Experienced Assistant Ready to Step Up to Head Coach Role at Ligonier Valley Boys

By means of: Bill Beckner Jr.

Friday, July 12, 2024 | 6:39 PM

The new coach of the Ligonier Valley boys basketball team felt a magnetic pull, almost a calling to be the loudest voice from the bench.

The game is in his blood.

The twinkle in Dante Porter’s eye began to show in his third season as an assistant with the Geibel boys basketball team about three years ago. His father, Don, was the head coach but took on the added duties of the school’s athletic director, so Dante was given more responsibility on the bench, along with the title of associate head coach.

That’s when he knew he wanted to take control of his own team.

“There was a lot of creative freedom in how we prepared for competitions,” Porter said of working with his father. “That’s where the itch started.”

Porter, 28, a graduate of Mt. Pleasant and Saint Vincent, was hired this week to take over the Ligonier Valley program, about three months after four-year coach Tim Gustin stepped down.

Porter, who played basketball and football in high school, lives in Somerset with his wife, former Saint Vincent softball player and Rockwood resident Samantha Emert. He has a unique job, working as a special investigator on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

He is a member of the group that tackles fare dodgers and investigates unpaid tolls.

“You pay for the service to use our beautiful road,” he said. “But we have people who think they don’t have to pay their bills for that service.”

Porter paid his dues by learning from a number of experienced coaches.

Don Porter also coached the Mt. Pleasant boys. He now assists Cam Auld at Greensburg Salem.

Dante assisted his father at Mt. Pleasant as a scorekeeper before the pair reunited at Geibel, where they spent five years together (2018-23).

Last season, Dante Porter was an assistant at Berlin Brothersvalley, a District 5 Single-A program that played in the PIAA finals in Hershey before losing 79-52 to Imani Christian. He also served as the head junior high coach at Berlin Brothersvalley.

Porter gives a big thumbs up to Berlin Brothersvalley head coach Tanner Prosser and hopes he can copy some of his coaching techniques into Prosser’s.

“There’s no one else running a public school program like he does,” Porter said. “It’s not just about the X’s and the O’s.”

Ligonier Valley will have three open gyms under the new coach before the Rams take advantage of their late entry into the Berlin Brothersvalley Summer League.

Geibel made the WPIAL Class A playoffs five times and the PIAA Tournament three times. The team finished third in the WPIAL in 2022 and fourth in ’23 after back-to-back semifinal appearances. They often ran into powerhouse Bishop Canevin and one of their stars, Jalen Gales, who would later play at Saint Vincent.

Ligonier Valley went 5-17 last season and was 28-55 under Gustin with two WPIAL playoff trips. Ligonier Valley joined the WPIAL in 2020 after bidding farewell to PIAA District 6.

The Rams lost only four seniors from last year’s team.

“There’s a lot of support (at Ligonier Valley) and (athletic director) Wes (Siko) has been great,” Porter said. “I want us to play hard and defend. That’s always something I preach. Offensively, we can change depending on the personnel. At Geibel, we were a run-and-jump team, but I’m also open to taking it a little easier.”

Siko believes Porter is a promising coach who can help the Rams right away.

“Dante is well known in the Westmoreland basketball community and his work with the youth will be vital to building our program,” Siko said. “His dedication and influence will be crucial as we continue to develop and grow.”

Porter also serves as assistant director of the Westmoreland County Elementary School Basketball League, a thriving organization with more than 150 teams, where he also works closely with his father.

Porter said that, like the youngsters in that league, it’s important to get players comfortable with everyday dialogue at an early age.

“For grades 3-12, it’s a cultural thing and terminology is important. They need to know the basic concepts already (third graders) so that when I teach them six years later, they know them.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at [email protected].

Tags: Ligonier Valley