Teacher beats student — and neither enjoys it much in Wilson’s championship win

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

LITITZ — They wanted to avoid this matchup if possible. It was hard to be on opposite sides. A coach going against his former player who has become a good friend. Fate put Wilson’s and Warwick’s girls basketball teams in the same gym Thursday. That meant Wilson’s Chris Gallo went head-to-head against Warwick’s Danny Cieniewicz.

“This was horrible,” Gallo said afterward. “This was like coaching against your son.”

Wilson knocked off Warwick 40-36 in the championship game of the Warwick Holiday Tournament. Isis Dojan scored 10 points and was voted the Most Valuable Player.

It was actually a good sign that the two coaches collided. It meant each prevailed the previous night. Wilson knocked off Bishop McDevitt and Warwick handled Garden Spot.

Gallo and Cieniewicz are connected through their Schuylkill Valley days. Gallo coached the boys basketball team at Leesport for 15 seasons. Cieniewicz was a hard-working 6-2 center who was a three-year starter before graduating in 2008.

Once he decided to coach, Cieniewicz was an assistant under Gallo. Thursday was the first time they were involved in the same game and not with the same team.

“Awkward is maybe the right word,” Cieniewicz said. “I have so much respect for him and his staff. So much I’ve learned under him. It’s like coaching against a family member. All in all it was a different experience. I’ll say that.”

There were Schuylkill Valley connections all over the place. Wilson assistant Nate Cammauf is an SV alum. So is Warwick assistant Kyle Beissel. Several former players were in the stands.

Beissel played on Schuylkill Valley’s 2012 team that defeated Reading High and reached the Berks Conference final. Cieniewicz was an assistant then.

“That part of it is fun,” Gallo said. “It’s great to be with them. That’s what it’s ultimately about. I still didn’t like having to go against him. My second favorite team in Pennsylvania is Warwick.”

Gallo is a demonstrative coach to put it mildly. He’s in constant motion on the sideline trying to coax every last drop of energy out of his players.

Cieniewicz is more subdued. He could obviously see Gallo out of his peripheral vision and needed to tune out some of those familiar commands.

“I feel like I’m hearing some of this and I’m ready to check in,” Cieniewicz said. “I’ve watched him on film. But when you’re coaching against him it’s such a different dynamic than what you’re used to.”

There were a few interesting cat-and-mouse games. 

Dojan, Wilson’s standout center, was in foul trouble and was rotated in for offensive possessions. Each time that happened, Cieniewicz quickly countered by inserting Sam Shaak to defend Dojan. The coaches were too familiar to pull any tricks on one another.

Gallo resigned at Schuylkill Valley in 2012 and resurfaced as a varsity coach with Wilson’s girls prior to last season. Once that happened, Gallo and Cieniewicz became even closer confidants. They’re now coaching in the same world and rely on some of the same information.

“We talk almost every day,” Gallo said. “He did a really good job tonight which is what he always does. They play really hard. They buy into what he wants to do which is guard. They’re very good at defense. Offensively they want to be patient.”

The two share film. They share ideas. They share details about common opponents.

Last year, before Warwick’s tournament was canceled because of COVID-19, Gallo and Cieniewicz agreed not to face each other. Wilson and Warwick were going to play the other participants regardless of who won the first night.

This year they decided that was too complicated to organize. They let the matchup play out. For 32 weird minutes, friends became adversaries.

“He’s always been a mentor in the game for me,” Cieniewicz said. “Having him continue to help with that shows he’s invested in the kids long after they’re graduated.”

It was a relief for Gallo and Cieniewicz when the game was over. They could return to something more comfortable. Rooting for each other.