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Eastern York alum returns to help coach girls' team


The Eastern York girls' basketball season has started with a bang, and fittingly enough it was during a July 4 fireworks display that the Golden Knights coaching staff took shape. 

Both Golden Knights head coach Brad Weaver and assistant Andrew Nicholas recently relived how it went down.

"I told Andrew if I got the job, I'd like to have him on staff," Weaver said. "I've been teaching at the middle school for 21 years at Eastern and worked with him when he was young and my dad coached him. I'm super lucky to have him and my other assistant Tori Keller on staff."

Nicholas scored 2,504 points in his career at Eastern and then went on to score 1,180 points at Monmouth University, where he earned a master's degree in May. 

"I wanted to get into coaching, but I didn't think it would be this quick after college," Nicholas said.  

Weaver was the boys' JV coach when Nicholas' brother played at Eastern.

"When he got the job I told him I'd help him out," Nicholas said earlier this week. "It's definitely a change. We are starting to rebuild the program. Starting out 3-0 is higher than our expectations."

Read more: Why does the YAIAA have only three female girls' hoops coaches?

The Golden Knights pushed their record to 4-0 on Friday night, improving to 2-0 in YAIAA Division II after a 49-44 victory against Susquehannock. Eastern also won Spring Grove's tip-off tournament and routed Northeastern, 73-38, on Tuesday night. 

"There was a lot of unknown, and a big thing that helped us was we went to Spooky Nook for fall basketball and it helped for the team to get used to me," Weaver said. "I'm very active on the sideline. I think last Saturday night when we beat Carlisle, it got them believing."

Tuesday night against Northeastern, the Golden Knights played with all the traits Weaver wants to see out of his team. The offense was fast-paced, the team played physically, and the defense was focusing on creating turnovers.

"We want to play good, solid defense with a lot of ball pressure," Weaver said. "Our No. 1 thing is for us to reduce our turnovers and create more turnovers for the other team."

Hannah Myers led the charge for the Golden Knights in both of their games this week. Tuesday against Northeastern, she forced at least eight turnovers and scored 24 points. Friday, she scored a game-high 23 points. 

"Her work ethic is tremendous," Weaver said. "She plays hard and smart. I converted her to a point guard and she's quick. I expect a lot out of her and she keeps improving each day." 

Meanwhile, Weaver and Nicholas are getting used to the girls' game at the high school level.

Nicholas is coaching the program's fifth- and sixth-grade girls' team, in addition to helping the varsity program.

"Having knowledge of the game helps a lot, but coming from the Division I college game to the varsity high school level, I sometimes expect the girls to do too much," Nicholas said. "It's a learning process for me and coach Weaver."

Weaver previously served as Eastern's baseball coach and has been an assistant for boys' basketball in addition to having coached seventh- and eighth-grade girls' basketball for the Eastern Rumble.

"I don't see a lot of differences and I just treat them as basketball players," Weaver said. "Our practices are very difficult and my philosophy is just to work hard and keep getting better."