Lincoln Park, Sewickley Academy basketball programs trade recruiting accusations at WPIAL eligibility hearing

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, September 10, 2018 | 9:18 PM

Lincoln Park transfer Isaiah Smith was ruled eligible Monday, but only after two of the WPIAL’s top basketball programs exchanged recruiting accusations.

Sewickley Academy had contested Smith’s transfer to Lincoln Park as athletically motivated, writing in paperwork that “we understand with a high level of certainty that the assistant coach of the basketball team at Lincoln Park was actively recruiting Isaiah Smith.”

The junior was an all-section player last season when Sewickley Academy won the WPIAL Class A title.

Smith’s parents said during Monday’s eligibility hearing that a severe financial hardship was the reason he transferred to the Beaver County charter school. And in response to the recruiting allegations, Smith’s father Neil testified that Sewickley Academy assistant coaches recruited his son there as an eighth grader.

The WPIAL board ruled Smith eligible, WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said, after hearing testimony from Smith, his parents, Sewickley Academy coach Win Palmer, Lincoln Park coach Mike Bariski and assistant John Vlasic, the person Sewickley accused of recruiting.

Vlasic said he has worked for years with Smith and other athletes as a private trainer, but testified Monday that he never recruited Smith to Lincoln Park.

“I’m not going to jeopardize my business,” said Vlasic, who runs Drive Basketball. “That’s how I feed myself. I’m not going to jeopardize that to bring in a player to our school.”

Lincoln Park then turned the tables on Sewickley. Smith’s father Neil testified that his son enrolled at Sewickley Academy in eighth grade after applications were handed out to the families of AAU players by Sewickley assistants Almamy Thiero and Nathan Roesing.

The two coaches run College Basketball Prospects of America.

As a result, O’Malley said: “The WPIAL will ask for a (written) response from Sewickley.”

Palmer, who’s also athletic director, said he was “shocked” by the allegation.

“You don’t get an admissions file until you contact the school,” Palmer said. “If a kid walked up to me right now, I couldn’t give them one. I’d say you’ve got to contact the admissions office. There’s no truth to that.”

The WPIAL held three eligibility hearings Monday and have a number of others next week.

Also ruled eligible Monday was Johnnie Bryant, who transferred from Nazareth Prep to Lincoln Park. The board granted an extra year of eligibility for Penn Hills senior Micah Williams in all sports except football.

Among the hearings next Monday is one for girls basketball standout Harley Holloway, who transferred this summer from Kiski Area to Freeport.

The WPIAL also has multiple hearings Sept. 19, with Isaac and Owen DeGregorio among them.

The DeGregorios transferred from Hampton to North Catholic, where their father Dave was hired as boys basketball coach.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at charlan@tribweb.com or |via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Lincoln Park, Sewickley Academy