Legends never die; they just fade away.

Paul Brutto, the iconic, revered coach, who maintained a level of success established by the late Elsie Tolan on Marian Catholic High School, has passed the baton.

Thirty-plus years of steering the Fillies, Brutto has decided to depart. You win league championships, district titles and state gold medals, what else can one accomplish?

Those standards will be tough to live up to. But when you have a basketball junkie, a gym rat who eats, sleeps and dreams about basketball and succeeding, you aren’t getting a bargain basement throw-away.

Damian Fritz is the new guy on duty. The outsider will be watching, but Fritz is the man that has been dubbed heir apparent to this tradition-rich program. A program that has produced Division I players, 2,000-thousand-point scorers, all-state performers and successful people beyond high school.

Fritz is the direct opposite of the Brutto, and yes, the Tolan eras. He is laid back type of coach. One can sense his approach is calmer, more of an even-keel in-touch with today’s athletes.

When the call came to Fritz to take over the program, he was stunned, honored and humbled to get the opportunity to take the so called “hot-seat.” Great competitors love the heat, so Fritz just smiles, looks over his initial group of ladies, and sees a lot of rainbows in the sky. For sure, there is no grayness in the background.

“I’ll be honest, I really had no aspirations to become a head coach (again),” Fritz dead-panned.

After all, he said, he was enjoying his role as an assistant to John “The General” Patton on the boys’ side. And it is not his first gig as a head coach; he led the Lehighton and Jim Thorpe programs. So Fritz knows how to draw up the Xs and Os.

“When the situation presented itself, with Paul (Brutto) stepping down, I thought it would be an opportunity to step in and really help the program, in a positive light,” he said.”I looked at as a really big challenge for myself, to create some excitement again for the (girls’) program.”

Obviously, he’s got the fever. So much so, that he not only will steer the ship for the Fillies, but maintain his role as an assistant to Patton.

A newcomer here, but a veteran coach from tutoring under the great Cy and Bob Fulton’s (his father-in-law), who he served under, and Ed Titus, former mentor at Tamaqua. Hoops is in his DNA.

So where does the Fritz era start?

Brutto didn’t tap the well out, just look at the foursome of returnees, letter winners if you will. Taylor Walsh is the lone senior at forward. Thereafter, the greenery is evident and the experience level stars to rise with junior guard Ashley Pleban. A pair of tested sophomores in rangy Carly Minchoff and Frankie Martinelli.

“Yes, we have some returning starters – Minchoff, Pleban, Martinelli – we’re sophomore dominated,” Fritz points out.

Don’t overlook junior Kerrigan Digris, who got her feet wet at guard last season and role player Alysha Nunez. There is brightness stirring with two sister transfers in from Wyoming Valley West, via Russia… yes that European Country.

Both Aliya and Fatikha Tikhtova are sophomores, with the former at guard the latter in the post or at the four slot. Toss in two other 10th graders Sophia Lombardo and Gianna Corrado, and frosh Lizzie Pikitus.

“There is some talent there, there is some skill,” Fritz continued… “it’s raw, but it’s there. I’m excited about it. Everyone has worked tremendously hard with the limited opportunities without a summer program.”

Fritz beams knowing that he has athletes that will evolve as time passes by in this is first go-around with the Fillies.

“We have to take advantage of them, we will play up-tempo, play various (defenses) work on our offense and become better at shooting the ball,” he said. He likes the way Digris has come around in the offseason in developing her outside shot, which will be a big assist.

“We need to react and adjust and read the defenses. We need to get out and run the floor, go wide and playing really fast and free.”

Success doesn’t come easy. Fritz knows first-hand from his playing days at Tamaqua, and now as the new man on campus.

“I truly want to help out this school,” he allowed. “They have given me the opportunity to succeed, the administration has been supportive, the faculty; coach Patton and the fact that my two sons – Tyler now at Edinboro University and Logan a senior guard – well this is my way of paying back you can sort of say.”

Now the Fillies have to tackle Division III foes of the Schuylkill Girls’ Basketball League; from Nativity, to Mahanoy Area, Weatherly and Shenandoah Valley. A new twist is about to emerge with Damian Fritz.