Loscher Looks to Turn Around SH Boys Basketball Program

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December 1, 2024

By Tom Pedulla—

Sleepy Hollow High School’s long-suffering boys’ basketball program, which may have reached its nadir with three-win seasons each of the last two years, desperately needs a master rebuilder.

It appears to have one in Steve Loscher.

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Loscher offers almost four decades of coaching experience, including the last two seasons with the girls’ varsity at Sleepy Hollow. He is best known for taking three different schools to the sectional finals in a four-year span from 2015-2018 — Peekskill, Keio Academy and Ramapo.

Although he is 66, he brings a level of enthusiasm to his latest challenge that might be expected of a fresh-faced coach with much to prove.

“I love coaching,” Loscher said before a recent practice. “Everybody thinks, ‘Why don’t you retire?’ This is what I do. I love it. I’m still passionate about it. If you love something, it’s not work.”

He is all in. While he waited for his car to be repaired not long ago, he used the time to design plays and to plan for practice.

There is no reason, however, to think this can be a swift turnaround. He took Sleepy Hollow’s girls to the Section 1 Tournament in his first year with them, albeit with a 6-14 record. The team won just three games last year.

Loscher, who retired from teaching three years ago, never loses sight of the big picture and considers last season fairly successful. “The kids had fun. They learned a lot, so it was a great experience for everybody,” he said.

He is eager for the boys to take small steps as part of a massive rebuilding effort. “My goal right now is to make it fun for these kids, teach them life skills, teach them the game of basketball,” he said. “I think it will be a good experience.”

Loscher pointed to a lack of fundamentals in explaining why the team has struggled so mightily. A recent practice began by focusing on dribbling, one of the most basic skills.

“These kids really weren’t taught basic fundamentals,” he said, “or if they were taught them, they forgot them.”

Loscher wants to introduce the sport to elementary school students with the hope of instilling in them a passion for basketball at a young age.

“A lot of us didn’t play in middle school. We started in high school,” noted Gibby Poll, a senior. “I think that’s what affected us the last few years.”

Poll welcomes the change Loscher brings. “I don’t think our style of play was that great,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a lot better moving forward.”

Gilbert Onwe, a talented junior, is eager to see what the future will bring. “Our previous coach was good,” he said, “but this coach is bringing a good change to the way we play, the way we run our offense and defense.” Onwe is optimistic that the team’s speed can offset what it lacks in size.

Loscher is emphasizing improvement at the modified level while building interest in basketball at the lower levels. At many rival schools, young players are making an almost year-round commitment to the game as their top sport.

“The youth is what builds your program,” the new coach said. “If I came in and concentrated right now only on the varsity, we’d get small victories, win a few extra games here or there. But to turn a program around, you have to turn it around from the bottom up.”

Loscher praised the support he has gotten at every level, from the administration to the athletic office to the custodians. He emphasized that his players are enthusiastic and yearn for better results.

Over time, can a program that has been down for so long be rebuilt?

“I believe it can. That’s why I took it,” said Loscher, keeping one eye on the present and the other on the future.

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