by Pete Nevins

Before he was a coach, before he was a teacher and before he was a husband and father, Al Keglovits was a basketball player. He played the game as he later taught it, with passion, intelligence and verve. Keglovits was a four-year player at East Stroudsburg University from 1970-74 and a member of some of the best teams in the Warriors' basketball history. So it is appropriate that he will be honored Sunday on the same Koehler Fieldhouse court where he played so successfully close to 30 years ago.

Keglovits, who died of cancer in January, 2001, will be recognized and remembered as part of the festivities surrounding the first Arthur Perryman Basketball Classic Sunday at ESU Senior stars from the seven Mountain Valley Conference high schools plus Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg, will compete with the girls playing at 3 p.m. and the boys at 5 p.m.

One of the girls playing will have a familiar last name. Kate Keglovits was a senior player at East Stroudsburg South High School where her father taught and coached and where her mother, Linda, is a guidance counselor. Kate will be trying to put points on the Koehler Fieldhouse scoreboard just as her father did in the early 1970s.

Most people know about Al Keglovits' legacy as a coach and teacher and as one of the most beloved sports figures in the community, but few remembered that he also was an outstanding player right here in their backyard. Al came to the Poconos from Whitehall High School in 1970 to play for long-time coach Ken Sisson at ESU. The 6-4 forward was one of the leading scorers on the school's freshman team which posted a 16-2 record. He was a reserve on a 20-4 team as a sophomore and then started for two years for teams which finished 23-4 when he was a junior and then fell off to an 11-14 mark during his senior year. During his career, Keglovits was the Warriors' most accurate shooter. He made 48 percent of his field goal attempts as a junior and 49 percent as a senior. And the shooting figures were even more impressive because most of his points didn't come from underneath, but rather from the corners on outside jump shots. He had what his wife and former classmate, Linda remembers as a "pretty shot." "Even though he was a big man, he could really shoot from the outside," recalls Linda, also an ESU graduate who met Al as a freshman and went to all of his home games and some of the away contests over four years.

Keglovits' college teammates remember him fondly not only as a person, but also as a player. "We entered school together and played on the same teams for four years," recalls guard Charlie Bowen, now the head basketball coach at Middletown High School. "He was an intense player with an excellent outside shot and great instincts. He knew where he was supposed to be on the court at all times." Kevin Morrissey, the team's point guard and one of the school's all-time assist leaders, recalls: "Al has great hands. You sent him a blind pass and if it were anywhere near him, he could get the ball and do something about it. He really helped the team." Center Mike Reilly, now a teacher and coach for the United States Department of Defense in Germany, writes that "Al was a strong and fundamentally-sound athlete who could mix it up under the boards had a soft shooting touch and was unselfish. Off the court, he was very friendly and approachable, a jokester who enjoyed a good laugh."

Keglovits had made himself into a player. His hero was 'Pistol Pete' Marovich, the LSU and NBA star often described as the quintessential gym rat. "Al used to tell me that as a kid, he came from a working class family and they didn't have a basketball hoop. He used to walk down to the playground even during the winter, shovel snow off the court and shoot every day," Linda said. "He also would put weights on his ankles and run and continually squeezes rubber balls to strengthen his hands," said Linda. After his college graduation, Keglovits' basketball playing was limited to recreation and lunchtime ball.

He always found time, however, to help his son, Michael, a former player at East Stroudsburg High School and now a junior finance major at the University of Delaware, and his daughter, Kate, who plans to attend either Muhlenberg or Scranton in the fall, learn the game. "He always stressed the fundamentals. He told them they couldn't be good players unless they knew the fundamentals of the game," Linda said.

Al would love the Perryman Basketball Classic because he loved playing, coaching and being part of the sport. And also because the game is being played during month of March. "For Al, March Madness was as good as it gets. It was like Christmas for him," Linda said. And so maybe the creation of the Arthur Perryman Basketball Classic should be considered a special March Christmas present to the local basketball community in honor of Al Keglovits and Perryman.

by Andre Williams

Arthur Perryman has probably looked down through the clouds countless times over the last 10 years to bless the people who once cheered and idolized him during his standout basketball career at East Stroudsburg High. Many of those people have refused to let memories of the Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer fade, memories that include the PIAA second-round playoff game against Coatesville in 1994 when Perryman outscored current Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton, 33-7.

