Mar 31 2009
Mike White | 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 31
Sewickley Academy basketball player Tom Droney said he will probably decide on a college in the next month.
Droney is only a junior, but apparently wants to get the decision out of the way. He said his top three schools are still Pitt, Notre Dame and Davidson.
I don't have a personal feeling on where he will choose. Some high school coaches don't believe he fits Pitt's style of play or style of player. Droney is thin, but he is only a junior in high school. He has some time to get more physical.
That being said, Notre Dame's style might be more suited for him. But purely on a personal basis, it would be kind of nice to see a local kid at Pitt. It does add a little extra something when Pitt - or even Duquesne - has a local player who starts. Just look at Pitt now. As good as the Panthers are to watch, isn't it just a little more interesting because they have DeJuan Blair, the local kid from Schenley?
More basketball recruiting
Franklin Regional's Nick Novak, who led the WPIAL in scoring this season at 28 ppg, has made a verbal commitment to Pitt-Johnstown. He committed after playing in the Hoops For A Cure all-star game at Chartiers Valley last Friday. I think Novak will do well there. The kid is a scorer. Not a shooter. A scorer. He was able to get to the basket and hit pull-up shots better than any WPIAL guard I've seen in the WPIAL the past few years.
Pitt-Johnstown is a Division II school. Another WPIAL player headed to a Division II school is Latrobe's Jeff Yunetz. He had committed to West Liberty (W.Va.). Yunetz is very underrated. He's a tremendous shooter, with more than 200 3-pointers in his career. He should fit right in at West Liberty because the team led NCAA Division II in 3-pointers this season with 11 a game. West Liberty also averaged a whopping 98 points a game. Yunetz might have a nice career there.
Mar 30 2009
Mike White | 8:15 p.m. Monday, March 30
Two coaches from the WPIAL have been named state coach of the year for their respective classifications.
Greensburg Salem's Paul Sapotichne (AAA) and North Catholic's Dave Long (AA) were picked as two of the coaches of the year by the Associated Press. Sapotichne guided Greensburg Salem to the PIAA Class AAA final. Before this season, Greensburg Salem had won only one PIAA game in school history.
Long won North Catholic's first WPIAL boys' title this season and also guided the Trojans to the PIAA final.
Players of the year
The Associated Press also released its all-state teams and players of the year for all four classifications. Sewickley Academy's Tom Droney and Serra's T.J. Heatherington were the only WPIAL players selected first-teamers. They both made it in Class A. Check tomorrow's Post-Gazette for complete all-state team listings.
Below is the four players of the year. And just to jog your memory and think of some other great players, we also listed the players of the year for each season. The list is courtesy of AP.
2009
Dalton Pepper, Pennsbury, Class AAAA
Marsell Holden, Farrell, Class AAA
Sam Prescott, Imhotep Charter, Class AA
Kyle Randall, Kennedy Catholic, Class A
2008
Tyreke Evans, American Christian, Class AAAA
Andrew ``Scootie'' Randall, Comm Tech, Class AAA
Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette, Class AA
Jarrod ``G'' Denard, Freire Charter, Class A
2007
DeJuan Blair, Schenley, Class AAAA
Tony Fannick, Milton, Class AAA
Marcus Morris, Prep Charter, Class AA
Tyreke Evans, American Christian, Class A
2006
Darrin Govens, Chester, Class AAAA
Jeff Jones, Monsignor Bonner, Class AAA
Wayne Ellington, Episcopal Academy, and Gerald Henderson,
Episcopal Academy, Class AA
Tyreke Evans, American Christian, Class A
2005
Darrin Govens, Chester, Class AAAA
Tristan Crawford, Steelton-Highspire, Class AAA
Lance Jeter, Beaver Falls, Class AA
Tim Crossin, Bishop O'Reilly, Class A
2004
Akida McLain, Penn Hills, Class AAAA
