George Guido: Valley, Burrell alumni to square off in memory of Brian Shaw

By: George Guido
Saturday, November 27, 2021 | 1:41 PM

For more than 50 years, Valley and Burrell have battled on the basketball floor.

This Friday, however, alumni of both schools will be joining forces for a good cause.

A co-ed alumni basketball game will take place at 7 p.m. Friday at the Valley High School gym. Proceeds will benefit the Brian Shaw Memorial Fund. Shaw was a Burrell graduate and a New Kensington police officer who was slain in the line of duty Nov. 17, 2017.

The event is being organized by Brice Flenory, a 1998 Valley graduate.

“We want to have a sense of tradition and a sense of pride,” Flenory said. “We’re going to have both males and at least one female on the floor at once, sometimes two.”

Admission will be $5 for adults and $3 for students. Tickets will be sold at the door.

“It’s for a good cause and both communities have shared Brian,” said Flenory, 43. “I’m fortunate I’ve stayed in shape, and I’ll always be a Valley Viking.”

Some of the alumni who have signed up include Lindsay Danko, Amy Kolar, Val Steuben, Ian Benson, Llewellen Johnson, Jeremy Nabors, Steve Ross and the sister duo of Marissa and Ashley Smith.

Flenory, who played with the pro Pittsburgh Xplosion squad for a period of time, credits athletic directors Muzzy Colosimo of Valley and Drake D’Angelo of Burrell.

In his time at Valley, Flenory helped lead the Vikings to a pair of WPIAL playoff appearances and averaged 25 points in his senior season.

Basketball rules changes

With the basketball preseason in full swing, the biggest rules change on the high school scene will take place next season.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has adopted a 35-second shot clock that will be in effect starting with the 2022-23 season.

A facet of the rule states that each individual state may adopt the shot clock. The PIAA has yet to determine if the Keystone State will have a shot clock next year.

It will be somewhat of an expense for the schools that need to install a clock on top of the basket, have an alternative-sounding horn from the regular game-clock horn and hire another person to operate the shot clock.

In a change effective this season, head coverings worn for religious reasons shall not be made of abrasive or hard materials and must fit securely so they are highly unlikely to come off during play.

Other head decorations and headwear are prohibited unless required by a licensed physician and approved by the state association.

Officials have been advised to be careful about granting timeouts while the ball is loose and not in player control. In the past, a philosophy existed that officials would grant a timeout to avoid rough play and to stop additional players from jumping into a pile.

Now, officials are told that while avoiding rough play is desirable, “it must not supersede” that a player has to have control of the ball, despite coaches and others screaming for a timeout.