Jeff Lisath Is The Portsmouth Trojans Coach

[Pinwheel]

I just got a text ! Someone dropped the ball.
Who they play Saturday

They were supposed to play Western Hills, Marion Harding & Columbus East at Linden McKinley on Saturday.

Oh ok, maybe they can still go I thought it was today.

[Pinwheel]

I just got a text ! Someone dropped the ball.
Who they play Saturday

They were supposed to play Western Hills, Marion Harding & Columbus East at Linden McKinley on Saturday.

Oh ok, maybe they can still go I thought it was today, another site had them playing today

[Pinwheel]

I heard the Trojans added another decent player to the roster ?
The saying of ,what comes around goes around holds true sometimes .

Anyone know how the Trojans done in Columbus today, this will be good for the young men to play against this kind of competition,great job by your new coach,get out of the area and play the big boys!!!!

Is this speculation or did they really get a transfer in?

Truth

[trojandave]

I would talk about any possible transfers coming in, but I don't want this thread to turn into something that looks like the Ironton--Wheelersburg football threads, which are rife with accusations of recruiting, transfers, and espionage.

I will say that Coach Lisath's energy and his style of play displayed in scrimmages has been very appealing to some outside the PCSD, so much so that some decisions have been made that will help the basketball program. Decisions of which Coach Lisath had absolutely nothing to do with.

I know that's somewhat cryptic, but I'll leave it at that.

[Calvin]

I would talk about any possible transfers coming in, but I don't want this thread to turn into something that looks like the Ironton--Wheelersburg football threads, which are rife with accusations of recruiting, transfers, and espionage.

I will say that Coach Lisath's energy and his style of play displayed in scrimmages has been very appealing to some outside the PCSD, so much so that some decisions have been made that will help the basketball program. Decisions of which Coach Lisath had absolutely nothing to do with.

I know that's somewhat cryptic, but I'll leave it at that.

Those Ironheads and Burgers are irrational and childish with their incessant accusations and nonsensical posts. So don’t let that stop you from sharing information. Folks on this thread are much more rational.

[danicalifornia]

Coach Lisath will do a great job for the Trojan program and should bring lots of energy

[jgordon0315]

Updated schedule for this week's home scrimmages at Portsmouth this Thursday and Friday

The 29th Schedule is set.
Portsmouth vs Portsmouth West 4:00 PM
Zane Trace vs Dayton Northridge 4:45 PM
Portsmouth vs Dayton Northridge 5:30 PM
Zane Trace vs Portsmouth West 6:15 PM
Portsmouth vs Zane Trace 7:00 PM
Dayton Northridge vs Portsmouth West 7:45 PM


Day two is set:
Portsmouth West vs New Boston 10:00 AM
Portsmouth vs South Webster 10:45 AM
Dayton Northridge vs New Boston. 11:30 AM
South Webster vs Dayton Northridge 12:15 PM
Portsmouth vs New Boston 1:00 PM
South Webster vs Portsmouth West 1:45 PM
Dayton Northridge vs Portsmouth 2:30 PM

[socsportsfan1]

Sounds like the numbers are still down at some of these events. Are they having to use 7th graders to play up in the jv league? What do the numbers look like at some of their jh events? Varsity appears to only be having 6-7 kids at some of these events. That is still a big problem long term regardless of who is coaching. I know that doesn't fix itself in a single summer. It was reported early that numbers were up at open gyms and I assumed that would translate to some summer scrimmages and shootouts.

[biggdowgg]

The numbers are good either there is talk of possibilities of a freshman team that we have not had for a few years,only one scrimmage we had 6 varsity players because of a JV scrimmage was on the same day at a second location with a couple kids on vacation,and at least 1 maybe two kids have joined the team since last scrimmage.

[trojandave]

As biggdowgg said, there was only the Greenup County scrimmage where there were only 6 players due to a JV scrimmage the same night at PHS. In Indiana, they took a full complement of varsity players (right around 10-11), and at the Chillicothe/Zane Trace scrimmages they had enough to participate in both the varsity and JV scrimmages, with both squads having enough to have some subs.

Getting a freshmen team together will be a real challenge, but Jeff wants to get that going again. But at the varsity/JV level, the numbers are sufficient......basically 5 seniors with a mix of juniors and sophomores.

[trojandave]

The buzz around Portsmouth with Coach Lisath's return is real. There was a really good crowd at the Block Party last Friday and the attendance at the scrimmages has been pretty good. What will be very different to the OVC schools and the non-conference opponents is the style of play that Jeff wants to employ. Getting the ball up the court faster, defending the whole court, and using 10-12 players who will be in great condition. A style of play very similar to what the great Joe Suboticki did in the late 80's and early 90's.

What Jeff has accomplished is such a short time is quite amazing.

[PtownClown]

What he’s accomplished is amazing? He’s 0-0
Wish him nothing but the best but he’s done nothing yet

[BuckeyeBlood]

What he’s accomplished is amazing? He’s 0-0
Wish him nothing but the best but he’s done nothing yet

Clearly you haven’t been reading much on here, haven’t been to any games this summer or are just an idiot. Jeff has brought a renewed energy to a program that has been pretty lackluster for several years now. He has kids from other schools coming to open gym, because they know the competition is going to be there. He had kids coming out who didn’t play basketball last year. He has kids interested into what he’s selling, that being a completely different type of offense and defense than what Portsmouth has been in quite some time. He brings a winning pedigree with him. He has the community buzzing, old great basketball players from Portsmouth wanting to be apart of what he’s building, that will only benefit in the long run, especially with the youth. So yeah he’s 0-0 because it’s not December but you don’t need to have played a single minute to make a change, and Jeff has clearly already got that process underway.

