This isn't really Pitt related, but I know some people like HS hoops. I've always had a soft spot for it, and I like to write about it and keep up with it. I still work as a free-lancer and cover games in my free time for my local newspaper. I'll probably do a game or two this weekend.
So that's the backstory...here is the real story.
The PIAA Class-AAAAAA is a loaded and intriguing field this season, here are some teams, names, and games to watch when the road to Hershey begins on Saturday for 32 teams.
The Favorite: Kennedy Catholic
The Eagles made the move from Single-A the whole way to Six-A, and as you can see, they are handling themselves just fine. Kennedy Catholic is anchored by Oscar Tshibwe, arguably the best big man in the entire class of 2019. He is ranked as the 22nd best prospect in the country by Rivals.com, and has chosen West Virginia as his college destination over the likes of Kentucky, Kansas, and a slew of others.
Kennedy also has Maceo Austin, an experienced 6’5” slasher heading to Duquesne. Italian big man Mattio Acunzo is heading to Bowling Green. Kennedy has some talented underclassmen as well headied by 6’4” guard Ike Herster.
The road to Hershey starts with Fox Chapel on Saturday at Farrell. A date with Pine-Richland looms in the second round. This team is pretty battle tested, as they have played many out-of-area games against teams from Ohio and Philadelphia, along with some national games.
The Challenger: Roman Catholic
The Cahillites have a loaded roster, but a new PIAA rule will certainly cost them in the playoffs. Lynn Greer is not allowed to play in the postseason, he is a top-100 recruit in the junior class and was a star for Roman Catholic last year. Why isn’t he allowed to play? He started the 2018-19 school year at Oak Hill Academy, he didn’t like it and returned (maybe Cole Anthony played a role?). Greer played in the regular season, but isn’t eligible for the postseason.
Aside from Greer, Roman is fronted by a pair of 6’6” wings: Hakim Hart, a St. Joseph’s recruit and Seth Lundy a Penn State-bound wing that is ranked No. 137 in the Rivals150 rankings. The Philly Catholic power also features a pair of freshmen that are expected to be big-time college prospects down the line: Jalen Duren, who checks in at 6-foot-9, and 6-foot-4 guard Justice Williams.
The Sleeper: Abington
27-1…sleeper? Yea, Kennedy and Roman seem like the two favorites, but don’t sleep on this team. The Galloping Ghosts (I mean, come on - that’s an outstanding nickname) are led by top-100 senior Eric Dixon, who is signed with Villanova. Dixon is a 6’7” power forward. He is supported by Lucas Monroe, a 6’5” guard heading to Penn.
This team is undefeated in the state of Pennsylvania, with the only loss coming to nationally-ranked St. Frances Academy of Baltimore. Otherwise, this is a great battle-tested team that won the always-competitive District-1 title.
Don’t forget about: LaSalle College
This team is 22-3 with two of those losses coming to Roman Catholic. Otherwise, this team has been outstanding all year long. Allen Powell is having a strong senior season and has added offers from mid-majors like Binghamton, Rider, and Morgan State in recent weeks.
Inside, the Explorers feature 6-foot-7 Konrad Kiszka, who is averaging 11 points per game, and is heading to Princeton. LaSalle also has Rice-bound 6-foot-9 Zach Crisler. This is an experienced and battle-tested team.
The Most Important Player: Ethan Morton, Butler
Don’t get me wrong, Oscar Tshibwe and Eric Dixon are big-time guys, but if Butler is going to make any kind of run it’ll be because of Ethan Morton, arguably the top junior in the state of Pennsylvania. He already has an impressive offer sheet featuring Pitt, Michigan, Purdue, Virginia, Stanford among others. Morton is a a legitimate 6-foot-6 point guard with an unbelievable skill and headiness. He is an excellent passer for the high school level and is capable of winning games by himself, as evidence by his recent 40-point performance in an upset with over Pine-Richland.
5 other teams to remember
Allderdice: The Pittsburgh City League champs are well-coached by veteran Buddy Valinsky and they feature a pair of college guards in Jackson Balufield (Dartmouth) and Bobby Clifford (Slippery Rock).
Coatesville: Jhamir Brickus is an exciting 5-foot-10 point guard in the class of 2020 and he helped lead Coatesville to 26 wins already. The Red Raiders only lost to Abington by 3 points in the District-1 title game.
Mount Lebanon: The Blue Devils are the WPIAL champions, but they still seem to float under the radar to some other teams in Western Pa. Sean Loughran is a very good high school player.
Pennridge: The Rams are fronted by 6-foot-2 point guard Sean Yoder, who is pledged to Navy. Pennridge has racked up 22 wins in the always-tough District-1.
Pine Richland: Pine-Richland was the top seed in the WPIAL playoffs, but were upset by Ethan Morton-led Butler in a wild semifinal meeting. Dan Petcash is garnering some division one interest.
First Round Picks:
Abington over Cumberland Valley
Pennridge over Lincoln
Boys Latin over Norristown
Methacton over Hazelton
William Allen over Perkiomen Valley
LaSalle over Reading
Lower Merion over East Stroudsburg South
Roman Catholic over Spring Ford
Harrisburg over Downingtown East
Chester over Parkland
Coatesville over Emmaus
Butler over Chambersbrug
Pine-Richland over Wilson
Kennedy Catholic over Fox Chapel
Mount Lebanon over Manheim Township
Allderdice over Canon-McMillan
So that's the backstory...here is the real story.
