Pennsbury girls’ coach Frank Sciolla recently notched the 500th win of an unparalleled coaching career. Photos from Pennsbury/CB South game provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. (Additional photos provided)
Roll back the calendar to 2016.
Frank Sciolla, who had done nothing but win during a stellar coaching career, took over the helm of a struggling Pennsbury girls’ basketball program.
Kate Mix – then a sophomore – remembers it like it was yesterday.
“My freshman year we won four games and really struggled to have people engaged in the program,” she said. “I loved my teammates, but most of them were soccer players or played different sports, and basketball was the thing they did to keep busy in winter.”
That changed in a hurry when Sciolla took over the program.
“His main focus was shifting us from girls that play basketball in the winter into actually basketball players and having our focus be on strengthening the commitment and teamwork aspect rather than just showing up to play,” Mix said. “For a lot of girls, it was a major, major culture shock of – here’s the locker room, your shoes are on 15 minutes before practice, and regardless if practice is at 8 a.m., you’re there at 7:30, you’re on the court by 7:45 ready to go, rather than rolling into practice at 8:05 and scrambling to get your shoes on before we start layup lines – the way it was before.”
Sciolla’s intensity, according to Mix, scared a lot of the girls.
“I guess they never really had an experience that said, ‘Here are your expectations, and they’re going to be followed if you’re going to be on the team,’” Mix said. “I think that’s what really changed for a lot of girls. You’ve got to shape up, and he kicked us into high gear.”
One year after Sciolla took over the helm, Pennsbury earned a spot in the District 1 6A Tournament and the following year, the Falcons won their opening round district game before falling in playbacks for a state berth. Three years later, the Falcons were playing for a district title.
It’s a blueprint that has been followed at each of Sciolla’s four coaching stops, and it’s why he recently notched win number 500 of an unparalleled coaching career, a career that began as head coach of the Pennsbury boys’ team and included successful stints at Bristol and Conwell-Egan.
Sciolla notched the historic milestone on Jan. 11 with his team’s 47-40 over Central Bucks South.
“People asked me after the game – did I ever think about this, and the answer is no,” he said. “If I would have stayed at Pennsbury and would have ridden it out – then yes. You would think at some point you’re going to win games. Let’s be honest, if you play 22 games a year and you coach 28 years, you’re probably going to win some games.
“But you don’t think of it because of the jobs I took. The challenge isn’t so much – hey, you want to win 20 games a year. The challenge is more – yo, can we turn this around, get people to like basketball and be successful on and off the court. I am very fortunate with that.
“It’s humbling because I remember taking over Pennsbury with one side of the bleachers pulled out. I remember going to Egan, and I remember the expectations there. And there’s so many good people, and I think that is such a key. For me, it’s always been – surround yourself with a really good cast, and make sure the kids know that you love them, and coach them hard, which I do, I coach them hard. In 2024, I’m probably a dinosaur in terms of the fact that I have high expectations for every single player on my team, whether they’re the so-called best or the last player on the jayvee. I understand that might burn me out, and that probably causes issues, but I’m never going to change my expectations.”
Those high expectations and invariably successful results are why Pennsbury alum Kaitlin Kelly (’14) –who aspired to coach a sport she loves – wanted to learn under Sciolla. She has been an assistant under him since completing a successful basketball career at DeSales University.
“I’m so grateful that Frank gave me the opportunity to come back to my alma mater and be on his coaching staff,” Kelly said. “When I returned to the program and saw the changes he implemented - it was a shellshock. I truly could not believe it was the same program I came from.
“The way Frank completely turned the program around is something so incredible to witness. We never had all the bleachers pulled out filled with fans in the stands or had social media or went to showcase tournaments. He has worked tirelessly with his staff to get this program to where it is today.”
The journey
Sciolla’s first coaching stint came as an assistant for the Pennsbury boys’ basketball team.
“I was really just doing it to pass the time until I went to law school,” he said.
After two years, in 1995, the head coaching position was opened.
“I applied for the job,” Sciolla said. “I was aware that there were 67 outside applicants, including the best coaches in the area and probably some of the best coaches in the
history of Mercer and Bucks. There were also two other internal candidates who had been coaches at Pennsbury. Honestly, as a 24-year-old, I was woefully underqualified compared to the people that went for it.”
