MSA Sports 2017 Boys All-Netters

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, March 31, 2017 | 10:54 PM

The MSA boys All Netters team is in guarded condition this year.

Of the 10 players selected to the All Netters team, eight are guards and another is a guard-forward. The team also is Ram tough. Two plays from WPIAL Class 6A champion Pine-Richland Rams are on the team.

The All Netters team is picked by the MSA Sports staff and is made up of the top 10 players in the WPIAL. A handful of the players on the first and second teams are headed to Division I colleges and one is headed to a major college for football.

Here is a look at the MSA Sports All Netters team as well as the Player of the Year:

FIRST TEAM:

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

NELLY CUMMINGS
Lincoln Park, 6-0, Sr., G

There were many “whoa, Nelly” moments at Lincoln Park the past four seasons. Cummings started four years and finished his career as the fifth-leading scorer in WPIAL history with 2,411 points. The only WPIAL players to score more points than him were Valley’s Tom Pipkins, Duquesne’s Kevin Price, Neshannock’s Kevin Covert and Belle Vernon’s Vince Graham. During his career, Cummings played in three WPIAL title games and two PIAA championships.

This year, Cummings helped Lincoln Park get to the WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championship games. He is an excellent shooter and was the second-leading scorer in the WPIAL this season at 28.7 points a game and he made 101 3-pointers. He was a tremendous free-throw shooter, making 85 percent from the line. He made 23 of 24 in a PIAA semifinal victory against North Catholic.

Next season, Cummings will play Division I basketball at Bowling Green.

AUSTIN BUTLER
Latrobe, 6-4, Sr., G

Often times over the past few years, the Butler did it for Latrobe. He finished his career as the school’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,905 points and also helped Latrobe win three consecutive section titles.

Butler is an excellent shooter, but also improved his game this year to beat opposing defenses more off the dribble. He led the WPIAL in regular-season scoring and finished with a 29.2 average. He also averaged six rebounds and two assists a game.

Butler already has signed with Holy Cross, a Division I college.

ROBBY CARMODY
Mars, 6-4, Jr., G

A number of Division 1 colleges coaches have landed on Mars over the past year, and Carmody is the reason. He is one of the most heavily-recruited players in the WPIAL in recent history and has scholarship offers from, among others, Pitt, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Louisville and Michigan.

Carmody still has one more season left, but he already has 1,456 points, which makes him the leading scorer in Mars history. He has been a starter since his freshman year and was terrific in the playoffs this year, averaging 32 points and 14 rebounds. For the season, he averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds for a team that made the WPIAL semifinals.

Carmody is the only junior on the first team.

ANDREW PETCASH
Pine-Richland, 6-4, Sr., G

Nicknamed “Cash,” this senior guard was money for Pine-Richland. He was the leading scorer on teams that won two consecutive WPIAL championships in the largest classification. This season, Pine-Richland also made it to the PIAA 6A final.

This season, he averaged 19 points and 5 rebounds a game while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. He helped Pine-Richland to a 28-2 record and finished second on Pine-Richland’s all-time scoring list with 1,643 points.

Petcash hasn’t decided on a college yet. Patriot League and Ivy League schools have showed interest and he also has some scholarship offers from Division II schools.

NICK SMITH
North Hills, 6-1, Sr., G

His last name is common. His basketball ability is not. Smith, a point guard, finished his career as North Hills’ all-time leading scorer with 1,776 points. He broke a record that had stood for 39 years. This season, he also set a school record for single-game points when he poured in 44 against Hampton.

This season, he averaged 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists a game and helped North Hills reach the WPIAL semifinals for the third consecutive year. Before Smith came on the scene, North Hills had been to the semifinals twice in school history. A year ago, he helped North Hills win its first section title in 33 years.

Smith has not decided on a college yet. He has a number of scholarship offers from Division II colleges and a few Division I schools have expressed interest.

SECOND TEAM:

PHIL JURKOVEC
Pine-Richland, 6-5, Jr., G-F

Maybe you know Jurkovec  for his football ability. After all, he has committed to Notre Dame to play quarterback. But Jurkovec has been a starter in basketball since his freshman year and has had a gigantic impact on the hardwood. He was one of the main reasons Pine-Richland won the WPIAL 6A championship and made it to the PIAA title game. Jurkovec averaged 16 points and nine rebounds a game and often guarded the best offensive player on the opposing team. He already has scored 1,000 points.

JARROD SIMMONS
Moon, 6-7, Sr., C

Simmons had a pretty good regular season, but took his game to another level in the postseason. Simmons put Moon on his back and carried the Tigers to the WPIAL Class 5A title. He averaged 24 points and 20 rebounds in the playoffs and had 22 points, 21 rebounds and 8 blocks in the title game against Hampton. Simmons finished the season averaging 18 points and 15 rebounds. He played his first three seasons at a prep school in Massachusetts, but decided he wanted to spend his final year at Moon, where he has always lived. Simmons will play next season at Pennsylvania of the Ivy League.

MATT POPECK
Washington, 6-0, Sr., G

Popeck’s father played on some great Washington teams in the 1980s, and Matt helped make Washington good again this season. The Little Prexies made it to the semifinals for the first time since 1992, even though Popeck missed some action in the playoffs with an injured ankle. Popeck was one of the leading scorers in the WPIAL at 25.3 points a game and he also finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer.

JUSTICE RICE
Monessen, 6-2, Sr., G

Monessen won two WPIAL titles in the past three years, and Rice was one of the primary reasons. He played point guard and led the Greyhounds to plenty of success, scoring over 1,000 points during his career. This season, he averaged 20.3 points a game.

BRANDON STONE
Southmoreland, 6-10, Jr., F

Stone already has some scholarship offers from lower Division I colleges and some higher Division I schools are showing interest. Stone is thin and admits needing more muscle, but colleges like his potential and his ability to play on the perimeter. He averaged a double double this year at 25 points and 12 rebounds a game. He helped Southmoreland reach the WPIAL quarterfinals for the first time in 30 years.

Tags: Latrobe, Lincoln Park, Washington