Brian Grandieri, Malvern Prep, Class AAA
Adam DiMichele, Sto-Rox, Class AA
Sean Singletary, Penn Charter, Class A
2003
Maureece Rice, Strawberry Mansion, Class AAAA
Ryan Evanochko, Blackhawk, Class AAA
Mike Walker, Trinity (Camp Hill), Class A
Mustafa Shakur, Friends Central, Class A
Big School (Class AAAA-Class AAA)
2002-Maureece Rice, Strawberry Mansion
2001-John Allen, Coatesville
2000-Eddie Griffin, Philadelphia Roman Catholic
1999-Matt Carroll, Hatboro-Horsham
1998-Matt Carroll, Hatboro-Horsham
1997-Lynn Greer, Philadelphia Engineering and Science
1996-Kobe Bryant, Lower Merion
1995-Howard Brown, Pottstown
1994-Dan Fortson, Shaler
1993-Rasheed Wallace, Simon Gratz
1992-Dante Calabria, Blackhawk
1991-Donyell Marshall, Reading
1990-Rap Curry, Penn Wood
1989-Billy McCaffrey, Allentown Central Catholic
1988-Billy Owens, Carlisle
Small School (Class AA-Class A)
2002-Gerry McNamara, Bishop Hannan
2001-Gerry McNamara, Bishop Hannan
2000-John Reimold, Kennedy Christian
1999-Mark Linebaugh, Annville-Cleona
1998-A.J. Nastasi, Northern Bedford
1997-A.J. Nastasi, Northern Bedford
1996-Joe Linderman, Reading Central Catholic
1995-Charles Hill, Scotland School
1994-Kevin Price, Duquesne
1993-Kevin Price, Duquesne
1992-Jason Maile, Forest City
1991-Bob Sura, Wilkes-Barre GAR
1990-Jonathan Haynes, Germantown Friends
1989-Jonathan Haynes, Germantown Friends
1988-Marc Thompson, Abington Friends
Mar 27 2009
Colin Dunlap | 3:36 p.m. Friday, March 27
After initially making a verbal commitment to Pitt,
Allderdice senior defensive end Will Clarke changed his tack and signed
with West Virginia today.
Clarke, who is 6-feet-6, 260-pounds, is the first Allderdice player to sign with a BCS school since Pitt signed Curtis Martin.
“Will is a big, strong and athletic defensive end who fits well into
our defense,” West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said of Clarke, a
four-year starter at defensive end and tight end. “He has good
fundamental skills, outstanding foot speed and has excellent character.
We’re happy to have him join the Mountaineer football program.”
Clarke, who is the son of former Duquesne basketball player Bill
Clarke, is the 25th prospect who has signed with the Mountaineers this
year.
Twenty-four players were announced on the Feb. 4 signing day.
Mar 21 2009
Mike White | Saturday, March 21, 9:05 p.m.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The PIAA Class AAAA championship just ended and Penn Wood defeated York High, 72-53, but I saw something late in the game that was unbelievable to me. Although maybe it's a sign of the times.
With a little more than two minutes left in the game, I looked at York's bench and one of the team's reserves had his cell phone out and actually looked like he was texting someone. I kid you not. Then when the game ended, he put the phone to his ear.
Now here is another unbelievable thing. The player wasn't at the end of the bench, and the team's coach Troy Sowers walked right by him while he had the phone out. The coach appeared to look right at him and didn't do anything. Maybe he didn't see it. Maybe he didn't care. Who knows? Maybe there was a reason. I still found it hard to believe.
Attendance and other notes
Attendance for the eight PIAA championship games at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center was 18,620.
Four doubleheaders were played over the two days (Penn Wood vs. York is going on now ). The largest crowd was for tonight's doubleheader (Class AAAA boys and AAA girls). Attendance was 5,291.
* Any Philadelphia public schools that make it to the PIAA finals seem to kill attendance - and will continue to do so. That's because they have no community support. Heck, some of the schools have practically no support. Imhotep Charter had maybe 100 fans at most for today's Class AA boys' final. Did you know that two years ago Philadelphia Prep Charter sold fewer than 20 tickets presale for its PIAA title game.