Sciolla – who says he had some help preparing for the interview - landed the job, and during a successful 15-year run, his teams won 280 games, captured seven SOL National Conference titles and made seven appearances in the state tournament. He had players who went on to play at prominent Division 1 programs and many more who joined his coaching tree.
“I stepped down because at the time my wife (Amanda) had to get her master’s degree, and she had to get permanently certified as a teacher,” he said. “It was just going to be too hard, and she had already sacrificed so much as she has my entire career, and I thought I was done.”
But he wasn’t done and accepted the reins of a down and out Bristol program.
“This is when I entered the – ‘What am I doing?’ part of my career,” Sciolla said. “Bristol was really struggling, they were down, they had won two games the previous year and they graduated their two top scorers.
“I jumped into Bristol because I knew people down there. I came with my staff from Pennsbury. We were there a couple of years, and we were successful. I thought I would stay at Bristol if I would continue to coach.”
But then the opportunity to coach at Conwell-Egan in the Philadelphia Catholic opened.
“It has struggled traditionally throughout its history both in the county and the Catholic League,” Sciolla said. “I initially turned it down a couple of times.
“Finally, I met with two of my best friends, and they said, ‘If you’re ever going to have a challenge like this – this is the ultimate challenge.’ It was a mile away from my house – I may as well try it.”
The program’s turnaround under Sciolla was immediate and included – in year two - winning the program’s first District 12 2A title and going on to win the PIAA 2A state crown with a win over Aliquippa.
After three years, Sciolla stepped down.
“You start to think to yourself – are you good only because your three coaching jobs have been rebuilding jobs, and that was it,” Sciolla said. “It kind of burned me out – three jobs that were really heavy hardcore rebuilds at places that had not been successful. That was it for me.
“I looked at my family – they were outside the locker room. I was okay, and it was over.”
But it wasn’t over.
It’s a family affair
In April of 2016, the Pennsbury girls’ coaching job opened.
“I did not initially apply for the job,” Sciolla said. “I was done coaching. I also knew the girls’ team had won four games the previous year, and it was going to be a struggle.
“I had a daughter (Ava) coming up, and I didn’t feel like I wanted her to have the pressure of having to play for me if I was coaching there.”
Sciolla had a change of heart after talking to Neil French, a longtime coach and teacher at Neshaminy.
“He called and said, ‘Please don’t turn this down because of your daughter. Consider it because of her, and think about the experience you could have together,’” said Sciolla, whose son Dante, a sophomore, plays football at Pennsbury. “When I took the job, I was so clueless. I had no idea there were not many girls in program. I didn’t know about so many things that existed. I think if I would have known those things - I probably would not have taken it.
“Looking at the returnees - there were eight players. I had an open meeting for the community in May and showed a PowerPoint about what we planned to do, and it was attended by over 100 people, so we were able to get some numbers out to our opening workouts. At that point in my life, it was another massive rebuild.”
A rebuild that followed a similar pattern as his past stops. In no time, Sciolla put Pennsbury back on the map, and his
daughter not only had a front row seat to the turnaround but also played a major role in it, earning PA Coaches Class 6A Player of the Year honors as a senior.
Long before her father took over the helm of the girls’ program, Ava had been following her father’s teams.
“I remember going to Myrtle Beach with him and his Pennsbury boys’ team,” she said. “I was very, very young, and I remember being in a hotel and just wandering around and hanging out with his players. Getting to experience having 10-11 big brothers growing up until I was 14 was fantastic.”
Playing for her father when she entered high school was a new dynamic.
“It’s definitely a complicated situation when you have to live under the same roof as the person who’s coaching you,” Ava said. “You have to know how to divide portions of your life, but I knew what I was in for, and I wanted it. I encouraged and asked for it because I wanted nothing less than the best, and that’s what he can offer.”
If there’s a moment that stands out above the rest during her four years at Pennsbury, it came during Ava’s sophomore year on Feb. 6, 2020, when Pennsbury defeated Neshaminy 42-32 in front of a packed house to clinch a share of its first league title since 2006.
