Someone once said that familiarity breeds contempt. Well, in the case of Avonworth athletics, familiarity seems to breed winning seasons and playoff runs, and hopes are high the practice will be as successful for the boys’ basketball team as it was for the football program.

The boys' basketball team will be coached this season by Dan Bradley, who, like winning head football coach Jason Kekseo, is not new to coaching at Avonworth. Bradley is now in his 15th season coaching basketball in the district. He was the ninth grade boys' basketball coach for the last 14 seasons. Bradley also has spent time coaching both the football team, as an offensive coordinator, and the baseball team at Avonworth.

The players he will be coaching this year will already be familiar with Bradley's coaching style. Except for one, Bradley said, he has coached every player on the team as freshman.

Bradley said that he had passed on the head coaching position in prior years because of time commitments, but a move into the community four years ago made the job more do-able.

Currently, Bradley is a program director for alternative education at Transformation Learning in Claysville. Before that, he was the dean of students at Avonworth.

Bradley played football at Bethany College after graduating from Washington High School. After graduating from college, he spent two years as an assistant girls' basketball coach at Bethany.

A familiar face is not the only thing Bradley hopes to bring to the team.

"I hope to bring enthusiasm, a disciplined structure and a long-term plan," he said.

Last year's 'Lopes lost to Ford City in the preliminary round of the WPIAL playoffs and posted an overall record of 6-15, and 5-7 in their section. This year’s team will try to better that record while over coming the loss of a number of starters to graduation last year.

Key personnel losses from last year's team include Tyler Fatigante and Wade Cupcheck. The 'Lopes also lost senior guards Mike O'Malley and Ben Donovan, as well as center Lou Galante.

Bradley said he has high hopes this year's players, among them senior Tom Sell and junior Mitchell Lochner.

The coach said that the team has been doing well in practice, getting down the fundamentals and becoming familiar with other positions on the court.

This year's team will face tough section opponents, all with basketball tradition-rich histories, Bradley said, including Aliquippa, Beaver Falls and Quaker Valley.

The 'Lopes kick off their season on Dec. 11, when they host rival Northgate at 7:30 p.m.