New Jeannette girls basketball coach Flow wants team to be competitive after recent struggles

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, November 28, 2021 | 3:49 PM

When Bill Flow was hired as Jeannette’s girls basketball coach in June, he inherited a team that hasn’t had much success the past three seasons.

The Jayhawks were 0-19 in 2020-21 and have been 8-54 the past three seasons.

But Flow, 39, comes back to Westmoreland County after spending the past 10 years in North Carolina, where he was a teacher and coach. He coached at Southern Alamance High School, three years as the boys coach and one year as the girls coach.

The 2000 Norwin grad is excited about the team’s progress since he started. He replaced Jonathan Bass, who coached Jeannette the past three seasons.

“When I was interviewing for the job, I watched film of their games.” Flow said. “Depth was a problem, and not having a good bench hurt them.

“We’re focusing on making layups and easy shots. We want them to learn how to play solid defense and attack the hoop on offense. They looked lost on defense and we’re working on communication.”

Flow has been pleased with how the girls want to work. The players lifted twice a week and worked on their skills another two days.

“Covid has hurt a lot of programs,” Flow said. “Kids missed out on training for a season. We’ve had great attendance.”

Flow is working with 11 players. He said all will contribute.

Many started or saw a lot of playing time the past two seasons. That group includes juniors Jordan Bass, Zoey Vincent, Franke Crosby, Oceana Sirnic and Kira Wright, senior Mackenzie Rigney and sophomore Talyah Dunmire.

Flow said he expects the freshmen — Mary Jones, Charlotte Uncapher and Selena Ramsey — will all contribute. Jones is a 6-foot-2 forward.

“We’ve seen a lot of progress since we started,” Flow said. “We played in the fall, and I’m eager to see our first scrimmage against Steel Valley and our game coming against Derry (Dec. 10).

“A lot of work still needs to be done before we open the season. But the girls are willing to learn. They want to get better.”

Jeannette plays in a difficult section with the likes of Greensburg Central Catholic, Apollo-Ridge and Winchester Thurston. Flow’s goal is to be competitive in every game.

“We want to ramp up the defense and limit our turnovers,” Flow said. “We want to be in the game heading into the fourth quarter, and then, hopefully, we can coach them to a win.

“They’re a happy group. They don’t look like a team that has struggled in the past. They’re excited and ready to go.”

Jeannette girls at a glance

Coach: Bill Flow

Last year’s record: 0-19 (0-6 Section 4-2A)

Returning starters: Jordan Bass, (jr., F), Zoey Vincent (jr., F), Franke Crosby (jr., G), Oceana Sirnic (jr., G), Mackenzie Rigney (sr., F), Kara Wright (jr., F).

Top newcomers: Savannah Locke (jr., G), Selena Ramsey (fr., G), Mary Jones (fr., F), Charlotte Uncapher (fr., G), Talyah Dunmire (so., F)

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Jeannette