Gone from sport for 3 years, Horew returns to lift Chartiers Valley girls hoops

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, March 3, 2018 | 12:03 AM

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When he watches senior Tia Horew on the basketball court, Chartiers Valley girls coach Dan Slain can't help but wonder what might have been. What kind of player would she be if she had played basketball all four years?

Perhaps a better question might be: Where would the Colts have been if Horew hadn't decided to play again?

Chartiers Valley (18-7) reached the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals before its bid to repeat as champion was ended by Gateway, 44-42. The loss Feb. 28 also ended a 10-game winning streak that started, perhaps not coincidentally, when Horew was put into the starting lineup.

A basketball player through junior high, Horew gave it up when she reached high school in order to concentrate on soccer. Some coaxing from CV boys basketball coach Tim McConnell, whose daughter, Megan, is the leading scorer for the Colts, brought Horew back.

In the fall, McConnell was running on the high school track with his players while girls soccer practice was going on. He spotted Horew right away and thought she could help the basketball team.

He knew the girls roster was going to be smaller than usual. He also knew two returning starters were going to miss the early part of the season because of offseason ACL injuries, so McConnell decided to do a little recruiting.

“I see Tia Horew, athletic as can be, so I said to myself, ‘I'm going to talk to her about playing basketball,' ” he said. “Me being selfish with a daughter on the team, I wanted them to have success.”

As it turned out, Horew said, she already was thinking about returning to basketball. She said she wanted to do it sooner, but because she played soccer and ran track, she was hesitant to add a third sport.

“I went home that night and talked to my parents and said, ‘This time I'm actually going to go through with it,' ” she said. “My parents totally supported me.”

When she returned, her conditioning was up to par on the heels of soccer season. Her basketball skills took a bit more time to ripen.

After several weeks, she said, she got into a groove. By late January, Slain was comfortable enough to put her in the starting lineup.

She didn't look to score much, but when it came to defense, rebounding and passing, Slain said, her contributions were immeasurable.

“Even if Tia doesn't score, she helps keep the score down on the other side,” he said. “She defends well and has great feet. She's a tremendous leaper and a great rebounder.”

Tim McConnell, whom Slain jokingly called his “general manager,” was impressed.

“Defensively, she's very athletic and quick,” he said. “She doesn't try to play outside of her role. She's not worried about scoring. She just plays a team game.”

Horew couldn't help the Colts repeat as WPIAL champion, but they get another shot at gold in the PIAA tournament. Winning a state title would be the ultimate validation of her return to basketball.

“It would just mean the world to me because I haven't played in so long,” she said. “And my teammates believed in me.”

Chuck Curti is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at ccurti@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CCurti_Trib.