“The best memory I have of him as a coach is the first time we won the SOL together, getting subbed out of the game and walking off the court into his arms and the hug that we shared,” she said. “Even aside from best basketball moment, I consider that to actually be one of the best moments of my life that I shared with my father.”
Ava is continuing her basketball and academic career at Columbia University. She acknowledges that growing up with a father in the coaching ranks had an unmistakable influence.
“It gave me an opportunity to be around the game, and I think it also shaped me into the person I am outside of basketball as well,” she said. “What makes him such an incredible coach is that love and passion that he instills in his players, which is not exclusive to the basketball court.
“That’s every area of their lives. It’s ensuring they’re making safe and healthy decisions, that they respect themselves, that they respect their family, that they’re hard workers. It’s kind of an all-encompassing approach. He’s a very well-rounded coach, and I think that approach is why he’s been so successful. It’s why we’re at a point where he has 500 wins.”
The legacy continues
Four of Sciolla’s former players - Wes Emme (Pennsbury boys), Jesse Krasna (Council Rock South girls), Zach Sibel (Central Bucks West girls) and Zak Kumor (West Windsor-Plainsboro South girls) - have joined him in the coaching ranks as high school head coaches.
“The more I coach, the more I realize how much things change from year to year, and he’s something that hasn’t change, which is awesome,” Sibel said. “I remember him coming to a middle school practice we were having at Penn Wood, and it was the first time I’d ever really interacted with him.
“I’d seen him coach before even when I was living in Morrisville, and he was always a guy you wanted to play for. Just the energy he brought in talking to us at a practice. He didn’t run the practice, he just came to watch and give some advice where advice was needed, but he always had this way of motivating. The success isn’t an accident. It’s really an ability to get the best out of everyone.”
Sibel was part of the 2009-10 Pennsbury squad that – on the heels of four straight league championships on a Dalton Pepper-led squad – was 18-11 but overachieved at every turn and advanced to the state tournament.
A comment by Krasna, who was also on that squad, after the Falcons’ season-ending loss to Scranton in the state tournament speaks volumes.
“There’s nothing like it,” Krasna said of playing for Pennsbury. “Everybody hates us because of how lucky we are to have such good coaches who really care and spend so
much time. It’s their lives. They would take a bullet for us.”
Thirteen years later, Krasna – who coached the boys’ team at Council Rock North before taking over the CR South girls’ program this season – offers a similar sentiment.
“I have never seen a coach get more out of his players, and it is for so many different reasons,” Krasna said. “He has immersed himself in the Pennsbury community and makes time to connect with players from the time that they pick up a basketball in elementary school.
“He strengthens that connection over the years leading up to high school and gives his players opportunity to develop their own leadership qualities at clinics, pep rallies and other community building events. He fills the stands because of this, and it has been awesome to see the big crowds and excitement he has created on the girls’ side recently after doing this exact thing for the boys.”
Sciolla invites young students to watch his locker room pre-game or halftime talks if they share the title of a book they are reading, always emphasizing academics over athletics.
“Middle school – that’s his bread and butter,” Sibel said. “I was playing for Ray Engle back then. He came in, and I remember the first thing he said after practice – ‘The biggest thing that stood out to me was the way you guys warm up and the way you prepare.’
“That’s something I’ve tried to echo. Instead of just getting in the gym and shooting shots from halfcourt, get to a basket and work on your game because there’s an opportunity to get better every single day.”
Lou Pompili, whose daughter Nicole played for Sciolla, joined his staff as an assistant two years ago.
“I have learned more from that man in two years than I have the previous 12 years sitting on the sidelines,” Pompili said. “The man lives, breathes, and dies each day for his kids in the classroom and on the court.
“Watching him in action behind the scenes has been amazing. It has truly been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had being on the staff, and once again, he asks for nothing in return but challenges me to do my absolute best for these kids.”
Listening to Sciolla tell it, coaching on the girls’ side has been especially rewarding.
“I’m really thankful for the young women that I coach because I learned so much,” he said. “In 2001 when the Pennsbury girls’ job opened, I wanted to go for it, but my friends were going for it, so I stepped aside.
“I wish I could have done this so long ago because in the girls’ world you coach against so many good coaches because they don’t take things for granted. They know the importance of execution over athleticism, they know the importance of the skill set.