His family, former coach Mark Brown and best friend Hassan Beyah, also have the painful memory of a then 75-pound Perryman, dying in his bed at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Md., at 11:40 p.m. on April 21, 1995. Perryman had endured a 364-day bout with prostate cancer. He had been diagnosed with the disease less than a month after averaging 28.3 points in PIAA playoff games.

The run finally ended with the Cavaliers' losing to eventual 1994 state champion Chester, 96-85, in the Eastern semifinals. "It's been 10 years, but it's still too painful for me to think about it, said Brown, who retired two months before Perryman's death. "It's kind of like when you stub your toe, and you get a scab on your foot and it starts to heal," added Brown, now the East Stroudsburg South athletic director. "You pull the scab off and it's like it just happened yesterday."

The 1,735 points Perryman scored in starting all 105 games he played in over four years remains a Monroe County record. His legacy is also still strong throughout the Pocono Mountain region, even for those who were either in diapers or not yet born when Perryman died at 19. Couri Gallagher, East Stroudsburg-South's three-sport star, who was a cheerleading mascot when Perryman was making deft passes and scoring with ease, has worn the No. 31 in memory of Perryman her entire high school career in soccer, basketball and as a kicker on the Cavaliers' football team. Gallagher, who's going to Temple on a soccer scholarship, has two younger sisters who also wear No. 31. "He really did leave a lasting impression on all the kids from around here," Blenda Perryman, Art's mother, said. "You'd be surprised with how many things are in the schools about him. It's really amazing."

The Art Perryman All-Star Game for Monroe County seniors was established three years ago by Rich Laverdure and Bob Madsen. The game is played in March at East Stroudsburg University and thousands of dollars have been raised and sent to the Jimmy V Foundation in Perryman's name. A spirit award in Perryman's name is given out to fifth- and sixth-graders in the Greater All-Pocono Tournament. There's also an Art Perryman 3-on-3 tournament. "I think he is equally known passed away as he was living," said Stacy Perryman, who honored her brother by wearing No. 31 her senior season at East Stroudsburg University (1995-96).

For Stacy, Blenda and older sisters Chrissy and Felicia, Art was more than just a great basketball player who was close to committing to Millersville University before he became sickened with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a tumorous form of cancer that spread to his lungs, bone marrow, lymph modes and spinal column. "You know you have to move on and live," Stacy said, "but at the same time he is always in our memory."

It's been just as tough for Perryman's ex-teammates, especially Beyah, who lived with the Perrymans for two years. Beyah, who was a year younger than Perryman, also wore No. 31 his senior year and is one of five former East Stroudsburg players who tattooed the number on their arms. "That's one common bond that we'll always have to him," said Beyah, now a regional sales manager for Aldi Foods. "It's a way to remember him and have his number in our hearts." Beyah has so many fond memories of the games and the laughs he once shared with Perryman. He no longer has anger and confusion. "It's just a shame that such a wonderful life was tragically cut short," Beyah said. "I think about him often, at least once a day." He can't help but think of Perryman every time he calculates a number that begins or ends in 31 or even when he looks into the eyes of his 8-year-old daughter Aria. "It's funny how when you lose somebody you gain somebody," Beyah said. "In September of 1996 my daughter was born. Her birth really helped me deal with his loss as well because I had something to look forward to. I just try to follow my life the way he carried his life."

March 27, 2007

Pocono Record sports writer Andrew Kroeckel made his coaching debut Monday, watching his Keglovits girls team fall to Team Perryman 71-66 in the Fifth Annual Perryman & Keglovits All-Star game. The games, which are held in honor of Art Perryman and Al Keglovits and benefits cancer research, were played at East Stroudsburg University and featured the area's senior boys and girls.

The Pocono Record caught up with Kroeckel, who was asked to be a guest coach by East Stroudsburg South coach Adam Cole, to ask him about his first coaching experience.

Pocono Record: So, Andrew, how would you describe your first coaching experience?

Andrew Kroeckel: Different. It was very different. You're much closer.

Pocono Record: Closer to the action, right in there with the inner workings of the team?

Andrew Kroeckel: No, just closer — closer to the floor.

Pocono Record: You mean literally closer?

Andrew Kroeckel: Yeah.

Pocono Record: Uh, OK. So the team came back from a 16-point halftime deficit but ultimately fell short in the end. Was that tough?

