After returning to the bench last year as an assistant for Hempfield Area boys, veteran basketball coach Mark Katarski was unexpectedly thrust into the head coaching role. After Bill Swan resigned from his position amid an investigation, Katarski guided the Spartans down the stretch of the season.

That experience sparked his desire to lead a program again, and earlier this week, Katarski was unanimously approved as the boys basketball coach of his alma mater, Mount Pleasant Area.

“It was more about the situation and the timing,” Katarski said of returning to the school from which he graduated 30 years ago. “When you put it into a blender, it was a really neat situation with the team that is there, the people that are there, the infrastructure there, and also the location and the opportunity to be a head coach.

“You only get one hometown,” he added. “I’m certainly proud of what that hometown helped me become and shaped me the way I was.”

Katarski’s coaching resume is extensive, highlighted by 10 years at the helm of the Seton Hill University women. He also guided Chatham University for six seasons, and was an assistant collegiately at Niagara University, as well as the University of Pitt-Greensburg. Additionally, he held several high school coaching roles earlier in his career, but his brief tenure with the Spartans was his first leading a high school boys varsity squad.

“Last year was awesome. I really enjoyed it,” he noted. “Basketball was fun again.”

While the Spartans were generally competitive in the 2024-25 campaign under his guidance, they missed the postseason in Class 6A. Now, he inherits a squad that went winless last season, finishing 0-22, including 0-10 in Class 3A Section 4.

As a result, the district opened the position after Annie Malkowiak served as the head coach for two seasons.

“Hopefully just a fresh perspective, neither good nor bad, just different, can maybe help them understand and see things differently,” he stated.

“To have a group you can learn with and grow with is really exciting, and I think this season will give us all of those opportunities,” Katarski continued.

Reflecting back to his playing days with the Vikings under the guidance of coach Joe Dunn, Katarski focused more on the comradery, as opposed to the team’s wins and losses. That mentality will shape his approach this season and beyond.

“It’s really the community’s team and school’s team, above all. I’m just the steward of that,” he said.