* You can bet the public vs. private school debate will be a hot topic again. Get this: Out of the 16 teams in the championships, 12 were either private, charter or Catholic schools.
* Wonder how long it will be before we see a public school from the west make it to the boys' Class A final? It has happened only twice in the past 14 seasons. Juniata Valley made it in 1996 and Union in 2003.
* York High's Malik Generett is a University of Connecticut football recruit. He has an impressive looking body and looks athletic. Might end up being a nice player for the Huskies. Generett was recruited to play receiver.
* Sources tell me the transferring of players in Philadelphia area schools is getting ridiculous. And so is the recruiting.
* To think DeJuan Blair was playing here only two years ago, leading Schenley to a title. Hard to believe it has already been 13 years since Kobe Bryant played in the PIAA title game in Hershey for Lower Merion. Hard to believe he's been in the NBA that long.
* I'm watching Penn Wood and York play in the Class AAAA boys' championship game. Blair's Schenley team two years ago definitely beats both of them.
* Penn Wood is going to win this game - and easily. The Patriots have a 20-point lead with 5:30 left. And Penn Wood very easily could be back here again next year. Only one senior is in the starting lineup.
Mar 21 2009
Mike White | Saturday, March 21
Live blog from the North Catholic-Imhotep Charter PIAA Class AA boys' basketball championship.
4:48 p.m. - See ya.
4:46 p.m. - No titles for WPIAL boys' teams. Last year, WPIAL won two. This is the second time in four years the WPIAL or City League hasn't won a title.
4:45 p.m. - Talked to North Catholic coach Dave Long. He thought his team got a little worn down and losing two starters to fouls was critical. Going into the second overtime, he was worried if his team had anything left in the tank. Imhotep coach Andre Noble said he was confident going into the second overtime because he thought North Catholic was running out of gas.
4:10 p.m. - It's over. Imhotep beats North Catholic. Scoreboard says 74-67. But it should be 75-67. Tough one for North Catholic. Joe Long and Martin Long did not play in the second overtime after fouling out. North Catholic just didn't have anything left in the tank after Jesse Long's heroics.
All of Imhotep's 50 fans are celebrating.
4:08 - Two missed 3's in a row by North. Imhotep now leads,73-67. Looks like it's over.
4:06 p.m. - Imhotep leads, 69-67, with 1:01 left. Prescott hits two free throws, 71-67.
3:59 p.m. - Why coaches don't foul on 3-pointers late in the game is beyond me? Wow. NC down, 63-60. Jesse Long took inbounds pass, drove down the right side and made a 3-pointer in a defender's face to tie the game and sent it into a second overtime. 63-63.
3:58 p.m. - Imhotep's Tyree Morgan fouled with 5.2 left.
3:55 p.m. - Ouch for North Catholic. Turned it over on inbounds. Pwono off a screen, gets ball, gets tied up and knocks it out bounds. Imhotep ball with 6.3 left. Bad thing is Jesse Long was open rolling off a screen.
3:53 p.m. - Unbelievable. North Catholic turns it over with 8.7 left. Imhotep's David Appolon takes it out bounds and runs along the baseline. Sorry. You can only do that after a made masket. Turnover. North Catholic ball under its basket with 8.7 left, still trailing, 62-60.
3:49 p.m. - North Catholic down by one after Pwono's two free throws. Matt Long gets his hands on a pass, NC's Pwono comes up with it and North Catholic calls timeout with 57.1 seconds left.
3:45 p.m. - Timeout North Catholic with 1:44 left in overtime and Imhotep has opened up a 61-58 lead. Could've been worse for North Catholic. Sam Prescott just missed a driving layup.
3:39 p.m. - I tried with the prediction. OK I was wrong. Tyler Staniski missed a 3-pointer with six seconds left, Henry Pwono almost got the rebound, but it went out of bounds. Imhotep Charter ball with 0.9. Parrish Grant 3/4 shot. Off the backboard. Overtime tied at 58-58.
