One of the top girls basketball teams in the WPIAL lost its head coach after she left the team this week.
Amy Gumbert, McKeesport’s third-year coach who guided the Tigers to the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals her first two seasons, decided to step away from the team Tuesday, the reason for which is currently not clear. It’s also not clear whether she resigned. She could not be reached for comment.
“When she told me she wasn’t going to return Tuesday night, I started putting a staff in place for our game on Wednesday [against Connellsville], which turned out had to be canceled for several different reasons,” McKeesport athletic director Charley Kiss said.
With Gumbert out, Matt Miller has taken over as active coach. Miller is also the school’s football coach who guided the Tigers to a spot in the WPIAL Class 4A final last season. Miller’s daughter, Madison, is a senior on the girls basketball team.
“Kind of when everything went down, I said, ‘Hey, I’m willing to help. My daughter is a senior. If I can help in any way, let me know,” Miller explained.
Miller said he expects to be elevated to interim coach at Thursday’s school board meeting.
Miller, who played basketball and baseball at Point Park in the 1990s, made his debut on the sideline Saturday when McKeesport defeated Greensburg Central Catholic, 56-43, at Seton Hill University. Greensburg has one of the top teams in Class 2A.
“I’ve inherited a very good team, a veteran team,” Miller said. “We play seven seniors, and they’ve been playing together for a long time.”
None of Gumbert’s assistant coaches are still with the team. Miller is assisted by Ryan Shank, Nick LoNigro and Marcella Barry. All are district employees, including Miller, who is a high school history teacher.
The news came as a surprise considering Gumbert’s success in her three seasons and that McKeesport is a WPIAL and PIAA championship contender in Class 5A this season. Gumbert led the Tigers to the PIAA semifinals in 2022 and to the PIAA quarterfinals a season ago. She has a career record of 59-14.
Gumbert is a McKeesport graduate who played alongside Swin Cash on McKeesport’s only WPIAL title team in 1998.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.