Riverview boys basketball coach Dre Corbin joined the program in May and quickly got a feel for what kind of team could take shape for the 2024-25 season.
The former assistant for five years at Aquinas Academy, who took over after Phil McGivney stepped down after three seasons with the Raiders, said he could see the desire in his players to get back to the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since the open-tournament season of 2020-21.
“With a small school like Riverview, you are always playing that game of juggling schedules with the kids who play multiple sports,” Corbin said. “But it was nice to have a consistent group showing up over the summer and fall. We were in a fall league in Woodland Hills, so we were able to see some of the guys in game action, including a number of the younger guys against some talented older competition. We saw some guys in other sports when time allowed for it.
“As those fall sports came to a close, we saw everyone together on a more consistent basis in our open gyms focusing on our overall player development, including what our style of play will be.”
Corbin said everyone on the roster, led by returning starters in senior forward/center Alex Schultheis and junior guard Rio Stotts, has the opportunity to earn playing time.
“We want to see how the guys who may not have had as much varsity experience in years past play under the whistle and handle that,” said Corbin, who hopes to see the Raiders improve on last season’s 8-13 overall record and 2-10 mark in Section 3-2A.
Corbin said Schultheis, with his leadership and talents in the middle at 6-foot-5, has been a valuable part of each practice.
“The biggest thing for Alex has been transitioning him from football shape to basketball shape to make sure he’s ready to go,” Corbin said. “But he’s been putting in the work. He’s been staying after practice. He’s been a leader on the court as far as how he is representing himself for the team. We’ve thrown a lot at him, and he’s handled it well. He’s always making sure that everyone on the team understands different aspects of the new system and the expectations that go along with it. We expect a big season from him.”
Corbin said Stotts is showing great energy in each drill at practice.
“Rio’s a competitive guy, and it’s nice to be able to put him in situations to show that,” Corbin said. “I know he’s champing at the bit to get on the court and play some real games.”
Corbin said there are still spots in the starting lineup and in the rotation overall up for grabs as the season gets closer.
“With just a week of full practices in, we’re still evaluating a number of things,” he said. “Every practice has been a good competition. It only raises the level of play and makes each of the guys better.”
Other returning players and newcomers hoping to make an impact are seniors Levi Roupas (forward), Matt Orbin (forward) and Noah Vespi (guard), juniors Ben Franciscus (guard), Carter Baldwin (forward), Max Kratt (guard) and Prince Govan (guard) and sophomore Rex Roberts (guard).
An up-tempo offense and sound defense, Corbin said, are expected to be the calling cards for the Raiders.
“We should be able to get the ball up the floor quickly,” he said. “The guys have been figuring out in the new system ways to create for themselves and for each other as we implement more things in the offense.
“We also want to be able to throw different things at our opponents as it relates to the pressure we can create. We really want to emphasize our defensive presence. That is something we’ve been working on a lot in practice.”
Corbin said he is excited to see his players come together in a multi-team scrimmage Tuesday at home.
“I think it will be an advantage to us being able to see different styles of play and being able to throw different things at the guys to see how they will react,” Corbin said. “We’ll be able to review some film and work on building from (the scrimmage) before our first game next weekend.
Riverview will kick off its season Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 with games against Steel Valley and Brashear at the Play 4 Mae tip-off event at Woodland Hills.
The Raiders then will visit Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Tuesday before taking part in the Sewickley Academy tournament Dec. 6-7.
With offseason realignment, the WPIAL placed Riverview in a section with familiar foes Greensburg Central Catholic, Springdale, Clairton and Jeannette coupled with home-and-home matchups with Bentworth, California and Frazier.
GCC was runner-up to Aliquippa in Class 2A last year. Jeannette was a quarterfinalist, Clairton qualified for the postseason and Frazier and California also were playoff participants.
“For me, having it be my first year in Class 2A, it will be a test to understand what all is out there in the conference,” Corbin said. “It might be a learning curve against some of the teams in the conference, but we want to go out there and compete hard, no matter who we are going up against.”
Riverview boys at a glance
Coach: Dre Corbin (first year)
Last year’s record: 8-13 (2-10 in Section 3-2A)
Returning starters: Alex Schultheis (Sr., F/C), Rio Stotts (Jr., G)
Top newcomer: Rex Roberts (So., G)