Andy Close
RUSSELL, Pa. – Ryan Mangini is making waves as the first-year head coach of the Eisenhower basketball program.
Mangini’s Knights currently sit at 8-7 and are in prime position to make the playoffs.
Much more than that, however, it’s the way the young coach runs the program that is most impressive.
It’s an opportunity he was ready and prepared for after serving as an assistant for another one of the county’s bright young head coaches, Sheffield’s Jordan Copley, last season.
“I was definitely excited for the opportunity,” Mangini said.
He found out about it through one of his friends, Andrew Morrison, another young coach who is taking over the baseball program at Warren Area High School this season.
“Actually Andrew’s the one that said ‘hey, you might want to think about this,’” Mangini said. “I really liked being in Sheffield. I learned a lot from Jordan. I was glad I didn’t jump into a varsity coaching role without that experience first. So I think that year at Sheffield really helped me.”
And many of the players he is now coaching he already was familiar with.
“I had seen these kids because Eisenhower and Sheffield played twice last year,” he noted. “The one game a lot of the kids at Eisenhower were out (COVID) and they played that varsity game with mostly JV players, and I was really impressed with them because Sheffield had a solid team last year. So I saw there was a lot of good potential and I was excited to get working with them.”
Like anyone stepping into a varsity head coaching role, there is a learning curve. Mangini says there is a lot he has found about himself and his team during this season.
“Communication is key,” he said. “Sometimes just saying things over and over again is not the same as doing them in practice.
“How you say things really matters. You might think it sounds like something and the kids hear something else. So just checking in on them every now and then and making sure things are going well. I’ve learned a lot and know I will continue to learn a lot as I go. It’s all been good so far.”
Mangini was a very good high school player in his own right for Warren, playing for head coach Jeff Berdine, who has been at the helm for the Dragons for nearly two decades.
There were many lessons to be learned there for Mangini as well, ones he has carried with him now that he is a head coach himself.
“I had a good coach in Jeff Berdine who is still at Warren,” Mangini said. “You can see in his teams that they’re always disciplined. I still remember as a player, what things worked for me as a point guard and I try to talk to Kael (Hunt) and Takhari (Warren) about that.
“In the offseason, we try and do a decent amount of skill work. And I think the weight room really helped me as a player in high school and that’s part of my educational background is strength and conditioning and I try and help the players with that and teach them the skills that I’ve found helpful.”
His Knights are led by the likes of Wyatt Lookenhouse, Curt Darling, Kyler Black, Kael Hunt, Takhari Warren, Jake Venman, and Kris Bunk.
It’s a group that has continued to get better as the season goes along. Seeing that improvement is one of the many things that Mangini enjoys about coaching.
“I like seeing that switch happen,” he said. “Whether it’s an individual or as a team. I like watching them get better. Whether it’s confidence in taking a shot or getting to the hoop or any of those things. Just seeing that improvement over time.”
