Former Highland and Petersburg PORTA coach and longtime Collinsville assistant Steve Roustio has been hired as boys basketball coach at Granite City High School.
PORTA won 47 games in the past two seasons under Roustio, including a 27-4 mark last season that included a regional championship and a 19-game win streak.
Those 47 wins are more than Granite City has in the past eight seasons combined. Since 2000-01, the Warriors are 12-100 in Southwestern Conference play and 43-124 overall.
They finished at the bottom of the SWC standings five times in those eight seasons and never were higher than sixth in the eight-team league. The best season during that span was a 12-18 regional championship squad in 2001-02 under former coach Carl Luehmann, who resigned earlier this year.
Granite City was 0-14 in SWC play last season and 4-22 overall.
"I think you can win at Granite City, I really do," said Roustio, who worked at Granite City as an assistant coach in 1993-94. "John Van Buskirk won there, he was an excellent coach, and Carl Luehmann got to the sectional.
"If people are looking at their schedules and putting two W's by Granite City, then woe to them. Our kids are going to be playing a little bit harder with a little bit different system and a philosophy on how to get things done."
Roustio is Granite City's second hire in less that a month. Former Riverton High coach J.D. Lorton was hired to take over the football program and like Roustio, had Southwestern Conference experience as an assistant.
"We definitely are looking toward changing the image of basketball here at Granite City High School," said Warriors athletic director Brian Harshany. "We want to get things moving in the right direction and Coach Roustio has a plan in place to start developing feeder programs from the fourth grade up that will ultimately help the high school program."
Harshany said more than 20 people applied for the job, and 10 were interviewed. Four finalists were brought back for a final interview before Roustio was hired.
"We felt that Coach Roustio was the proper fit for Granite City High at this time," Harshany said. "He brings a lot of knowledge, talent and enthusiasm toward the game of basketball.
"I really believe he'll get the students to buy into the program and basically run through walls for him."
In three years at Highland, Roustio's teams were 24-57 overall and 11-19 in Mississippi Valley Conference play. He was among a group of nontenured teachers who were not rehired despite his 14-16 record with a 2005-06 team that included eight wins in the final 11 contests and relied heavily on underclassmen.
"I'm very familiar with the (Southwestern) Conference, and I like the conference, it's one of the toughest conferences south of I-80," Roustio said. "To be a part of that and prepare kids to go into battle in that conference is something that excites me."
Granite City has four basketball regional titles since 1984 and won its only state basketball championship 68 years ago. The school's last sectional championship was in 1971.
"The kids have got to believe that they have hope," Roustio said. "Hope is desire and expectations rolled up into one. If they're willing to come and buy into the things that I've been able to do as an assistant and a head coach, I think we'll be there.
"That being said, I don't think Roy Williams can walk into Granite City High School next year and go 30-3."
Roustio is a 1980 Jacksonville High graduate and was an all-state player for the Crimsons. He later played at Parkland Junior College and MacMurray College.
At PORTA, Roustio's teams were 47-12 in two seasons and he was the IBCA District 18 Coach of the Year last season.
He and his wife, Kathy, have six children including oldest daughter Amanda, a teacher at Edwardsville High.
"My wife and I have six children, and when you make the decision to move from one place of employment to another, there are a lot of things that factor in other than just basketball," said Roustio, the son of former Jacksonville High coach and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Mel Roustio.
Contact reporter Norm Sanders at nsanders@bnd.com or 239-2454.
