Trib HSSN boys basketball player of the week for March 24, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Monday, March 24, 2025 | 11:25 PM

Trib HSSN boys basketball player of the week – Lucas Grimsley

School: Sewickley Academy

Class: Junior

Height: 6-foot-4

Position: Forward

#Earned: A new coach and some new faces has helped turn around a program that had fallen on hard times. Two years ago, the Sewickley Academy boys team finished 3-18 overall, this five years after winning back-to-back WPIAL championships in 2017 and 2018. Helping to lead the resurgence is Lucas Grimsley. The junior forward had a big game with 22 points in the opening round win in the PIAA playoffs over Windber, the program’s first state playoff victory at home. Following wins over Lakeview and OLSH, Grimsley and freshman teammate Mamadou Kane each scored 17 points to lead the Panthers past Greensburg Central Catholic in a state semifinal, 52-48. It marks the first trip to the PIAA finals since Sewickley Academy won it all in 2017 with a victory over Philadelphia Constitution, 68-63.

Background: Grimsley, who has been playing organized basketball since he was 6, would like to continue his hoops career in college after graduating from Sewickley Academy next year. Upon his parents urging, he tried one year of soccer and one season of lacrosse when he was in eighth grade, but his focus since starting high school has been on basketball. The forward averaged over 16 points per game this season. He has been attending Sewickley Academy since fourth grade. He is part of a handful of players who were on the Panthers team that finished with only three wins in 2023, the final year for the late Win Palmer as head coach, making the success of this season so much more enjoyable. His sister Vivian is in eighth grade and he has two twin brothers, Eli and Leyland, who are in sixth grade. All three are involved in sports, or in the case of Leyland and his love for the WWE, sports entertainment. Lucas’ father Demetrius played high school baseball at both Peabody and Perry.

What coach says: “He was playing with such confidence,” Sewickley Academy first-year coach Mike Iuzzolino said about Grimsley’s play against Greensburg Central Catholic. “He was making great decisions both in his shot selection and play making decisions.”

“He has good size for a guard,” Iuzzolino said about Grimsley’s strong defensive abilities. “He makes it difficult on the guy he is defending to get off clean looks.”

2025 Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Players of the Week

Week 11 – Jude Rottmann, North Catholic

Week 10 – Jacob Guillen, Aquinas Academy

Week 9 – Courtney Wallace Jr., Neighborhood Academy

Week 8 – Bobby Fadden, Mohawk

Week 7 – Isaiah Jeter, Central Valley

Week 6 – Calvin Winfrey III, Uniontown

Week 5 – Connor Crossey, Franklin Regional

Week 4 – Colton Straight, Montour

Week 3 – Zach Pollaro, North Hills

Week 2 – Cameron Epps, South Allegheny

Week 1 – Brady Mayo, Beaver

Tags: Sewickley Academy