WELLSBURG -- Adam Shinsky is looking to change the fortunes of the Brooke boys basketball program.
Shinsky is in his first season as head coach of the Bruins and is Brooke's third head coach in the last four seasons. He replaces former head coach Mel Coleman, who died July 1, two days after suffering a heart attack. Shinsky comes to Brooke after serving as an assistant coach at Wheeling Central.
The Bruins ended last season with a record of 3-19. The three wins were an improvement over the previous season when the Bruins won just once. Brooke lost three seniors in Nick Brown, Alex Lilly and Dylan Silver to graduation, and only one was a starter.
"I have talked to the kids, and they are not used to winning," Shinsky said. "I have coached in OVAC games as an assistant coach, and I have coached in state tournament games as an assistant coach. I'm not using this as a stepping stone. I don't want to be here for a few years. I want to be for the long haul. I want to build this program."
Brooke has nine players battling for one of the five spots in the starting lineup.
Two of the nine are returning seniors -- Andrew Coursin and Dalton Anderson. Coursin will be the team's center, while Anderson can play either the two or three spot.
"Andrew was the goalie on the soccer team," Shinsky said. "He's a great athlete. He's our biggest kid at 6-foot-3."
The Bruins have another senior, who is a foreign exchange student. Shinsky said he will primarily be playing on the JV team.
Leading the way among the juniors is the talented and versatile Alex Isinghood.
"He was the team's leading scorer last season," Shinsky said. "He has put on 15-20 pounds of muscle in the offseason. He can play any position one through five."
Fellow junior Cole Sperlazza will be the team's point guard.
"He probably led the team in minutes last year," Shinsky said. "He is a true point guard. He is one of the top two point guards in the valley in my opinion."
The other four juniors can possible see time in the backcourt. Ryan Knox will see time at the two or three. Shinsky said he also might see some time at the point guard position.
Eddie Marks, who is an all-state soccer player, will also see time at the two or three. Nate Taylor will see time at the one, two or three. Jason Varner will see time at either backcourt position.
The Bruins also have a talented group of freshmen. That group is led by Braelyn Sperringer, Owen Petrella and Nick Cipoletti.
"Braelyn is a very good athlete," Shinsky said. "He can play the two, three or four. Owen is a guard. He has worked hard in the offseason. Nick is a guard. We're all guards. We are little."
Shinsky is bringing his own style of play to Brooke.
"We are going to play the style I learned under coach (Mel) Stephens," Shinsky said. "This is definitely a different type of season. I think conditioning is going to be really important. You are going to have to be conditioned. Teams are going to be playing three to four games a week for a few weeks. Conditioning is going to be important. The teams in the best condition are going to win. The best teams are not always going to win. I think our conditioning is fantastic."
The Bruins have put a lot of time focusing on their conditioning. The past year has been tough on them and the rest of West Virginia.
"It has been hard on the kids," Shinsky said. "They understand we weren't sure if we were going to be able to get a season in. They realize they came really close to losing. We are thankful we are getting a chance to play. Everyone is excited."
With the Ohio basketball season in the postseason, Brooke will play all of its game against teams from West Virginia.
"I like the way our schedule looks," Shinsky said. "We play Wheeling Park, Linsly, Wheeling Central and Magnolia. We also play Cameron. I'm looking forward to playing Cameron. Coach (Tom) Hart is a good friend of mine. With the new class system, they have a real shot to be in the state finals in Class A. Magnolia is a good team. They are going to do well in their class. They have got some good players. We also play Weir and Oak Glen. I have the Wheeling Central games circled. It will be an honor to coach against Coach Stephens. Those are big games for me. Those games are going to be special. It is the same thing with Coach (Dave) Wojcik at Linsly."
Shinsky has surrounded himself with a good group of assistant coaches -- Jimmy Sperlazza, Steve Marino, Ryan Scherich and Mike Lanigan.