Andrew Kroeckel: Well, losing certainly isn't fun, but I was definitely proud of the way the girls fought back. They heeded my words at halftime and came out strong in the second half.

Pocono Record: It didn't take you long to learn a few clichés.

Andrew Kroeckel: Thank you

Pocono Record: What did you say to them at halftime?

Andrew Kroeckel: I was very direct. I told them to play better defense, grab more rebounds and to stop missing shots. This is basketball, not rocket science.

Pocono Record: Your basketball acumen is incredible

Andrew Kroeckel: I know. Any chance you'll rethink your girl's basketball coach of the year selection?

Pocono Record: Sadly it's too late. Maybe next year.

Andrew Kroeckel: I'm the sleeper pick.

Pocono Record: The sleeper pick for the Pocono Record girls basketball All-Area Coach of the Year? I didn't know there was such a thing.

Andrew Kroeckel: There it is. It's me.

Pocono Record: So what happened at the end of the game when Team Perryman pulled away?

Andrew Kroeckel: The other coaches were jealous of my success and they started to undermine me. The girls got confused and didn't know who to listen to. I still don't understand why we didn't switch to a triangle-and-two. It's all right, though. This loss won't go against my coaching record.

Pocono Record: Weren't you the only coach on the floor?

Andrew Kroeckel: Yeah, but Cole is technically the coach of record. It's not my fault we lost.

Pocono Record: So you were just a figurehead? It did seem like you were just squatting there in front of the scorer's table and not really saying anything.

Andrew Kroeckel: Yeah, I mean no. Not really. I was there to help get us a victory. My presence was an inspiration for the girls.

Pocono Record: But you lost. And it was a charity game, does it really matter who wins?

Andrew Kroeckel: Absolutely. I figure there are only two worthy pursuits in life: victory and women. And women are crazy.

Pocono Record: They're not the only ones.

Andrew Kroeckel: Ha! Isn't that the truth?

Pocono Record: Was there anything that surprised you about the experience?

Andrew Kroeckel: There was a lot of breeze shooting before the game between all the coaches and officials and event organizers. It's not that it was surprising, I just didn't realize how much went on because I'm usually where you are before games. Also, teenage girls swear a whole lot more than I remember.

Pocono Record: Is coaching something you could see yourself doing more of in the future?

Andrew Kroeckel: Maybe. It would probably have to be a boys sport, though. Girls are just small women and no less crazy.

Pocono Record: What kind of coach would you be, philosophy-wise?

Andrew Kroeckel: All I would ever ask of my players is that they obey my orders as they would the word of God.

Pocono Record: Isn't that a line from Full Metal Jacket?

Andrew Kroeckel: Love that movie.

Pocono Record: Did this experience help you gain a greater understanding of what coaches do?

Andrew Kroeckel: Yeah, it did. I figured I could just show up and yell a few coaching buzzwords. I thought since that's what a lot of parents do, and I figure they know their kids best, the girls would then fight to the death for me.

Pocono Record: Is that what happened?

Andrew Kroeckel: No, it didn't work out that way. Weird. Emily Smith did ask me if she could call me Coach K, which is definitely fiting. So at least she gave me my due respect, unlike Carly Determan, who did her best to get benched by calling me Andy.

Pocono Record: I'm not a fan of Andy, either. If you were to coach again, would you do anything different?

Andrew Kroeckel: I'd do a better job of ironing my pants.

Pocono Record: Is that it?

Andrew Kroeckel: Maybe wear more comfortable shoes.

Pocono Record: Thanks for your time, "Coach."

Andrew Kroeckel: No, Thank you. You need me to spell my last name for you?

Pocono Record: No, I think I got it.

by Joe Petrucci

Bill Pensyl has already been inducted into enough Halls of Fame.

The former standout athlete at East Stroudsburg High School Class of 1955 and 45-year boys basketball coach at Bangor Area High School, however, truly cherished — and represented — the honor he received at Koehler Fieldhouse on Monday.

Pensyl was awarded the Al Keglovits Spirit of Basketball Award in between the Fifth Annual Perryman & Keglovits All-Star games at East Stroudsburg University. Perryman, a 1994 East Stroudsburg South alum who is Monroe County's all-time leading scorer, died of cancer at age 19 in 1995. Keglovits, a popular teacher and basketball coach at East Stroudsburg South who also coached at King's College and Lehigh University, succumbed to cancer in 2001.