3:37 p.m. - Sam Prescott scored a layup off a pass from David Appolon to tie the game, Timeout North Catholic with 15.8 seconds left. I say NC wins it at the buzzer by Pwono.
3:36 p.m. - Timeout with 42.1 seconds left. North Catholic leads, 58-56.
3:34 - Parrish Grant got fouled on 3-pointer. Makes One. Jesse Long fouled with 52.5 seconds left. North Catholicleads, 58-56. Imhotep certainly isn't the smartest team I've seen.
3:32 p.m. - Jesse Long two free throws to put the Trojans ahead by three and Sam Prescott forces a 3-pointer at other end. Martin Long just missed two free throws.
3:28 p.m. - Timeout. North Catholic leads, 56-53. Sam Prescott just intercepted a pass in Imhotep's press and was fouled on drive to hoop. Makes both. 56-55 North Catholic.
3:20 p.m. - Erik Copes is a 6-8 sophomore for Imhotep. But needs a lot of work on his game. Just missed two free throws that would've cut it to two.
Imhotep's cheerleading squad: Four members.
3:13 p.m. - Jesse Long 13 and Pwono 11 points after three quarters.
3:11 p.m. - Tip-in by Kenny Battle at the third-quarter buzzer and North Catholic is ahead, 47-46, heading into the fourth quarter.
3:07 p.m. - Sometimes, it's impressive to see the Long cousins work the ball and show their unselfishness. One of them just made a great extra pass and Jesse hit a 3-pointer for give North Catholic a 47-39 lead with 1:37 left in the third quarter.
3:04 - Give and go score for Jesse Long. It's 41-34 North Catholic with 3:40 left in the third quarter.
2:57 p.m. - Imhotep Charter doesn't play as good defense as I thought it would. The Panthers would seemingly rather block shots. They had five in the first half.
2:52 p.m. - They just announced the attendance for this afternoon's doubleheader. It was 4,842. That's the largest crowd for the first three doubleheaders so far - no thanks to Imhotep.
2:51 p.m. - Wonder what would be the higher number, Imhotep Charter players, or Imhotep fans at this game?
2:49 p.m. - If North Catholic wins this game, would Dave Long have to be coach of the year in the WPIAL? Probably, don't you think?
2:46 p.m. - Was just looking through some scores of championship games and saw this one. This is the 20th anniversary of a tremendous Class AAA boys' final. Aliquippa beat Allentown Central Catholic, 78-75. I've been covering the state championships for 25 years. That was one of the best games I ever saw and also included one of the best players I saw here. Allentown Central Catholic had Billy McCaffrey, younger brother of Ed McCaffrey. I think Bill McCaffrey had 37 points that night before fouling out. Myron Walker had a great game for Aliquippa.
Just reminiscing.
2:44 p.m. - It's halftime and they're throwing Sheetz T-shirts into the stands. I'd rather they shot MTOs.
Pwono has seven points in the first half to lead North Catholic. Jesse Long has six. Sam Prescott and Will Adams have six apiece for Imhotep.
2:41 p.m. - North Catholic's Tyler Staniski just made two big plays. He hit a 3-pointer, picked the pocket of a Imhotep player, drove for a layup, but passed out at the last second to Martin Long, who made a 3-pointer. Those two plays gave North Catholic a 26-21 halftime lead. Staniski has given North Catholic a lift off the bench, but he has done that many times this year. He's a nice little player. Would start at a lot of other schools.
2:36 p.m. - North Catholic switched to its 1-2-2 matchup zone, but Imhotep is penetrating it. Imhotep on an 8-0 run and it's now 20-19.
2:32 p.m. - Just sitting here thinking that it really is amazing that a team has four cousins with the same last name in the starting lineup - and they might win a state championship together. Stop and think of that for a second. it really is something and the Longs' togetherness is very evident today.
2:27 p.m. - Wonder if Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is watching? He's a North Catholic grad.
