. Karen’s Coaching Philosophy, which she coins as the secret to her success is, “Mug and Run”, play outstanding defense and fast break. Karen served as our 5th/6th grade Director last season and will be assisting at all levels this Winter with skill sessions, supporting coaches and lending her vast experience and expertise. We are so excited to have Karen involved with all the Youth and CB Community!
Curtis Ishler
Curtis Ishler is a native of Bellefonte, PA. He played varsity basketball at Bellefonte Area High School, where he was a 2-time Mountain League All-Star. He went on to play DIII basketball at Juniata College. After graduating, he coached AAU for Advanced Hoops out of Harrisburg. He quit coaching when he and his wife started a family, but now that his two daughters are old enough to start playing the sport, he’s joined us at Centred Basketball as the co-Director of the Kindergarten-2nd grade division this Winter and we are thrilled to have him on board!
Joe Walker
The former head varsity boys' coach at State High, Joe led the Little Lions to three straight district titles, as well as Mid Penn Regular Season and Playoff Championships. Coach Walker attended Lock Haven University where he received 2nd-Team PSAC West accolades in his junior and senior seasons, and spent summers working and sharing his love for basketball with players of all ages at basketball camps. Joe currently teaches 7th grade Science at Mt. Nittany Middle School and has filled several roles with CB, serving as Youth Skills Director and leading our player talent evaluations. He sees basketball as an extension of the classroom and attributes valuable life lessons and opportunities to the sport and looks forward to fostering the development of younger players in the community by emphasizing the importance of discipline, fundamentals, and teamwork.
Patti Longenecker
Originally from Lancaster, PA, Patti was a three sport athlete at J. P. McCaskey High School where she played in four consecutive 4A PA State Basketball Championships winning her Senior year as a starting guard. This 1982 Team was the only in school history to win a State Championship and was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. She then went on to earn a full scholarship to play Division 1 College Basketball at Penn State University from 1982-85 and served as Team Captain her senior year. Patti has been coaching in the local community for over 15 years including AAU and has held Junior High and Varsity Coaching positions at several local schools in the area. Patti also provides private instruction focused on shooting and guard skills. You can often see Patti refereeing and coaching for the past 25 years in local men's and women's basketball leagues. Coach Patti has an overall love of the game of basketball and will be serving as our 3rd/4th and 5th/6th Director this Winter 2020-21.
Bethany Irwin
In her 23 years with the State College Girls Varsity Program, Coach Bethany compiled a 399-187 record, racking up eight District 6 titles, five league crowns, two appearances in the PIAA semifinals and sending more than 30 players to college programs. In her youth, Bethany won two State Titles at Branford High School in Connecticut. Her team was 71-4 during her high school career, and she was the first female player to score 1,000 points in school history. She went on to play Division I Women’s Basketball at Penn State University under Head Coach Rene Portland from 1985-1989, where she still ranks among the Lady Lions top 20 in points, rebounds and blocked shots. Bethany was recently inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Bethany spends a lot of her time traveling to UCONN to see her daughter, Kyla, play for the Lady Huskies and Coach Geno Auriemma. We are thrilled to have Bethany’s experience, passion, and love for basketball at CB!
Allen McGriff
A New York City native, Coach Allen moved to State College in 2007. He began coaching in 2013 for the YMCA and worked his way up to becoming the head coach for the Park Forest 7th grade boys' basketball team in 2018. Over the years, he has coached both boys and girls from Kindergarten to middle school level. Allen believes that basketball doesn't just teach competition and hone talent, but also develops numerous life skills such as commitment, understanding, and focus. Allen joined CB in the spring of 2019, when he took reins of our 7th/8th grade boys' spring travel team and served as the Director of our Fall 5th/6th grade 3v3 Program.
Tina Gaughan Powers
Coach Tina considers basketball one of her life long passions, as she has been playing, coaching, and studying the game for over 35 years. She coached for several years in the Bellefonte Area School District, at both the junior high and JV/Varsity levels, becoming the head varsity coach in 2004. At the high school level, her team racked up the most wins in a season and the school's first District VI title as well as first State playoff win in program history. https://www.basd.net/Page/5503
She coached the 2nd and 3rd players in school history to reach the 1,000 scoring mark. Since 2011, Coach Tina has coached elementary and middle school boys' teams in various leagues and tournaments, and founded the SCASD Elementary (3rd-6th grade) Holiday Basketball and Winter Tournaments. She views basketball as a tool to teach teamwork and good sportsmanship as well as life skills like discipline, hard work, and having fun. She has served as Director of Coaching and currently is Vice President of the CB Board.
Pete Manion
Pete has always a passion for basketball. He believes that team sports provide a positive outlet and opportunities for life lessons such as hard work and perseverance. Pete helped to launch Centred Basketball to share these beliefs with kids of all ages and skill levels in our area. Pete himself has played or coached organized basketball for over 45 years. As a player, he was a starter for Archbishop Stepinac high school in the New York City area, where he had opportunity to play with and against several future NBA players. From ‘87-‘90 he coached grammar school basketball at St.Joseph’s in Bronxville, NY where the team captured the Westchester Athletic Association championship in ‘89. He also spent two seasons coaching both JV and Varsity Boys grammar school basketball teams in Hackensack, NJ from ‘02-‘03. More recently, while living in NJ, Pete was active
in youth sports (Soccer, Basketball, Baseball). Since moving to State College Pete served six seasons as volunteer coach in the State College YMCA Pioneer league. Pete was coaching certified in NJ is USA Basketball certified. In addition to being the CB Treasurer, Pete is the director for CB’s 7th/8th grade boys winter program.
Bill Zeruth
Sports and coaches are very important to Bill, as they have served as a vehicle for teaching life lessons and providing a sanctuary for him as boy and a young man. Bill played AAU and high school basketball where he helped lead his team to its first ever state playoff run. He then went on to play college basketball for Penn State Hazleton where he was the captain and the starting shooting guard. During the 2001-2002 season, he briefly held a PSU Hazleton record for 3-pointers made in a game and helped lead the team to the PSUAC Championship. Upon graduating from college, he became an English teacher at the middle and high school levels where he also served as a volunteer high school assistant boys’ coach and a head middle school girls’ coach. For the past 5 years, he has been coaching recreational & competitive youth basketball and has run and worked various camps and clinics including camps with Breakthrough Basketball. This year Bill was hired as the 7th grade boys’ basketball coach at Mount Nittany Middle School. He currently holds certifications as a Ganon Baker Certified Basketball Skills Coach, a Lead Em’ Up Regional Leadership Coach, and a USA Basketball coach. Bill is one of the founders of Centred Basketball and continues to volunteer coach with CB.