“My girls give me such a good idea of perspective on life. They make me smile, and they teach me to be happy. I can’t tell you how many times they motivate me more than I motivate them.”
Ask Sciolla the best part of coaching, and without hesitation he points to the relationships he’s formed.
“The fact that I have been in the wedding party at several of my former players’ weddings, the fact that I am close friends with so many of them – that is by far the best part, and there’s no close second,” he said.
The worst part – beyond cutting players – is the fact that it is a different culture today.
“High school used to be the center of the universe, and people really understood the value of the high school experience in terms of sacrifice and playing with your friends and teammates,” Sciolla said. “Things have changed so much because of year-round sports. We have fewer kids that play than ever. We have kids that quit because they want to focus on other sports. I’m in a tug of war with how I want to coach and teach the game.
“It’s not a bad thing, by the way - I love the club sports, I love the kids participating in it, and there are so many good coaches, but I feel more than ever as if I’m the first person to say ‘no.’ I realize that at 53 I’m the same as I was at 25 when it comes to my expectations for competing, communicating, being unselfish and elevating each other as teammates. I don’t know how much longer I have to go, but I’m going to go all the way to the wall for as long as I can.”
Sciolla - who was hired initially as a coach at Pennsbury and then came in as a long-term sub before accepting a contract to teach English - thought a 15-year career on the sidelines would be ‘amazing.’
“I never for a second thought about any sort of milestone win,” Sciolla said.
As for taking a one-year break to coach before entering law school – that break is now 28 years and counting.
Coach Sciolla's 1997 team.
They said…
“Coach Sciolla deserves this. He is honestly the best coach I’ll ever play under. He can be intense and definitely crazy at times, but his knowledge of the game and of each team we play and of the players he coaches makes him a great coach. He looks out for us on and off the court and has helped us win a lot of games while also teaching us life lessons. I am forever grateful to have had him as a coach because he has really helped grow my game, and also, he brings really good donuts on Saturday!”
--Sofia Vitucci (Pennsbury ‘24)
“I had the privilege of playing for Coach Sciolla for four years at Pennsbury. It was really cool to see the impact he made on the program and I’m proud to have been a part of it. He completely changed the girls’ basketball world for the better. He wants nothing more than to watch kids succeed. He offers up so much of his time to help people and make them better. He has changed the way I look at the game of basketball. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to be coached by him. Coach Sciolla deserves every single one of those wins! Congrats Coach!”
--Bella Acuri (Pennsbury ’22, now playing at Kutztown University)
“Growing up I was able to see great teams and great players come through Coach Sciolla. I’ve always looked up to these teams and now am able to realize that Coach is a huge part of their success. Over the past four years, he has not only taught me basketball but valuable life lessons and skills. He has always made it known that his support for me outweighs any missed shot. He is one of the greats and 100 percent deserves this. I thank him and all of the coaching staff for the amount of time, support, and energy they have continuously put into me and our team.”
--Layla Matthias (Pennsbury ‘24)
“Coach Ski, thanks so much for everything you taught us about life and hard work. You’ve given so much to so many, and the Pennsbury community is forever grateful! Summer nights at LMT will always be a cherished memory.”
--Bryan Besecker (Pennsbury ’05)
“Congrats to coach for getting #500. While that number is impressive, it doesn’t match the number of lives he’s positively impacted, including my own. His life lessons on discipline, work, ethics, responsibility, communication and selflessness are continually exhibited by any team he has ever coached. His players leave his program better people, and I’m forever proud to call him coach.”
--Zak Kumor (Pennsbury ’10, West Windsor-Plainsboro South girls’ coach)
“I was fortunate to share the sideline with Coach Sciolla as a player and then as a coach. Coach Sciolla has been so influential for players and students for 30-plus years. The Pennsbury community would not be what it is today without coach Sciolla’s impact.”
--Jon Love (Pennsbury ’96, Pennsbury boys’ assistant coach)
“Pennsbury girls’ basketball is truly so lucky to have someone who cares so deeply as he does. All he wants is to better his players on and off the court and to see them succeed. I see the players he has worked with and developed, and I only wish I could have had him as a coach. His knowledge and dedication to the game is something to truly admire, and I am so happy that I got to learn from, befriend and look up to (literally and figuratively) Frank!”