2:24 p.m. - Imhotep's 20 fans just had reason to cheer. THE PANTHERS SCORED!!!! With 10 seconds left in the quarter and it's 12-2. Three more free throws by Imhotep in the final 3.9 seconds and it's North Catholic in front, 12-5, after the first quarter.
2:20 p.m. - Imhotep is 0 for 7 from field and Saledeem Major just shot a major airball - ON A FREE THROW
2:19 p.m. - Imhotep very unimpressive. 10-0 North Catholic. Now 12-0 on Henry Pwono basket.
2:18 p.m. - Real creative cheer by Imhotep cheerleaders. "Don't let him shoot. Don't let him shoot. Don't let him shoot."
2:17 p.m. - See. You can't judge a team by looks. It's North Catholic, 8-0, and it doesn't look like Imhotep has any shooters. They also run simple offenses, UCLA cuts and high screens.
2:15 p.m. Ugly so far. Almost three minutes in and no one has scored.
2:10 p.m. - Early impressions. North Catholic might be alright. I think the Trojans might be able to play with Imhotep.
2:05 p.m. - Starting lineups are being announced. Imhotep Charter can't have 100 fans here, adults and students combined.
1:58 p.m. - Wasn't here to see it, but just was informed of this: In the second half, Bishop Guilfoyle's Tiffany Seasoltz took an inbounds pass and scored in the wrong basket. The points were given to Nativity BVM. Too bad she didn't do it a few more times for Nativity because Nativity couldn't score on its own. The 27 points Nativity scored were the fewest in a PIAA game since 1994, when North Catholic beat Bishop Hoban, 61-22, in the Class AAA final.
1:52 p.m. - The Philadelphia Public League joined the PIAA in 2004-05. Bet the PIAA isn't exactly jumping for joy when one of the Public League teams makes it to the title game in Class AA or A. Why? THEY BRING NO FANS. There is virtually nobody here for Imhotep Charter. Shame.
1:43 p.m. - Game time is 19 minutes away. The Class A girls' championship just finished. Bishop Guilfoyle beat Nativity BVM, 49-27. Wasn't here for it. Can't say I'm disappointed about that.
1:41 p.m. - Games are never won in warmups. But just a feeling here. North Catholic will have its hands full against Imhotep Charter.
Mar 20 2009
Mike White | 6:52 p.m. Friday, March 20
STATE COLLEGE - The PIAA appeal hearing for suspended Westinghouse girls' basketball coach Phyllis Jones has been postponed until May.
A few weeks ago, the City League (District 8) athletic committee suspended Jones from coaching for a year for allegedly recruiting a player from Langley. Jones supposedly made a comment to the player after a game.
Jones appealed the suspension to the PIAA and a hearing was scheduled for tomorrow here in State College. But PIAA Executive Director Brad Cashman said Jones requested a continuance of the hearing until the PIAA Board of Control's next regularly scheduled meeting in May.
LIVE BLOG
Greensburg Salem vs. Archbishop Carroll
9:30 p.m. - Final score. Carroll 75 Greensburg Salem 54
9:13 p.m. - Attendance for tonight's doubleheader was 4,270. For this afternoon's doubleheader it was 4,217.
9:06 p.m. - Ouch. It's 57-31.
9:01 p.m. - Carroll has opened up a 49-30 lead with 3:50 left in third.
8:53 p.m. - Just got the scoop on why Doug Collins is here. I went up and introduced myself and asked him why he was here. His son in law is Archbishop Carroll's coach. Paul Romanczuk. Collins seemed like a great guy. He complimented GS's Klimchock.
8:44 p.m. - Halftime Carroll leads, 37-25.
8:38 p.m. - Former NBA player, coach and now TV commentator Doug Collins is in the first row of seats behind me. Wonder why? Maybe I'll ask at halftime. He might be the best NBA color commentator. He's tremendous.
8:35 p.m. - Oh-oh. It's only the second quarter and GS's Chris Klimchock just picked up his third foul. Paul Sapotichne is leaving him in. I don't blame him. It's the state championship. Greensburg Salem doesn't have a chance without him. Timeout with 2:37 left in the half and Carroll has opened up a 33-18 lead.
