Scranton’s Tony Battaglia (4) takes a three-point during the 74th annual Lynett Memorial Tournament semifinal round on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Scranton baseketball junior Tony Battaglia and his father Coach Tony Battaglia stand for a photograph at Scranton High School Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Scranton’s Tony Battaglia (4) takes a three-point during the 74th annual Lynett Memorial Tournament semifinal round on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
There is a gripping excitement as a season enters the playoffs and the pursuit of championships intensifies.
In contrast, the finality of it all for the teams that fall short can be as heartbreaking as the exhilaration of victory.
Regardless of when or where, the journey on the hardwoods as a player and a coach will conclude.
The Battaglias — father and coach, Tony, and his senior point guard and son, Tony — are holding back their emotions. They won’t allow that reality to distract them from treasuring these days while preserving the memories of a lifetime together in the sport.
Fifth-seeded Scranton (7-15), the five-time defending champion, plays at No. 4 Hazleton Area (11-11) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the District 2-4 Class 6A quarterfinals. The winner advances to Monday’s semifinals. The losing team will pack up their lockers for the last time.
“Every season that comes to an end is sad,” Coach Battaglia said. “You have a group of players and a team that never gets to play together again. Having my son on the team for four years and knowing that the relationship is going to end, hopefully further down the road, is emotional for us.
“During moments in the game, I am the coach, yes, but I am also his father and biggest fan. Being a part of this has been something special.”
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This season was unforgettable for the Battaglias for many reasons.
It is the culmination of decades in the sport for coach Battaglia. He was an all-star guard at Bishop O’Hara and started his head coaching career at Scranton High School in the 1999-2000 season. After an inauspicious 1-22 start, the mild-mannered leader built the Knights into a traditional power program.
During his career, he coached an entertaining, up-tempo style that showcased his athletes’ talent. From 2002-03 through 2012-13, Scranton piled up points, racked up wins, and collected championships. The Knights had seven seasons with at least 20 wins.
At Christmas time in December of the 2007-08 season, coach Battaglia and his wife, Karen, welcomed triplets: Tony, Madelyn and Alexandra. The couple has an older daughter, Sophia, who was born on the day Scranton played in the District 2 Class 4A championship game in February of 2005.
The family has been raised around the sport.
Once old enough, young Tony was a fixture on the sidelines and at practice for the Knights. He would gather up thrown warm-up shirts and loose basketballs and hand out water to the players he admired.
Mostly, though, he dreamed of one day wearing the uniform and being a Scranton Knight.
There are always challenges when the day finally comes when a father will coach his son at the high school varsity level.
Outside noise can sometimes derail common-sense decisions regarding playing time. Tony’s tenacity on the defensive end of the floor and his soft, lightning-quick jumper gave plenty of evidence that his time with the Knights could be something special.
Scranton won. Tony, the 5-foot-8 sharp-shooter, thrived. The father-son dynamic grew stronger.
The Knights enjoyed success. They won three straight District 2-4 Class 6A subregional titles, and Tony came through in the clutch on the game’s biggest stage at Mohegan Arena.
This season, at its start, was always going to be different for the Battaglias.
Scranton graduated a large senior class from the year before, and Tony, as a veteran player, had to assume a leadership role. Coach Battaqlia had to teach again, just as he had in those early days. That is often the most rewarding part of the coaching profession.
There have been struggles, as can be the case when a program rebuilds.
“This team has worked so hard,” Coach Battaglia said. “Our record is deceiving. We have wins over Holy Cross, Delaware Valley, and Crestwood, and we played a lot of good minutes against quality competition in the games that we lost.
“We practiced hard, and we competed every night.”
There have also been highlights.
When Scranton defeated North Pocono, 55-40, on Dec. 19, coach Battaglia joined the area’s elite and Hall of Fame coaches in Northeast Pennsylvania. His down-to-earth style worked, and he achieved his 400th career win.
Sharing that milestone with his son, who scored a game-high 28 points, is a moment etched in the family’s memories forever.
As the season progressed, Tony etched his name in the Scranton history books.
He scored a school-record 47 points and tied the school record with 10 3-pointers in the consolation game victory over Holy Cross in the Lynett Memorial Basketball Tournament.
On Jan. 22, Tony scored 31 points, including the 1,000th of his career, in a win over North Pocono. After making his basket, his father offered a powerful embrace.
“That right there was the best hug of my life,” Tony said. “That was an incredible experience for me. He has been part of this whole journey, so it’s his milestone too. It was really nice.”
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On Wednesday, Tony, 18, will play his 100th game with the Scranton Knights basketball team.
He ranks second in program history to Tim Fisch, who played 103 games.
Scranton won 60 games in Tony’s four seasons.
When the final minutes tick away, Tony, who has decided not to continue playing the sport he grew up with in college, will walk away as one of seven Knights with 1,000 points scored. He is at the top of the list with 241 career 3-pointers and is second all-time with 73 3-pointers in a season.
His greatest experience, though, has been the time spent with his father.
“Having my dad as my coach has meant everything to me,” Tony said. “As a freshman, as everybody does, I took it for granted. Now it’s my senior year, and it is coming to an end, and I realize how incredible an experience this has been. Not everybody gets this opportunity. It brought us closer together in the sport we love.
“Down the road, 20-30 years, my dad and I will get to talk about all the wins and the accomplishments that we shared. We will cherish those moments.”
For now, Coach Battaglia and his son are fully focused on the task at hand: guiding the Knights to postseason success.
When it inevitably ends, only then can Coach Battaglia take time to reflect on what has been the time of his life.
“One-sixth of the games I have coached in, he has been a part of as a player,” Coach Battaglia said while fighting back tears. “It has been such a great ride. To see his name fourth all-time in scoring, up there with some of those guys who were incredible players for me, it wasn’t something I was sure could happen. He was a really tough player and an even tougher kid. For someone his size, who competed at that highest level, in the biggest classification, it was just incredible to watch.
“He gave everything he had every night, and I couldn’t be more proud.”