Scholastic Notebook – 02/01/2014

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, February 1, 2014 | 6:51 PM

The son is shining all over area basketball this season.

It is quite common to see a coach’s son do well in WPIAL basketball. But it just seems there are more than usual father-son combos doing well this year.

Four sons whose father is the head coach are averaging between 17 and 22 points a game for teams that all have at least clinched a WPIAL playoff berth, or are in good shape to make it to the postseason.

* Julian Batts, a junior guard at Jeannette, averages 22 a game for the Jayhawks. His father is Adrian Batts. Jeannette is tied for second place in Class AA Section 3.

* Matty McConnell averages 19 a game for Chartiers Valley, which has clinched at least a tie for the Class AA Section 5 title. His father is Tim McConnell.

* Johnny David is averaging 17 points a game for Mt. Lebanon, which is in third place in Class AAAA Section 4. His father is Joe David.

* Ryan Maha is averaging 18 points a game for West Mifflin, which has clinched a playoff spot in Class AAA Section 4. His father is Lance.

And if you stretch the father-son coach’s theme a little more you could use Western Beaver’s Nick Miller, who leads the WPIAL in scoring. OK, so his father, Chad is Western Beaver’s baseball coach.

D.J. Porter is the leading scorer in the City League. His father, Darelle, used to be Duquesne University’s head basketball coach.

And then there is Lincoln Park’s Maverick Rowan, who already has 1,000 points as a sophomore. His father, Ron, is an assistant coach at Lincoln Park and used to be a head coach at Hopewell and Ambridge.

New Castle’s Anthony Richards just went over 1,000 points last night. His father, Dave, is also an assistant coach at New Castle.

Gladiators Rise

One of the biggest turnaround stories in WPIAL boys basketball has to be the South Allegheny Gladiators.

Two years ago, the team didn’t taste victory. Ever. The Gladiators went 0-21. This year, they are 13-7 under second-year head coach Tony DiCenzo and have already clinched a WPIAL Class AA playoff berth. South Allegheny will head to the playoffs for the first time since 2003 and for only the sixth time in school history.

In five other playoff appearances, South Allegheny got past the first round only one, making it to the quarterfinals in 1997.

Battlin’ Bucs

The Burrell girls don’t have a turnaround story quite as dramatic as South Allegheny. But consider that the Bucs were 7-15 three years ago and 9-10 the year before that.

Now Burrell is the only WPIAL girls team with an undefeated record at 20-0. Things started to turn for the Bucs two years ago when they were 18-5. Last year, they were 24-4.

Coach Suspended for Three Games

A big story in WPIAL sports this week was the case of Greensburg Central Catholic boys basketball coach Greg Bisignani, who was eventually suspended by the school for three games after he allegedly made contact with a game official in a game earlier this month.

Bisignani was upset at the officials in a loss to McKeesport and allegedly bumped official Mike Tucci after the game. The WPIAL had a hearing with Bisignani and others involved this past Monday. Bisignani denied that he made contact with the official. The WPIAL disagreed.

The WPIAL claimed it does not have the power to suspend school personnel unless the person broke a by-law where the penalty is clearly defined in PIAA and WPIAL rules. For example, PIAA rules state that a coach automatically receives a one-year suspension if he or she is found to have recruited players.

But WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said there are no penalites in PIAA or WPIAL by-laws for any coach making contact with a game official. So the WPIAL told Greensburg Central Catholic that it will bar the team from the WPIAL playoffs unless Bisignani is suspended three games.

A day after the WPIAL edict, Greensburg Central suspended Bisignani for three games. The first was last night and Greensburg Central crushed Springdale, 74-30.

Among other penalties, the WPIAL also put Greensburg Central’s program on probation for a year and censured the coach and school administration.

Big 33 and the WPIAL

Most high schools consider it big when they have one football player selected to play in the Big 33 Football Classic. But this year, the popular thing for WPIAL teams and the Big 33 is duos – and one trio.

The Big 33 is an annual all-star game matching top graduted seniors from Pennsylvania against another state. Pennsylvania will play Maryland June 14 in Hershey.

The Big 33 announced its Pennsylvania team earlier this week and it has a heavy WPIAL flavor. Fifteen players are from the WPIAL. Central Catholic has three players in the game – quarterback J.J. Cosentino, linebacker Niko Thorpe and defensive back Tre Tarpley.

Four other WPIAL schools had two players selected. Running backs Terry Swanson and Dravon Henry were picked from Aliquippa. Receiver Montae Nicholson and defensive back Anthony Davis made it from Gateway. Lineman Alex Bookser and receiver Troy Apke made it from Mt. Lebanon. Linebacker Chase Winovich and lineman Cole Costy made it from Thomas Jefferson.

Other WPIAL players selected were Sto-Rox quarterback Lenny Williams, Bethel Park offensive lineman Mike Grimm, Upper St. Clair offensive lineman Ben Huss and McKeesport defensive lineman Jawan Hill.

Here is the entire Pennsylvania Big 33 team with college choices in parentheses:

Quarterbacks – J.J. Cosentino, Central Catholic (Florida State); Lenny Williams, Sto-Rox (Temple).

Running backs – Terry Swanson, Aliquippa (Toledo); Dravon Henry, Aliquippa (West Virginia); Tyler Burke, Coatesville (Maryland).

Receivers – Montae Nicholson, Gateway (Michigan State); De’Quan Ware, Harrisburg (undecided); Troy Apke, Mt. Lebanon (Penn State); Thaddeus Smith, Cardinal O’Hara (Boston College).

Tight ends – Alec Bloom, Ligonier Valley (Connecticut); Evan Butts, Episcopal Academy (Virginia).

Offensive linemen – Mike Grimm, Bethel Park (Pitt); Ben Huss, Upper St. Clair (undecided); Cole Costy, Thomas Jefferson (undecided); Noah Bey, Scranton Prep (Penn State); Josh Walmer, Parkland (undecided).

Center – Eric Gallo, Council Rock South (Virginia Tech).

Defensive ends – Trey Klock, Lower Dauphin (Georgia Tech); Luke Carrezola, Neshaminy (Connecticut); Jawan Hill, McKeesport (undecided).

Defensive linemen – Alex Bookser, Mt. Lebanon (Pitt); David Shaw, Spring Grove (Maryland); Mitchell Sweigart, Penn Manor (Yale).

Linebackers – Chase Winovich, Thomas Jefferson (Michigan); Niko Thorpe, Central Catholic (Fordham); Zaire Franklin, La Salle (Syracuse)

Defensive backs – Tre Tarpley, Central Catholic (Boston College); DeAndre Scott, Imhotep Charter (Arizona State); Tyree Spearman, McDowell (undecided); Marlon Tyree, Erie Cathedral Prep (Bowling Green); Brandon Feamster, Downingtown East (undecided); Anthony Davis, Gateway (Temple).

Athlete – Rasaan Stewart,  Perkiomen Valley (Villanova).

Kicker – Joe Julius, Central Dauphin (undecided).

Tags: Burrell, Chartiers Valley, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette, Lincoln Park, West Mifflin