'A homecoming of sorts:' Dover hires longtime York County assistant as basketball coach

Joe Falci waited a long time to find the right opportunity to become a head coach in high school basketball. 

He didn't want just any job. He wanted a place close to home. And he wanted a school that was passionate about the sport. 

Ultimately, he found the right opportunity in the town he grew up in. 

Falci was approved as the new boys' head coach at Dover Area High School on Tuesday. The longtime assistant at York Catholic and Central York grew up in Dover, though he went to York Catholic. 

His brother also owns a hair salon, Falci's Hair Design Studio, that's located in Dover. Falci runs his own business, Marcello's Pizza, in Mount Wolf. 

"Last night at the board meeting I was talking to someone and I said this is sort of a homecoming for me," Falci said. "I was born and raised in Dover. I played youth sports at Dover. After college, my wife and I lived in Dover for about two years. It's a community of hard-working people and I'm excited to be back."

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A 1984 graduate of York Catholic, Falci began his high school coaching career as the JV coach at his alma mater in 1998. He later became a varsity assistant and stayed at the school until 2010, when his son Joe graduated. 

After a year off, he joined the staff at Central York under one of his former players, Kevin Schieler. That gave him the chance to coach his younger son, Pete. He stayed with the Panthers through this past season, spending time as a varsity assistant and JV coach. 

The 52-year-old credited Schieler and his former coach and boss at York Catholic, Mike Keesey, with helping him grow in the profession. He said his goal is to turn Dover into a program similar to Central York that can compete in the league and District 3 playoffs every year. The Eagles have been competitive in recent years but have struggled to go far in the postseason. 

"I'm going to tell you exactly what I want. I want us to be exactly like Central," Falci said. "At Central we went to the county title game five straight times and just missed going for a sixth time this year. I want to do those same things."

At Dover, Falci takes over for Brian Schmoyer, who led the Eagles to four YAIAA division titles and 10 District 3 playoff appearances in 14 seasons. Schmoyer finished his career as the longest-tenured and all-time winningest boys' basketball coach in Dover history. He stepped down to spend more time with family. 

Falci said he spoke to Schmoyer on the phone for over two hours last Sunday to find out more about the Eagles. Dover is coming off a 13-12 season but will graduate two of the league's best players in Elijah Sutton and Keith Davis, as well as another standout in Victor Dorm. 

While he admitted he will need to get to know the players, Falci hopes to be competitive right away. 

"It's always challenging when you lose your top scorers," Falci said. "After talking to Brian, I think there are one or two kids who will be able to step up as scorers. They just didn't have to do it in the past. One thing I always say is you have to challenge yourself, and I believe in a good challenge."

Dover athletic director Rick Leathery said Falci's experience and competitive mindset made him the ideal choice to take over for Schmoyer. 

"He's a very positive person, and he sort of reminded us of a Schmoyer-type coach," Leathery said. "He's passionate and has what I call tough love. He was bold in stating what his goals are. And we liked that he didn't want to talk about being down or rebuilding. He wants to compete out of the gate."