Pensyl, 69, recently went through his second bout with cancer after being free of the disease for four years since his original diagnosis in 2001. He had a baseball-sized tumor removed after Thanksgiving last fall. He then underwent 25 radiation treatments and five weeks of chemotherapy, which ended Wednesday.

"It's strange. Cancer forms a bond, an understanding," Pensyl said. "When you hear those names Perryman and Keglovits, it just jogs our memories."

Pensyl remembered valiantly trying to stop Perryman, who led the Cavaliers to the District 11 Class 4A title in 1993-94, when they advanced further than any other Monroe County boys basketball team the PIAA quarterfinals. The old coach also remembered Keglovits making him laugh from the opposing coach's bench during games.

"We take a lot of things for granted," Pensyl said. "All of us need to be aware."

Perryman's former teammate and friend, Kevin Smiley, has been aware every year of the annual all-star game. He has attended each one, reuniting with Shyeve Saunders, Kevin Gardner and Haasan Beyah — all members of the 93-94 team — and another of Perryman's former teammates, Jasper Talbert, on Monday.

"I like coming back and reminiscing," said Smiley, 31. "It helps keep Art's name going and keeps the dream alive for everybody who's fighting cancer."

Smiley said he'd like the players in the all-star games to watch a video of Perryman playing and Keglovits coaching to get a sense of how special the two were. That was something not lost on at least one player.

"They give us something to strive for because they were both good people and we want to be like them," said East Stroudsburg North's Maria LoCascio, who led the Keglovits Girls All-Stars with 14 points in a 71-66 loss to the Perryman All-Stars.

The winners were led by Pleasant Valley's Rebecca Fretz and 18 points and Pocono Mountain West's Adriana Johnson 15.

Event co-founder and co-director Bob Madsen didn't put a number on the amount of money raised, but said it was the best crowd ever. All proceeds benefit the Jimmy V Foundation and the Dale and Franes Hughes Cancer Center in East Stroudsburg.

"We had tickets out in the schools earlier this year and the coaches did a great job promoting the game," Madsen said.

In the boys game, the Keglovits All-Stars downed the Perryman All-Stars 80-74. Pocono Mountain West's Romond Vines led the Keglovits squad with 23 points, while East Stroudsburg South's Steve O'Brien chipped in with 13. Stroudsburg's Chris Dickison paced the Perryman bunch with 22 points.

Perryman & Keglovits All-Star Games at Koehler Fieldhouse

Monday's results Girls

Perryman All-Stars 71

Johnson 4 5-6 13, Harris 6 0-0 12, Schneck 4 1-2 11, Yetter 1 0-0 3, Fretz 8 2-7 18, Taylor 0 0-0 0, Hrbek 5 0-1 10, Berger 1 2-3 4. Totals: 29 10-19 71.

3-point goals — Keg, Young 2, Williams; Per, Schneck 2, Yetter.

Keglovits All-Stars 66

Booker 2 1-2 5, Smith 3 0-1 6, Determan 2 0-0 4, LoCascio 4 6-8 14, Williams 2 1-2 6, Young 3 0-0 8, Gabana 1 4-4 6, Rupell 6 1-3 13, Hough 0 0-0 0, Zlomsowitch 1 0-0 3. Totals: 24 13-20 66.

Monday's results Boys

Keglovits All-Stars 80

Castillo 2 0-0 6, Bridges 1 2-2 4, Johnson 0 0-0 0, O'Brien 6 0-0 13, McCutchen 3 0-0 6, Powell 3 0-0 6, Castle 3 0-0 6, Vines 11 1-2 23, Caceitto 4 0-0 10, Miller 2 0-0 4, Resh 1 0-0 2, Berger 0 0-0 0. Totals: 35 3-4 80.

3-point goals — Per, Murray 2, Moate, Smull, Spence, Lawrence; Keg, Castillo 2, Caceitto

Perryman All-Stars 74

Smull 1 0-0 3, Borger 3 0-0 6, Dean 2 0-0 4, Llano 3 0-0 6, Letendre 0 0-0 0, Moritz 1 0-0 2, Spence 4 0-0 9, Lawrence 1 0-0 3, Dickison 11 0-0 22, Murray 3 0-0 8, Nikorak 2 0-0 4, Moate 3 0-0 7. Totals: 34 0-4 74.