Personnel often dictates style of play and tempo.

If that mold holds true to form for the Keystone Oaks boys' basketball team this season, the Golden Eagles could be one of the most up-tempo squads in the WPIAL.

Stacked with above-average athletes, yet nothing extraordinary in terms of size in his starting five, Keystone Oaks coach Mike Pfeuffer decided to have his players pick up the pace. Considering his "old" scheme enabled the Golden Eagles to average more points (68.9) than all but two teams in WPIAL Class AAA last season, slowing down the newly implemented system should serve as a scary proposition for KO's opponents.

"We'll start five guards and spread the floor," Pfeuffer said. "We had great size last year, and I like big guys, but I'm excited to go to an all-guard attack. We'll really push the ball on offense, get after it defensively, and just be a fun team to watch."

First to take-in the Golden Eagles' new approach will be City League foe Langley when the two square off in the Keystone Oaks tip-off tournament tomorrow night.

Every successful attack needs a general, and that is precisely where Corey Bellovich enters the equation. A 6-foot-3 senior shooting guard, Bellovich will serve as the focal point of the Golden Eagles offense. Bellovich earned all-section honors as a junior when he averaged 19 points per game. Only two returning players in Class AAA averaged more.

"We're looking for him to have a monster year," Pfeuffer said. "He makes the players around him better. He's a nice centerpiece to build around."

It's the other facet of the game, defense, that Pfeuffer said could make Bellovich even better this season. Pfeuffer believes that Bellovich, with his athletic ability and size, should be able to guard any player on the floor.

Bellovich had another all-section player, Jimmy Taylor, who has graduated, by his side last season, so a young supporting cast will have to provide him with plenty of help. Big things are expected from the team's other returning starter, junior Tyler Hans, as well as juniors Matt Franceschi and Eric Black, and sophomore Matt McCann, all of whom will fill out the starting five.

The first players off the bench will likely be senior Stefan Males and 6-foot-7 senior Muya Ojok. Originally from Kenya, Ojok is an intriguing player who will give the Golden Eagles an athletic inside presence when the situation calls for one.

Despite an altered style of play and some young contributors, Pfeuffer has come away from preseason practice impressed by the way his team has come together.

"I wasn't sure what I was going to get when we started, and I'm still not completely sure, but by the way we've practiced and the way we've competed, I'm excited," he said.

What Pfeuffer was likely not excited about was the influx of new teams into Section 4. Heading out of the section were Ringgold, Trinity, and McGuffey, while Moon, Montour, West Allegheny and West Mifflin moved in. Montour and West Mifflin were both playoff teams a season ago, and Moon was a WPIAL finalist and PIAA semifinalist in Class AAAA.

Add those three to a mix that already includes South Park and a Chartiers Valley team many have pegged as the favorite in Class AAA, and this section is likely the strongest in the class.

"Char Valley is, bar none, the best team in the section, but everyone else is pretty solid," Pfeuffer said.

The Golden Eagles are coming off a season in which they finished 8-2 in section (16-12 overall) and advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals. It was the fourth playoff appearance in five years under Pfeuffer, who hopes the Golden Eagles' new style will have them soaring to new heights.

"Guys outside the program might look at this as a rebuilding year, but that's certainly not our approach," he said. "We're looking to move forward and make the playoffs because this is a playoff team."