The PIAA Class-AAAAAA is a loaded and intriguing field this season, here are some teams, names, and games to watch when the road to Hershey begins on Saturday for 32 teams.
The Favorite: Kennedy Catholic
The Eagles made the move from Single-A the whole way to Six-A, and as you can see, they are handling themselves just fine. Kennedy Catholic is anchored by Oscar Tshibwe, arguably the best big man in the entire class of 2019. He is ranked as the 22nd best prospect in the country by Rivals.com, and has chosen West Virginia as his college destination over the likes of Kentucky, Kansas, and a slew of others.
Kennedy also has Maceo Austin, an experienced 6’5” slasher heading to Duquesne. Italian big man Mattio Acunzo is heading to Bowling Green. Kennedy has some talented underclassmen as well headied by 6’4” guard Ike Herster.
The road to Hershey starts with Fox Chapel on Saturday at Farrell. A date with Pine-Richland looms in the second round. This team is pretty battle tested, as they have played many out-of-area games against teams from Ohio and Philadelphia, along with some national games.
The Challenger: Roman Catholic
The Cahillites have a loaded roster, but a new PIAA rule will certainly cost them in the playoffs. Lynn Greer is not allowed to play in the postseason, he is a top-100 recruit in the junior class and was a star for Roman Catholic last year. Why isn’t he allowed to play? He started the 2018-19 school year at Oak Hill Academy, he didn’t like it and returned (maybe Cole Anthony played a role?). Greer played in the regular season, but isn’t eligible for the postseason.
Aside from Greer, Roman is fronted by a pair of 6’6” wings: Hakim Hart, a St. Joseph’s recruit and Seth Lundy a Penn State-bound wing that is ranked No. 137 in the Rivals150 rankings. The Philly Catholic power also features a pair of freshmen that are expected to be big-time college prospects down the line: Jalen Duren, who checks in at 6-foot-9, and 6-foot-4 guard Justice Williams.
The Sleeper: Abington
27-1…sleeper? Yea, Kennedy and Roman seem like the two favorites, but don’t sleep on this team. The Galloping Ghosts (I mean, come on - that’s an outstanding nickname) are led by top-100 senior Eric Dixon, who is signed with Villanova. Dixon is a 6’7” power forward. He is supported by Lucas Monroe, a 6’5” guard heading to Penn.
This team is undefeated in the state of Pennsylvania, with the only loss coming to nationally-ranked St. Frances Academy of Baltimore. Otherwise, this is a great battle-tested team that won the always-competitive District-1 title.
Don’t forget about: LaSalle College
This team is 22-3 with two of those losses coming to Roman Catholic. Otherwise, this team has been outstanding all year long. Allen Powell is having a strong senior season and has added offers from mid-majors like Binghamton, Rider, and Morgan State in recent weeks.
Inside, the Explorers feature 6-foot-7 Konrad Kiszka, who is averaging 11 points per game, and is heading to Princeton. LaSalle also has Rice-bound 6-foot-9 Zach Crisler. This is an experienced and battle-tested team.
The Most Important Player: Ethan Morton, Butler
Don’t get me wrong, Oscar Tshibwe and Eric Dixon are big-time guys, but if Butler is going to make any kind of run it’ll be because of Ethan Morton, arguably the top junior in the state of Pennsylvania. He already has an impressive offer sheet featuring Pitt, Michigan, Purdue, Virginia, Stanford among others. Morton is a a legitimate 6-foot-6 point guard with an unbelievable skill and headiness. He is an excellent passer for the high school level and is capable of winning games by himself, as evidence by his recent 40-point performance in an upset with over Pine-Richland.
5 other teams to remember
Allderdice: The Pittsburgh City League champs are well-coached by veteran Buddy Valinsky and they feature a pair of college guards in Jackson Balufield (Dartmouth) and Bobby Clifford (Slippery Rock).
Coatesville: Jhamir Brickus is an exciting 5-foot-10 point guard in the class of 2020 and he helped lead Coatesville to 26 wins already. The Red Raiders only lost to Abington by 3 points in the District-1 title game.
Mount Lebanon: The Blue Devils are the WPIAL champions, but they still seem to float under the radar to some other teams in Western Pa. Sean Loughran is a very good high school player.
Pennridge: The Rams are fronted by 6-foot-2 point guard Sean Yoder, who is pledged to Navy. Pennridge has racked up 22 wins in the always-tough District-1.
Pine Richland: Pine-Richland was the top seed in the WPIAL playoffs, but were upset by Ethan Morton-led Butler in a wild semifinal meeting. Dan Petcash is garnering some division one interest.
First Round Picks:
Abington over Cumberland Valley
Pennridge over Lincoln
Boys Latin over Norristown
Methacton over Hazelton
William Allen over Perkiomen Valley
LaSalle over Reading
Lower Merion over East Stroudsburg South
Roman Catholic over Spring Ford
Harrisburg over Downingtown East
Chester over Parkland
Coatesville over Emmaus
Butler over Chambersbrug
Pine-Richland over Wilson
Kennedy Catholic over Fox Chapel
Mount Lebanon over Manheim Township
Allderdice over Canon-McMillan