8:33 p.m. - Carroll's quickness and strength are starting to make a difference. Juan'ya Green just scored on a fast break layup and Carroll has opened up a 27-16 lead. ... North Catholic's boys' team is in the house, watching on the floor underneath one of the baskets.
8:26 p.m. - Greensburg Salem's Chris Klimchock , king of game-winning shots, just threw a shot up from 3/4 court at the end of the first quarter. It went around the rim and out. Carroll leads, 16-14, after the first quarte.r
8:23 p.m. - GS is hanging tough. Jake Matthews, who has averaged 18 over the past three games, has hit two 3-pointers and has eight points. Game tied, 14-14, with one minute left in first quarter. Matthews is only a junior. The way he shoots, he'll play small-college ball somewhere.
8:18 p.m. - Have a hard time seeing Greensburg Salem winning. Carroll looks too physcial and too quick.
8:14 p.m. - Greensburg Salem is overmatched physically. Archbishop Carroll looks much stronger than Greensburg Salem. Although don't underestimate GS point guard Chris Klimchock. He's only 5-9, but he said the other night that he bench presses 215 pounds.
8:11 p.m. - Greensburg Salem's students showed up in force. They have about 20 times as many as Mt. Lebanon did for the girls' game.
8:09 p.m. -- A big key is for Greensburg Salem to stay close early.
Archbishop has some tremendous names. Kasheef Festus and Juan'ya Green.
7:42 p.m. - It's impressive to finish a season undefeated in any classification. But what Mt. Lebanon did is even more impressive because it is in Class AAAA.
7:39 p.m. - THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!!
The Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils just did something a WPIAL girls' team hasn't done in 26 years. They finished the season with an undefeated record after beating O'Hara, 67-58, in the PIAA title game.
7:38 p.m. - Mt. Lebanon is on top, 63-56. And to think, O'Hara hadn't allowed more than 55 points in a game this season.
7:33 p.m. - This isn't over yet. O'Hara just hit a 3-pointer and Mt. Lebanon now leads by only 59-55.
7:32 p.m. - One of the reasons Mt. Lebanon is so good because all of its players are athletic and quick. I don't think there is a slow player on the roster.
7:23 p.m. - Mt. Lebanon has opened up a 53-42 lead with 3:25 left. I think it's safe to say who the Post-Gazette coach of the year will be. Mt. Lebanon's Dori Oldaker. And that was an easy choice before this game.
7:17 p.m. - Mt. Lebanon has just opened up a 49-42 lead on Emily Miller's layup. I know Cardinal O'Hara has five players headed to Division I colleges. Mt. Lebanon's only senior who plays much is Emily Miller. If some of these O'Hara girls are doing Division I, then Miller could play there, too.
7:15 p.m. - Holzer has just returned to the first seat on the bench and started crying. It looks like she's done. She has taken her shoe off and her ankle brace.
7:13 p.m. - Holzer is now trying to loosen her ankle in the end zone of the arena. She is still limping noticeably.
7:09 p.m. - Mt. Lebanon has taken a 45-40 lead after three quarters. The Blue Devils outscored Cardinal O'Hara, 13-5, after center Steph Holzer went out with an ankle injury. Holzer is now wrapping her ankle and looks like she is going to try and play again. Where the heck is O'Hara's trainer? Seriously, Holzer is taping her own ankle. She just put underwrap on and now she's putting on the tape. Oh, there is a man that has sat down beside her and looks like a trainer. But he is just watching her tape her own ankle. Never seen anything like this.
7:07 p.m. - What a horrible turnout from the Mt. Lebanon students. They're practically non-existent here.
7:06 p.m. - It looks like Cardinal O'Hara's Steph Holzer is done for the night. She is now on the end of the bench with her shoe off, getting treatment on the ankle. She is fighting back tears. Hard to believe Cardinal O'Hara can win without her. Mt. Lebanon has taken a 40-37 lead and stands to have a good chance at becoming the first WPIAL girls' team to go undefeated since Mount Alvernia in 1983.