[trojandave]

PtownClown: BuckeyeBlood is spot on with his post. What's specifically amazing are several things; Coach Lisath had a specific printed outline for the summer program the very 1st week he was on the job. He also was able to get a large number of Trojan alumni to jump on board as staff members with his vision of returning the Trojan program to prominence. What has happened on the court is quite amazing so far this summer. The kids have bought into a completely new style of play in just 1 month, and the results of 10-2-1 show it......and this is with Coach Lisath introducing just the very basics of the X's and O's. His so-called playbook is barely past page 1. He's also building relationships with his kids that will benefit them outside of basketball.

Remember that Jeff is basically coaching kids that he had very little knowledge of going into summer ball. But it has been a relatively seamless transition. One can't completely dismiss what's happened on the court this summer, especially with a new coach.

What's equally amazing is the buzz that his hire has created in Portsmouth. Haven't seen anything like this since the 80's. All this and above in barely 6 weeks on the job.

[PtownClown]

All that is great and believe me I truly want him to succeed but he still has not won a game yet. I want PHS basketball to succeed as I do all sports. I'm just saying be cautious and simmer the expectations a little. He has Trojan alumni involved and that is great BUT that isn't a guarantee for success. I truly hope that it does equal success.

[PTrojan59]

Wish I could make it to the 2 days of basketball this week at Trojan arena. Someone be sure to post the results. Thanks in advance.

[socsportsfan1]

trojandave, it is great that you and other Trojan faithful are excited. But at the same time, your propensity for blowing smoke about the Trojan bball team has to be acknowledged. How much can truly and fundamentally be changed with just a few practices? Open gyms by rule aren't supposed to include instruction. Based off the summer outline, how much actual coaching has he had a chance to do? Argue what you will, total program numbers are still an issue. How many of those summer wins so far are against the quality of competition they will see in season?


You make statements about Jeff doing things that I think we would expect of any head coach. It also directly implies that Coach Collins was not doing these things. Did Coach Collins not have Trojan alum on staff and involved in the program? Was he not building relationships with the kids? Openly talking about getting transfers in this context is still part of the hype machine. Not trying to rain on any parade. Give the new hire time to actually work before we claim anything of substance has been achieved. I do think there is a new level of excitement around the program, and shouldn't there be with any new hire? Also, there will appear to be when td hits up the library and embellishes about the goings on of the Trojan program.

[Pinwheel]

Socsportsfan
While you're not involved with anything at Portsmouth why not take your negativity somewhere else , these fans are excited about the new look Trojans so why are they allowed to talk ???

This IS a high school website?
They do talk about sports and expectations?
If they don't live up to what they expected they can answer to it?

If you don't like the hype the Portsmouth fans have ,you can drag your azz back over to the soc threads?


Bet ya ,after they play the rest of their summer league and get beat you would be the first on here pointing it out .

Get along,get along

[trojandave]

socsportsfan1: Why are you so interested in what Portsmouth does? You don't have to read what's posted here. This is a Portsmouth thread, not an SOC thread.

I think I've long established myself as a person who waves the pom poms about Trojan basketball. There's nothing wrong with that. Life is much more enjoyable when you look at things in a positive light. And as a person who as of right now has survived cancer, it emphasizes that point even more.

In all that I've posted about Coach Lisath and what he has done thus far and how the team has performed this summer, I haven't predicted any win totals for the 2023-24 season. What I have said repeatedly is that the Trojans of 2023-24 will have a completely new style of play, with an emphasis on a fast pace on offense and defending the whole court on D.

Is he doing some things differently than Coach Collins? Yes, but that's to be expected. He has his own ideas and plans for where he wants to take this program. The excitement surrounding his hire is not feigned hype. Is he facing some challenges of getting participation numbers up? Yes, but as of right now the numbers are improving slightly.

Coach Lisath just received an award from the OHSAA for integrity and sportsmanship. He knows the rules about instruction during summer basketball; he's been coaching nearly 30 years.

Like Pinwheel said, this is just a high school website where people talk about sports and expectations. It's as simple as that. That's all I'm doing.

[jgordon0315]

This is nothing but noise! Granted Jeff Lisath hasn’t won anything yet, I get it …but the key word is yet…his track record speaks for itself. First, he was the Head Coach at Columbus State Community College where they were 59-9 in three seasons. He wanted to coach high school so jumps in the frying pan to get Unioto back to the Convo after a short hiatus, he goes to Chillicothe Girls who had gone 11 straight years without a winning record, and led them to the Regionals in his first season then back-to-back winning seasons, he goes to Piketon and becomes the winningest coach in school history and taking them to their first and only Final Four appearance, Piketon became a top tier program in the SE. Jeff then goes to Dayton Northridge and becomes the winningest coach in school history collecting several league, sectional, and district titles being one win away for another Final Four appearance in 2019.
Why are Portsmouth fans excited? Well, he won a state championship in 1978 and was a two-time All-Ohio Basketball player, he played college D1 basketball, and he never forgot about his hometown Portsmouth by running the Bannon Park Classic for several years, conducted free basketball camps for kids, and even gives academic scholarships to Portsmouth High School students year after year. Jeff also came back to Portsmouth in the late 80s as an Assistant Coach and help lead the Trojans to another State Championship in 1988. Jeff has received several coaching awards on the district and state levels. Why wouldn’t we be excited? There is no knock on Eugene Collins because we love him too and he did a remarkable job with the program, he and Jeff are great friends and he is still involved with the program as Director of Basketball Operations.