Guest Article by Toomey Anderson
Assistant Coach Allentown Central Catholic and
Director of Lehigh Valley Sportsfest Grassroots Program

Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's District 11 stretches from the Poconos, to the anthracite region of Schuylkill County, to the Lehigh Valley.  The district has a long history of dominance in high school football and wrestling, with many state champions, but no District 11 high school basketball team has captured a PIAA state crown since Allentown Central Catholic (Allentown) won in 1986.  The odds will be stacked against District 11 having a state title team this season, but an abundance of great coaches and improving student-athletes hope to break the 25 year state championship drought.  Here are the teams in best position to contend this season.

Class AAAA

William Allen (Allentown) is the reigning District 11 champ and are in the mix to defend their district crown.  Coach Doug Snyder's team lost two Division 1 post players to graduation (Jalen Cannon and Daquan Holiday), but they return senior forward Dotte "DJ" Brown, a four year varsity player.  Junior Richard "RJ" Fletcher is a talented, high energy forward who will have a breakout season.

Liberty (Bethlehem) lost to William Allen in the District 11 final last season, but they still qualified for the state championship tournament, their sixth consecutive appearance.  The task will be much more difficult this season, with Darrun "Money" Hilliard graduated and now playing for Villanova.  However, Coach Chad Landis has a formula that never gets old: commitment to defense.  Greg Noack will be relied upon to do more scoring this season, and junior guard Chevon Williams will need to direct the offense.  The improvement of athletic forwards junior Joel Torres and sophomore K. J. Williams may be the key for the Hurricanes to make it to the state tourney for the seventh consecutive season.

Emmaus (Emmaus) may be poised to make the team's first appearance in the state tournament since 2007.  Coach Steve Yoder runs an interactive motion offense that has become very effective.  Seniors 6' 7" Matt Wisely and 6' 2" Greg Bobal will lead a squad that has been very impressive over the summer and autumn.

Freedom (Bethlehem) has been very impressive, as well, during the offseason, winning the acclaimed Sportsfest Atown Throwdown.  They have it all: size, athletic ability, and depth.  6' 5" lefty junior Derike Chiclana will continue his development both in and out of the paint.  Also, look for 6' 5" sophomore Dave Williams to make strides and be a presence as the season progresses.

Easton (Easton) had a great season in 2010-11, winning 20 games on the year.  Unfortunately for them, they drew William Allen in the District 11 first round and were eliminated.  Easton will be led this season by Lincoln Holley, an all-league wing last year, who has grown two inches and is now 6' 7".  Versatile Noel Hightower will be another leader for the team.

Pocono Mountain West (Pocono Summit) will be favored to be the top team in the Mountain Valley Conference.  However, the league has not produced a District 11 champion since 1999.  Coach Brad Pensyl always has his team well prepared and competitive.  Senior wings Ty Dixon and Quindell "Bones" Brice will be the leaders of this athletic, but undrsized, group.

Whitehall (Whitehall), Parkland (Allentown), and Pocono Mountain East (Swiftwater) will be competitive and could knock off any of the top teams.  Seniors Chris Moran and Nick Melosky will look to bring back the pride in Whitehall.  Parkland has strong guards who gained valuable experience last season, but they will rely heavily upon Rob Dvorchek (Temple football recruit), who is the strongest inside player in the area.  Dave Garcia (St. Michael's recruit) will keep Pocono Mountain East in all of their games, but the loss of Kamall Richards, whose family moved to Newark and who is now playing for national power St. Benedict's Prep, will certainly weaken them.

Classes AAA, AA, and A

Allentown Central Catholic is the defending District 11 AAA champion and will be the clear favorite to repeat as district champs.  Coach Rich Fatzinger's group returns five players who played significant minutes last season: sophomores Jeanlee Baez and Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman, junior Mike Kammerrer, and seniors Seth Stoudt and Brandon Nosovitch (South Carolina football recruit).  Although facing a difficult schedule, this group probably has the best chance of any in the district to make a run for the state championship.

Bethlehem Catholic (Bethlehem) and Northern Lehigh (Slatington) will be the top challengers to ACC.  Bethlehem Catholic is led by new coach Mike Frew and has a solid building block in 6' 10" junior Matt Husek.  Their biggest challenge will be qualifying for the district tournament, as the Lehigh Valley Conference, in which they play, promises to be very competitive.  Coach Jeff Miller is in his second season at Northern Lehigh.  They have plenty of size and will be the favorite to win the Colonial League.  Losing Jordan Waylen will hurt the Bulldogs scoring, but Tyler Dibilio (a very well known name in the area) will look to score.

Salisbury (Allentown) is the defending District 11 AA champion, led by Coach Jason Weaver.  This team was eliminated from the state tournament by Prep Charter (Philadelphia) in a close game last season.  Lloyd Irons figures to be the leader this season, and keep an eye on sophomore forward Austin Uhl.  Notre Dame Green Pond (Easton) is a perennial threat during district play.  Coach Pat Boyle's intense man-to-man defense has been his staple for years, and this season will be no exception.  The team took a major hit with the loss of the leading freshman scorer in the history of the Lehigh Valley, as Tyler Kohl transferred to Perkiomen.  However, look for 6' 7" sophomore Vincent Eze, who transferred from Nigeria, to attempt to fill the void left by the loss of Kohl and to make an immediate defensive impact.

Marian Catholic (Tamaqua) is the defending Class A champion.  Coach John Patton always has a solid group of disciplined, rugged players.  Shenandoah Valley (Shenandoah) will be a major force because of 6' 7" Josh Dombrosky (California of Pennsylvania recruit).  Pius X (Bangor) will be one of the favorites, as well.  Senior wing Caleb Knudsen is a solid all around player capable of taking Pius to the district title.  Lincoln Leadership (Allentown) is a charter school beginning their first-ever season, with Al Blount as coach.  You can always count on entertaining fast-paced basketball with Coach Blount.