Trib HSSN boys basketball player of the week: McGuffey’s C.J. Cole

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, December 24, 2018 | 4:24 PM

C.J. Cole

School: McGuffey

Class: Junior

As 2018 comes to a close, we are nearing the end of the second decade this century.

It has been mostly a forgettable decade for the McGuffey boys basketball program as they have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs twice, including a big breakout season two years ago when the Highlanders ended up 19-7 and reached the WPIAL and PIAA quarterfinals.

Three consecutive Section 4-3A victories have McGuffey on top of its section with visions of postseason play dancing in their heads.

While youngsters across the land hope to avoid getting coal in their stockings this holiday, McGuffey’s C.J. Cole continues to fill the nylons with basketballs.

Cole enjoyed a huge week in two Highlanders victories as he earned our Trib HSSN Player of the Week honors.

“C.J. doesn’t have elite quickness or jumping ability, but he does have an internal drive and work ethic unmatched by anyone I’ve ever coached,” McGuffey coach Mike Fatigante said. “Every day from the time he was a freshman, he shows up an hour before school to work out. During his study hall he comes down and puts in another 30 minutes in the gym. Then he gets another 30 minutes before and after practice. That’s two hours a day in addition to practice.”

Cole tied a school record with 47 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 70-59 overtime victory over Frazier on Tuesday. Cole scored 12 points in OT and was 11 of 14 from the free-throw line.

Then Friday at Southmoreland, Cole scored a game-high 23 points as the Highlanders improved to 5-2 with a 62-53 triumph.

“If it’s possible to have a quiet 47, he did,” Fatigante said. “I had no idea that he was even close to that many points until after the game. On Friday, (Southmoreland’s) gameplan was to take away C.J., and they played a box-and-one. Because of that, other guys on the team were getting wide-open shots. Halfway through the first quarter ,I told C.J. just to be patient, his shots will come. He finished the game with 23 points and 20 rebounds.”

McGuffey goes into the holiday break in first place, a half-game ahead of Washington. Can the Highlanders keep it going?

“We graduated four starters from last year’s team,” Fatigante said. “We only have C.J. and sophomore Nate Witkowsky who saw varsity time last year so coming in to this season we are very inexperienced. We are taking it one game at a time, and hopefully we are in the mix come February.”

Honorable mentions

Jake Hoffman, Mt. Lebanon

In a Class 6A nonsection showdown Tuesday against Mt. Lebanon, Butlers’ Ethan Morton finally was held in check, scoring 12 points. The Blue Devils’ Jake Hoffman was more than happy to fill the scoring void as he pumped in 27 points in an 87-60 thrashing of the top-ranked Golden Tornado. Then Friday, Mt. Lebanon opened Section 2-6A play with a 72-43 win against Baldwin, and Hoffman led all scorers with 22 points.

Camden Polak, Steel Valley

Steel Valley split two section games and finished 1-2 overall last week, but Camden Polak did all he could to lift the Ironmen’s spirits heading into the holiday. Polak scored 30 of his team’s 50 points Tuesday in a seven-point section loss to Shady Side Academy. The next night, he scored 16 in a nonsection loss to Thomas Jefferson. Then his big week ended with a 23-point effort in a 62-26 Ironmen win over South Allegheny.

Kaden DiVito, Cornell

Cornell entered the week with a 3-2 record and ended it with a 6-2 mark thanks to three big performances by Kaden DiVito. The junior scored 31 points Tuesday in an 85-47 rout of Western Beaver followed by a 30-point game Friday in the Raiders’ 82-44 victory over Rochester that gave Cornell a 2-1 record in Section 1-A. DiVito then scored 27 points Saturday in a 65-45 nonsection win over Sto-Rox.

Don Rebel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Don at drebel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TheDonRebel.

Tags: Cornell, McGuffey, Mt. lebanon, Steel Valley