7:05 p.m. - The PIAA's contract with Penn State and the Bryce Jordan Center is up after this year. The PIAA will put the games out for bids and will make a decision in May on where to play the games for the next few years. Talking to some insiders, the PIAA is very happy with the games at Penn State. And unless Hershey gives the PIAA a cheaper deal, don't look for the games to go back to Hershey.
7:00 p.m. - Mt. Lebanon's Madison Cable had eight points to lead the Blue Devils in the first half. Did you know her mother was a talented player in the early 1980s at Beaver Falls and had one outstanding season at Duquesne. She was Sue Cox back then.
6:55 p.m. - Cardinal O'Hara leads, 35-32, early in the third quarter, but standout senior center Steph Holzer is down at center court after colliding with a teammate. Holzer, a 6-3 senior center and the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year, is walking gingerly off the court, favoring her right ankle. That ankle has given Holzer problems throughout the playoffs.
6:50 p.m. Mt. Lebanon leads Cardinal O'Hara at halftime of the Class AAAA championship, 30-29. The Blue Devils can definitely play with this team, which is ranked No. 5 in the country by USA Today. Honestly, there is no way O'Hara is the fifth-best team in the country.
Mar 20 2009
Mike White | 10 a.m. Friday, March 20
Sewickley Academy basketball player Tom Droney is making a visit this weekend to Harvard.
Droney, a junior guard, had said for months that his top three choices were Pitt, Notre Dame and Davidson. Droney said just because he's visiting Harvard doesn't mean he now has the school among his finalists. He said he simply wants to take a look at the school.
Harvard coach Tommy Ammaker attended Sewickley Academy's game against Kennedy Catholic last Friday. Harvard also is recruiting Kennedy Catholic senior guard Kyle Randall.
Driscoll at Baylor
I was watching Baylor the other night and noticed former Northgate coach Matt Driscoll on the bench as an assistant for the Bears. He tried to get involved with the Robert Morris job two years ago.
Fab Five
Maybe it's just me, but I've never heard of all five players from a high school team headed for Division I colleges. But that's the case with the Cardinal O'Hara girls' team, which plays Mt. Lebanon tonight in the Class AAAA final. Not all five are headed to big-time colleges, but two are headed to Vanderbilt and Maryland. Four of the five are seniors and one is a junior. The four seniors are 6-3 center Stephanie Holzer (Vanderbilt) 5-6 point guard Danielle Callahan (LaSalle), 5-7 guard Alysha Womack (Monmouth) and 5-10 forward Alicia Manning (Lafayette). The junior is 5-11 guard Natasha Cloud (Maryland).
Mar 18 2009
Mike White | 7:25 a.m. Wednesday, March 18
The PIAA did it again. The venue for the Hampton-Greensburg Salem boys' semifinal game Tuesday night was too small for the crowd.
I criticized the PIAA last week for its choice of some quarterfinal sites that were too small, and for playing tripleheaders at those sites. But the PIAA made a bad choice again, holding the Hampton-Greensburg Salem game at Gateway.
Sure, it made sense geographically. Gateway is sort of in the middle of Greensburg Salem and Hampton. But at this time of year, geographics shouldn't be the No. 1 concern. Using a facility big enough to handle the crowd should be tops on the list. Although Gateway is a good-sized gym, it still wasn't big enough. People sat in the aisles. Many stood near the exits, barely able to see. One game official said there were maybe 25 people turned away at the gate because the game was sold out. The estimated crowd was more than 1,500.
Reportedly, WPIAL officials originally suggested to the PIAA that the game be played at North Allegheny. That would've been better. Although North Allegheny is right next to Hampton, it is much bigger than Gateway. You can bet Greensburg Salem fans might not have minded the extra travel time if they could've watched the game in a more comfortable environment. But PIAA officials balked against the North Allegheny idea.
