After winning Tyrone’s first District 6 basketball championship in 1994, Lady Eagle coach Jim Swaney motioned to his seniors, who were on the floor of the Altoona Fieldhouse examining the trophy that had eluded them for two seasons.
“People talk about Lady Eagle basketball now,” he said. “Well, those seniors are Lady Eagle basketball.”
Eleven seasons and 153 victories later, there’s little question that the true identity of the program lies with Swaney and his undeniable ability to lead and motivate players from all walks of life. But even after securing his 250th victory with a 64-53 win over Indian Valley, Friday night, the coach in his 17th season at Tyrone wasn’t ready to place the spotlight on himself.
Instead, he wanted to talk about the players and the people who helped put him in a position to be successful in his first and only head coaching position.
“What I’m most proud of are the people we’ve had come through here and the people I’ve been around,” Swaney said. “Being hired by (former Tyrone athletic director) Pete Dutrow and working for him for so many years was the greatest experience I could have, and I ended up with a friend for life. (The late) Gordie Norris is someone I miss so much and he was my backbone down here. He was the reason I always wanted to stay. (Assistant coach) Gary (Noel) has been here the whole time, and without him, I don’t know what I would do.
“And the kids have all played a part in it, and they’re the ones that should be happy about it. If you list who got us there, I’m way down on that list and the kids are way up.”
Swaney began at Tyrone in 1988-89, taking over a program that had competed in the District playoffs only once while becoming a revolving door for head coaches. Two seasons later, freshmen Ashley Norris and Gendie Haverstein came on the scene as part of the first great girls basketball class in Swaney’s tenure, and by the group’s sophomore season, it was competing for a Mountain League championship.
After two seasons of playing bridesmaids to Indian Valley’s bride – losing twice in league championship games to the Lady Warriors in 1992 and 1993 – Tyrone broke through during Norris and Haverstein’s senior season, winning Mountain League and District 6 championships while compiling a program record 24 wins.
In that way, it was almost fitting that Swaney’s milestone win would come against Valley and coach Roger Herto, and it was little wonder why one of his first reflections was not of a game-changing strategic move he made to secure the victory, but of one of the players from the days that marked the assent of his program.
“When I got my 100th win (in December 1994), I remember how mad Ashley was because it didn’t come when she was playing,” he said with a smile.
Swaney began his coaching career as an assistant at Bishop Guilfoyle in the mid-1980s, helping to guide the Lady Marauders to a PIAA championship in 1984. His move to Tyrone coincided with a county-wide explosion of the girls game, with area teams benefiting from the tremendous success of Altoona and Guilfoyle.
To Tyrone he brought with him an intensity well-known by anyone who has observed his sideline demeanor, as well as an offensive philosophy that has allowed talented scorers to blossom. Under his watch, eight Lady Eagles have surpassed the 1,000-point plateau, with Alanna Daniels most recently hitting the mark in 2002.
Two of his players – Norris (Boston University) and Sarah Grazier (Robert Morris) – received Division I scholarships, while five have been inducted into the Tyrone Basketball Hall of Fame.
Swaney has twice led teams to seasons of 20 wins or more and guided three teams into the PIAA playoffs (1994, 1996, 1997). Seven of his teams have won 15 or more games in a single season, and seven have advanced to the semifinal round of the District playoffs.
