HS Boys’ Basketball: Rizzo hired as Pine Grove head coach

John Rizzo talks to his players during stint as the head coach of the North Schuylkill girls' program from 2011-16.

PINE GROVE — John Rizzo’s first two stints as a head basketball coach required him to rebuild struggling programs that had a history of past success.

His third post will require him to do the same.

Rizzo was hired Thursday night as the new head boys’ basketball coach at Pine Grove Area High School during its monthly board of directors meeting.

The 42-year-old North Schuylkill graduate replaces Jordan Lehman, who was not re-hired last month after a three-year stint as the Cards’ head coach.

Pine Grove compiled a 7-15 overall mark this season, 4-10 in Schuylkill League Division I play. The Cards won just two of their final 11 games after posting a 5-6 mark heading into the final of the Cardinal Classic in December.

“I’ve known for quite some time that I wanted to get back into coaching high school basketball, especially in the Schuylkill League,” Rizzo said. “I have a high level of respect for Pine Grove athletics in general. Since I’ve been in the community, I’ve learned how tough these kids are, how passionate this fan base is.

“For me to get back into coaching, it had to be the right program and the right fit. I think Pine Grove is the absolute best fit, with their love and the passion for athletics, especially basketball.”

Rizzo was a standout player at North Schuylkill, helping the Spartans capture the 1999 District 11 Class 3A championship. He went on to play at Lebanon Valley College, graduating in 2005.

His first head coaching position was as the boys’ coach at Antietam in Berks County from 2008-11. In three seasons, Rizzo took the Mounts from a 2-20 record during his first season to a 17-10 mark in his third season. Antietam finished fourth in the District 3 Class A Tournament in 2011 and qualified for the PIAA playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

Rizzo returned to his alma mater in 2011 as the head coach of the North Schuylkill girls’ program. During his five-year tenure in Fountain Springs, Rizzo guided North Schuylkill to a 95-23 record that included five District 11 appearances, three Schuylkill League playoff appearances, two Schuylkill League Division I crowns and the 2015 Schuylkill League title.

Prior to his arrival, North Schuylkill had missed the Schuylkill League playoffs four straight seasons after dominating the league for most of the two previous decades.

Rizzo resigned his post at North Schuylkill after the 2015-16 season to become a principal in the Northern Lebanon School District. He also served as the acting superintendent at Williams Valley for two years.

After 16 years as a teacher and administrator, Rizzo left public education a little over a year ago for a position as an account manager for Smith & Nephew, a medical device company. Moving to the private sector allowed him to return to coaching and spend more time with his children.

Rizzo, who resides in Washington Township, is the father of four children — Christian, 14; Gabriel, 11; Luca, 8; and Enzo, 4. Christian and Gabriel, who are from his first marriage, attend school in the Northern Lebanon School District.

“I had an opportunity to leave public education,” Rizzo said. “As a superintendent, I was unable to do the things I wanted to do. I loved education and I loved being a school administrator. But I wasn’t able to coach my kids and there would be no opportunity to get back into high school coaching. I wanted to do that. That was always on the radar, especially as my boys got older.

“It really worked out well. To have a position now that I enjoy and I have that time back to coach at a high level”

A unique dynamic of Rizzo’s hiring at Pine Grove is that his wife, Allison, is the head coach of the Pine Grove girls’ team. In her first season as the Cardinals’ head coach this winter, Allison Rizzo guided Pine Grove to a 14-9 overall mark and a trip to the District 11 Class 3A playoffs.

Pine Grove might be the only school in Pennsylvania, and most likely one of the few in the country, that a husband and wife are head basketball coaches at the same high school.

“I think it’s special,” John Rizzo said. “Clearly my wife has passion for the game. I have a lot of passion for the game. I’ve learned from her this past season, the things she’s done with her program, the way she’s built that program back. I hope she’s learned from me a little bit.

“The neat component is that we can collaborate on a lot of things. She’s going to do things her way and I’ll do things my way, but there will always be that shared love for the game and the passion to teach kids.

“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. We may have some differences in our style, but we share that high energy and passion to coach kids.”

Pine Grove has gone four straight seasons without making the District 11 playoffs and hasn’t qualified for the Schuylkill League playoffs since 2012, when the Cardinals lost to Pottsville in the title game.

Rizzo is ready to get started rebuilding the Pine Grove program, already scheduling meetings with current and interested players in grades 6-11 and their parents for 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday evening in the high school cafeteria.

“For me, this is just the absolute best fit, just to be able to build the program back in a community that I live in and I truly enjoy being in,” Rizzo said. “There’s a ton of opportunity to get kids in the gym, get them to love the game of basketball the way I do.

“I think these kids are hungry to compete, I think this program is hungry to start building the respect back up.”