--Kaitlin Kelly, Pennsbury ’14, Pennsbury girls’ assistant coach)
“Coach Sciolla has been the face of Pennsbury basketball for well over two decades. I met him when I was in kindergarten or first grade and couldn't wait to put on the orange and black uniform. So many of his former players felt the same. His players are like celebrities to younger kids, and he makes you believe that if you work hard in school and on the court, you can be in their shoes one day. He has high expectations for his players and paints a clear picture for how to get to and stay at the top of the mountain. His players play so hard for him and always have. He is an incredible motivator, and he makes ‘hard work’ so much fun. His teams are always disciplined, prepared and tough. He prepares kids for the real world. I never worked harder than my four years at Pennsbury and never had more fun playing the game than my time at PHS. Getting to play for him was a dream come true, and anyone who can also call him their coach knows how lucky they are.”
--Jesse Krasna (Pennsbury ’10, Council Rock South girls’ coach)
“Sci, as he is affectionately known, represents the best of all traits in coaching. He is a hybrid blend of old school toughness, intellectual motivator, and a servant leader with a high level of emotional intelligence. Walking into a gym that he is commanding is a sight to behold. There is no finer coach that I have met and I’m just so lucky that I got to be a little piece of his puzzle in what has been a brilliant hall of fame career. Congratulations on #500!”
--Wes Emme (Pennsbury ’05, Pennsbury boys’ coach)
“Frank has been giving to my family and to families all over Bucks County for over 20 years. Not only did he coach my daughter through sixth grade for AAU, but he guided and watched her progress through middle school and then coached her all the way up through high school. And that’s what he does. He gives so much of himself and ask for nothing in return but your absolute best. He raises people to heights they did not realize they could achieve.
“Frank is a true pillar of the community in every sense of the word. I would like to extend my congratulations on 500 wins but more importantly, for touching the lives of so many young adults throughout his span of coaching and teaching. And lastly, I’m very proud to call him my friend.”
--Lou Pompili (Pennsbury girls’ assistant coach)
“Five hundred wins is an incredible accomplishment. Everywhere he has gone he has created a positive culture and program, and he has won. As somebody who grew up in the Pennsbury basketball community, going to games, camps/clinics (coached and hosted by him) and playing at Pennsbury, coaching with Frank has been an extraordinary experience. He has the special ability to empower his players and staff every day. Frank has taught me so much about life, coaching, teaching, and fostering positive relationships. These are experiences I will cherish forever. Five hundred wins is well deserved for a person who has sacrificed so much for others.
--Logan Klock (Pennsbury ’12, Pennsbury girls’ assistant coach)
“As Frank moved closer to this milestone, he did so while lifting the entire SOL girls’ basketball league with his outstanding well-coached teams. I appreciate how he always shares his success with his players and staff. Frank's love for his community is one of the reasons he has risen to the top ranks of coaches anywhere. In my years of coaching, you come across opposing coaches who challenge you to properly prepare your team. These types of coaches help me improve my teams and myself in regard to game preparation for an opponent. I can name four or five coaches who fit this description and Frank is one of them.
“At times, Frank's passion for the game is misunderstood by opponents. I admire the passion he has for any basketball program with his name associated with it. I see his passion and equate it to pride - pride for community, pride for his students, pride for his staff, pride in his players and more importantly pride in his family. On the night of Frank’s 500th win, I happened to be reading an article about Nick Saban on his retirement from Alabama and saw a quote that made me think of Frank and what he has done over his time in coaching: ‘You can have a record or you can have a legacy. Your legacy is more how did you do it. And what I have always tried to do - and what I want my legacy to be is you helped a lot of people be more successful in their life.’ -Nick Saban
--John Gallagher, Neshaminy girls’ basketball coach
“This is my 26th year of coaching, and I can easily say that Frank is the best coach I’ve ever met. Frank has achieved 500 wins because he doesn’t care about the wins. The reality is that he cares about every player and coach in the gym. His true goal is to empower the girls to be confident in the person that they are so they can develop, not just on the basketball floor, but to become the person they want to be down the road. “
Sean Ryan (Pennsbury girls' assistant coach)
Coach Sciolla's first team at Pennsbury (1995)
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