I have no idea if Duquesne University's Palumbo Center was available. That would've been the perfect site. The PIAA also could've played the Villa Maria-Southern Huntingdon girls' game there. But I do know this: The PIAA's decisions on site selection for these playoffs certainly makes you scratch your head.
Novak to Pitt-Johnstown?
Franklin Regional guard Nick Novak, the leading scorer in the WPIAL this past season, is getting closer to a college decision. Don't be surprised if he makes a verbal commitment to Pitt-Johnstown in the near future.
Underdog Lions
The Greensburg Salem boys have played the role of underdog the past three games, knocking off Chartiers Valley, Farrell and Hampton. Now, Greensburg Salem might be an even bigger underdog in the PIAA title game against Archbishop Carroll. This is a talented Philadelphia Catholic League team that knocked off Neumann-Goretti in the quarterfinals. Neumann-Goretti was ranked in the top 25 in the country in at least one poll.
Cooley OK?
Greensburg Salem starting forward Jerry Cooley missed some of the second half of the Hampton game Tuesday with an injured ankle. After the game, Greensburg Salem coach Paul Sapotichne said the team will know more about Cooley's status today, but Sapotichne thinks Cooley should be OK to play Friday.
Just one?
If the North Catholic girls lose to Bishop Guilfoyle tonight, that will mean the WPIAL will have only one team (Mt. Lebanon) in the PIAA finals. This would be the fourth time in seven years the WPIAL has sent only one girls' team to the PIAA championships.
All-star time
The 14th Annual Hoops for the Cure All Star Game will be played Friday, March 27 at 6:15 p.m. at Chartiers Valley. Immediately following the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Chartiers Alumni team. All proceeds will benefit the Nathan S Arenson Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research.
The All Star Game will feature players from the WPIAL versus WPIAL AAA.
The WPIAL roster is: Peter Serio (Upper St. Clair), Christian Shea (Upper St. Clair), Nick Wilcox (Peters Township), Steve Radke (Peters Township), Cody Patton (North Hills), Jeff Haus (North Allegheny), James Barton (Bethel Park), Zach Bellhy (Fort Cherry), Joe Silko (South Fayette) and Jeff Yunetz (Latrobe).
The WPIAL AAA team is: Eli Maravich (Chartiers Valley), Teagan Lindsey (Chartiers Valley), Brock DeCicco (Thomas Jefferson), Chris Klimchock (Greensburg Salem), Corey Bellovich (Keystone Oaks), Matt Madia (Hampton), Damon Porter (Highlands), Tyrone Steals (New Castle), Jason Jacobs (Moon) and Vinny Smith (Mars).
Mar 16 2009
Mike White | 10:05 p.m. Monday, March 16
Marvin Emerson might step down as Aliquippa's basketball coach.
Aliquippa's season ended Saturday afternoon with a loss to North Catholic in the PIAA quarterfinals. Emerson said afterward that he has to decide whether he will come back as coach. The main reason Emerson is thinking about resigning is because he has a daughter who is a talented freshman player at Aliquippa, and he doesn't want to miss any of her games in the future. He said he missed some this season.
"Big" challenge for Mt. Lebanon
The Mt. Lebanon boys' team is in the semifinals for only the third time in school history, but the Blue Devils will be undersized against a strong Penn Wood team. Penn Wood, located near Philadelphia, starts players who are 6 feet 5, 6-6, 6-8 and 6-8.
Mar 14 2009
Colin Dunlap | 3:24 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 14
I just sat down at Sharon High School, to take in the Indiana-General McLane girls' game and then the Mt. Lebanon-Erie Cathedral Prep boys' game.
But, as I dazed to the ceiling, I noticed something a little ridiculous, and took a photo of it.
It is a sign that reads:
GIRLS BASKETBALL
USA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
1926
Now, tell me, exactly how was the national champion -- in girls' high school basketball -- crowned in 1926?
Also, how many girls' basketball teams were there back then? Maybe 50?
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