Scholastic Notebook – 02/10/2017

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 10, 2017 | 11:39 AM

For the second consecutive year, Latrobe’s Austin Butler is one of the best scorers in the WPIAL. It’s a rare two-year scoring run.

In the latest scoring statistics, Butler leads the WPIAL at 29.8 points a game. Last season, he finished the regular season second in the league in scoring at 25.7 points. Only Waynesburg’s Darton McIntire (25.8) averaged more.

No one else in the WPIAL is averaging more than 27 this year. Latrobe has one regular-season game left Friday night against Penn Hills, which means Butler will probably finish as the league’s leading scorer.

That will be two years for Butler in the top two. Over the past decade, only one WPIAL player has finished the regular season in the top two in scoring for two consecutive years. That was former Highlands star Micah Mason, who finished first two years in a row. Mason averaged 34.1 in 2011 and 29.1 in 2012.

Butler, a senior guard, has had a marvelous career as a Latrobe basketball player. Latrobe has won plenty and Butler is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,797 points. If Latrobe could make a long playoff run in the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs, he could have a shot at scoring 2,000 career points.

Butler has signed to play at Holy Cross. He has enjoyed much more team success in basketball than he did as Latrobe’s starting QB in football. In two football seasons, Butler was 1-18.

About McIntire

Waynesburg’s McIntire led the WPIAL in scoring last year as a sophomore. But his average has dipped this season. He is averaging “only” 20.5 points a game.

A Major Change

When Major Corley coached the Monessen girls basketball team from 1986-2009, he rarely lost. He came back to coach Monessen’s team this season – and he never won.

Monessen finished the season with an 0-22 record. It’s unbelievable what has happened to this once-proud program. When Corley coached Monessen the first time, he had a 457-149 record, won three WPIAL titles, made it to the final game six other times and won one PIAA title. Corley, 69, decided to take over Monessen’s team again this season when Gina Naccarato stepped aside to concentrate on a principal’s job.

Monessen averaged only 23 points a game. Monessen’s scoring this season is put in perspective by this statistic: Naccarato averaged more points herself in all four years of her high school career (1992-96).

All in the DeGregorio Family

The Belle Vernon boys team won a section title this season. That means Kyle DeGregorio can sit at the family’s section championship table.

DeGregorio is the third member of his family to win a section title. Joe, the father, coached John Calipari at Clarion and also was an assistant at Pitt at one time. But he won a few section titles at Upper St. Clair in the early 1990s.

Joe’s son, Dave, won section titles at South Allegheny, Pine-Richland and North Allegheny. He’s now an assistant at Hampton. Now Kyle gets into the act at Belle Vernon.

Kyle had some successful seasons at Baldwin, but never won a section title there. In his third season at Belle Vernon, he has guided the Leopards to a section championship for the first time since 1998.

Richards Steps Down at Plum

For the second consecutive week, a top WPIAL boys basketball coach decided to step down, effective at the end of the season.

Two weeks ago, it was Beaver Falls’ Doug Biega, who said he will retire at the end of the season.

This past week, it was Plum’s Ron Richards, who has informed school administration that he will resign at the end of the season.

When asked whether it is a resignation or retirement, the 53-year-old Richards laughed and said, “I don’t know. I guess it’s kind of both. I don’t see myself coaching again. So whatever word you want to use is fine.”

Richards brought success to Plum’s program. He had two different stints at the school and coached 17 years total, compiling a 255-147 record with four section titles. Richards also coached six other years at Apollo-Ridge, Armstrong Central and Red Land, and his all-time record is 333-210. Plum has two games remaining this season and will not be in the WPIAL playoffs.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Latrobe, Waynesburg Central