Over a four-year run for his 2004-05 team that won two-consecutive Lehigh Valley Conference and District 11 Class 4A titles, former Whitehall head boys’ coach Jerry Radocha remembers one little snafu about a team that had few flaws in playing the game a simple way.

“In their four years, I remember them having one bad practice,” noted Radocha. “It was the night before we played Allen.

“For the first time, they came to practice without anything. These guys were truly basketball players. They came in as freshmen and it didn’t take them long to make the adjustment.”

Radocha began with a freshman class in the winter of 2001 that matured and developed into a team that went 55-8 over their last two years. It marked the first Lehigh Valley program since Whitehall’s 1981-83 teams to win both league and district titles in consecutive years.

Jason Greene, who finished his career as the school’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,378 points and then had a stellar career at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), was one of four from a lot of 14 freshmen who were promoted to varsity.

Greene led the team in scoring averaging 17 points per game, and Will Leiner, who would later be a walk-on at Penn State, added 9.7 per game. It was the senior core of Greene, Leiner, Matt Zwetolitz, Kyle Conrad, and Aaron Scholl that surfaced as sophomores and fully sprouted as seniors.

Greene and Leiner were among the league’s best foul shooters, and the Zephyrs shot nearly 78 percent from the field as a team. They averaged just over 50 points per game, but allowed just under 39.

“Greene, Leiner, Conrad, Zwetolitz and Scholl all saw time as sophomores,” said Radocha. “We usually had three sophomores in the lineup.”

Greene understood how winning was expected in the program. His father and three other brothers were part of the Zephyrs’ basketball fabric.

“There was a culture here set by coach Radocha and the two legendary coaches before him,” said Greene. “Growing up, I knew what Whitehall basketball was, and how the expectations were. It was about winning and following in their footsteps.

“We all grew up together playing in youth leagues. We had a strong team chemistry. Coach Radocha spent a lot of time with us during the summer, taking us to down to Philadelphia to play.

“We would play against some of the better teams in the state, and it certainly helped us.”

Leiner also saw the connection from their early youth.

“There was a group of us that played sports together since we were five,” said Leiner. “We all were very committed to winning. There was little tolerance to not being part of the program. It was a tight ship.

“We played some of the best schools in the state during the summer like Simon Gratz, Lower Merion, and Blair Academy, who was the number two team in the country at the time. We were very close as a team. We kept our heads and didn’t read any newspapers. We knew there was a perception about us and expectations were high.”

Radocha, who won 193 games that included four league and three district titles in 11 years, knew the environment and believed he had a special group. As sophomores, they were part of a team that finished 14-13 and they took the lead the following season to compile an overall 27-4 mark.

“The two guys before me won over 900 games, so there really wasn’t a lot to fix,” he stated. “One time when we went to Reading for a scrimmage, we didn’t come ready to play. I threw the younger guys in and they swam.

“None of these guys were going to scare anyone physically, but collectively, they were pretty good. They had been to playoffs as sophomores and they knew what to expect. A lot of them got playing time then, and they just progressed.”

In their senior year, they rarely missed a beat. The Zephyrs stormed out to a 5-0 start before they lost at Emmaus.

From there, they reeled of 13-consecutive wins before they fell to Steelton-Highspire in the Sports Fever Challenge at Trinity High School.

The Zephyrs then dropped a game to Allentown Central Catholic before they rumbled their way through the Lehigh Valley Conference playoffs and districts, beating Emmaus in the district final.

“We had a lot of memories, but I do remember the Central game,” said Greene. “We older guys had a moment as a team. We were expected to win and pick to win our league and districts. We had some choice words among each other.

“That was the best thing for our team. We came back and beat them (Central) by one point to win the league. The bull’s-eye was on our backs and it was exhausting.”

“That game was a pivotal game,” added Leiner. “We all looked at each other and said that this couldn’t happen. We had to circle the wagons.”

They entered the state playoffs and easily disposed of Scranton (63-46) and Frankford (62-40) before their 28-4 campaign ended with a 74-65 loss to Chester in Reading.

“I remember the Chester game in Reading” said Radocha. “We were making a run and the place became so loud. I remember looking up and seeing my dad. He was battling cancer at the time, and I knew he wouldn’t be around for a long time.

“They were a group that spent time together and were unselfish. I remember getting on the bus from the Chester game and realizing that when it’s over, it’s over. Yet, there were plenty of good memories.”

“I’m grateful for what we had,” added Greene. “Today’s basketball has changed a lot. Coach Radocha always said to take one day at a time and had us work on the little things. He put us on a course that all makes sense now.

“We were a blue-collar, Whitehall-type team.”

Leiner echoed the sentiments.

“It was magic,” he said. “I never experienced anything like that in three years. We were a very close group, and it was great being part of it.”