WPIAL Boys Basketball 2014-2015 Season Preview

By: Bruce Markey
Thursday, December 4, 2014 | 9:44 PM

The season hasn’t even started and we already know there will be new WPIAL champions in both Class AAAA and Class A. Realignment shuffled the deck in the offseason and blew that New Castle Red Hurricane nasty storm which dominated  Quad-A for two years back down to Triple-A while perennial Single-A power Lincoln Park, which captured its second district title in three years last season is now in Double-A. The two champs that do get to defend in the same classification are Central Valey in AAA and Seton-LaSalle in AA. Here are the Pre-Season Top 10 in each classification along with the players to watch in each class.

Check out the weekly boys rankings every Tuesday, along with boys hoops talk during The WPIAL Roundball Report every Wednesday night at 6:00pm, along with boys basketball broadcasts throughout the regular season and exclusive coverage of every boys WPIAL playoff game in February all here on the MSA Sports Network.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA Boys Basketball Preseason Top Ten:

1.     CHARTIERS VALLEY COLTS

2.     HEMPFIELD SPARTANS

3.     KISKI AREA CAVALIERS

4.     BETHEL PARK BLACK HAWKS

5.     NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS

6.     GATEWAY GATORS

7.     MOUNT LEBANON BLUE DEVILS

8.     SENECA VALLEY RAIDERS

9.     FRANKLIN REGIONAL PANTHERS

10.   LATROBE WILDCATS

WPIAL CLASS AAAA Boys Basketball Players to Watch:

Kason Harrell – Hempfield
Tony Pilato – Hempfield
Mike Simmons – Kiski Area
Curtis Perz – Norwin
Matt Cullen – Latrobe
Zach Snyder – Seneca Valley
Jonny David – Mount Lebanon
Joe Mascaro – Bethel Park
Sam Bohn – Canon-McMillan
Matty McConnell – Chartiers Valley

WPIAL CLASS AAA Boys Basketball Preseason Top Ten:

1.     CENTRAL VALLEY WARRIORS

2.     NEW CASTLE RED HURRICANE

3.     MARS FIGHTING PLANETS

4.     BEAVER FALLS TIGERS

5.     HAMPTON TALBOTS

6.     INDIANA LITTLE INDIANS

7.     UNIONTOWN RED RAIDERS

8.     AMBRIDGE BRIDGERS

9.     THOMAS JEFFERSON JAGUARS

10.   ELIZABETH FORWARD WARRIORS

WPIAL CLASS AAA Boys Basketball Players to Watch:

Riley Stapleton – Indiana
John Castello – Mars
Noah Kunst – Kittanning
Daylon Carter – Ambridge
Joe Campbell – Uniontown
Dom Keyes – Steel Valley
George Prota – Elizabeth Forward
 

WPIAL CLASS AA Boys Basketball Preseason Top Ten:

1.     LINCOLN PARK LEOPARDS

2.     SETON-LaSALLE REBELS

3.     ALIQUIPPA QUIPS

4.     APOLLO-RIDGE VIKINGS

5.     GREENSBURG CENTRAL CATHOLIC CENTURIONS

6.     QUAKER VALLEY QUAKERS

7.     RIVERSIDE PANTHERS

8.     AVONWORTH ANTELOPES

9.     CHARTIERS-HOUSTON BUCCANEERS

10.   WILKINSBURG TIGERS

WPIAL CLASS AA Boys Basketball Players to Watch:

Dasonte White – Summit Academy
Tre Tipton – Apollo-Ridge
Alex Smith – Apollo-Ridge
Isaiah Pete – Wilkinsburg
Jassir Jordan – Aliquippa
Stephon McGinnis – Aliquippa
Paris Ford – Seton-LaSalle
Zach Gould – Riverside
Alec Ferrari – Chartiers-Houston
Chris Conlan – Quaker Valley
Darrell Barron – Northgate

WPIAL CLASS A Boys Basketball Preseason Top Ten:

1.     VINCENTIAN ACADEMY ROYALS

2.     JEANNETTE JAYHAWKS

3.     MONESSEN GREYHOUNDS

4.     CARDINAL WUERL NORTH CATHOLIC TROJANS

5.     SEWICKLEY ACADEMY PANTHERS

6.     CORNELL RAIDERS

7.     SERRA CATHOLIC EAGLES

8.     CLAIRTON BEARS

9.     JEFFERSON-MORGAN ROCKETS

10.   WINCHESTER THURSTON BEARS

WPIAL CLASS A Boys Basketball Players to Watch:

Julian Batts – Jeannette
Dane Jackson – Cornell
Ryan Wolf – Vincentian Academy
John Savulchak – Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic
Anthony Muscato – Sewickley Academy
Rece Henneman – Jefferson-Morgan
Tyler Coleman – Winchester Thurston