Nothing but positive vibes emanate from Riverview girls basketball teams

By: Michael Love
Friday, December 3, 2021 | 6:16 PM

Maddie Deem is on an island, so to speak.

She is the lone senior on the Riverview girls basketball team. But rather than wallow in the fact she isn’t able to share her final high school season with any classmates, Deem is energized by the youth and talent that dot the Raiders’ 11-player roster.

“The younger girls know that there are opportunities to make it into the starting lineup if they push themselves,” said Deem, a 5-foot-6 guard who averaged 5.5 points and 3.8 rebounds last season.

“That gives them that extra motivation to really work hard against each other in practice with the hopes of getting there. There is a lot of promise in the new girls.”

Deem and the rest of the team — three juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen — experienced a coaching change in the offseason. But it was a smooth transition with Jill Catanzaro taking over the reins from longtime coach Keith Stitt, who retired after last season.

Catanzaro, a high school standout who scored more than 2,000 points before continuing her basketball career at Pitt, served as an assistant on Stitt’s staff for six years before making the move.

“It was different, but good at the same time because we know her so well,” Deem said. “She and coach Stitt definitely have different teaching styles, and she changed a few things from what we had done before. We put in a lot of new things, and we’re excited to see how that will all work out.”

Catanzaro felt positive vibes and energy from the start in July as the team held workouts on the Riverside Park basketball court and track while work was being finished on the ceiling above the Riverview High School gym.

“That foundation and relationship with the girls was already established, so we went to work right away,” Catanzaro said. “When we were setting workouts, I asked the girls what time they wanted to make them, and they picked 8 a.m. There was a lot of enthusiasm right away. It was great to be outside. We were in the community and were meeting some great people who were walking the track. Reaching out to the community is one of the goals extra from the actual basketball that we want to do.”

Catanzaro said she has stressed strength training to help with an increase in confidence, player ability and injury prevention.

With the lower numbers, Catanzaro said staying healthy will be of utmost importance.

“They really took off with that, and you can see the results,” she said. “Right off the bat, we did ACL and ankle preventative, and they do that every day. We get into the weight room three times a week. Being a personal trainer in my earlier days, these type of things are still in me.”

Riverview, 6-7 overall last year and 4-6 in Section 3-A, has made 11 playoff appearances in the past 12 years.

Last year’s leading scorer, Elena Wyrick (7.5 points), and leading rebounder, Tenaeja Sheffey (7.2), graduated.

While Deem is the leading scorer among the returnees, sophomore point guard Lola Abraham wasn’t far behind. Also a soccer standout who scored 43 goals this fall and earned All-WPIAL honors, Abraham averaged 5.3 points in 10 games last year and added 3.5 steals per game.

Junior forward Ava Blickenderfer had offseason ankle surgery, but she’s back on the court preparing for the season which begins next Friday at the Deer Lakes Tip-Off Tournament.

Junior forward Brionna Long, a returning starter along with Deem, and sophomore forward Callie Harden also are back.

Freshmen Lily Bauer (guard), Gina Volpe (guard) and Katerina Tsambis (point guard) also are teammates in the Four Seasons AAU basketball program.

Fellow freshmen Chiara Brun (forward) and Lily Hood (guard), Catanzaro said, are good athletes who could make an impact.

“They all want to produce,” said Catanzaro, who got a good look at where her team stood at a scrimmage Wednesday against Shady Side Academy.

“The younger girls continue to see what habits they are blossoming into and areas we need to concentrate on to get better. It is still a work in progress, working the basics and fundamentals, and we are trusting the process. It also is about building strong leadership and a positive culture of interactions with each other, in school and in the community around what we do on the court.”

Riverview girls at a glance

Coach: Jill Catanzaro

Last year’s record: 6-7 (4-6 Section 3-A)

Returning starters: Maddie Deem (Sr. G), Brionna Long (Jr. F)

Top newcomers: Lil Bauer (Fr., G), Gina Volpe (Fr., G), Katerina Tsambis (Fr., PG), Chiara Brun (Fr., F), Lily Hood (Fr., G)

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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