Scholastic News of Interest...
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THE CHOPS
- Official BleacherCoach
- Posts: 1900
- Joined: October 24th, 2003, 10:42 am
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Scholastic News of Interest...
Scholastic Notebook...........
12/7/2007 -
Chartiers Valley coach Tim McConnell has always been known to have some excellent shooters in the Colts’ corral. The most recent deadeye comes from McConnell’s own stable.
McConnell’s son, T.J., is a sophomore guard at Chartiers Valley, and already proving to be one of the top 3-point shooters in the WPIAL.
In three games, T.J. McConnell has 16 3-pointers. Against Thomas Jefferson Tuesday, he had nine 3-pointers, including six in the first quarter. T.J. had five 3-pointers in the season opener against North Hills.
Many were surprised this fall when Duquesne University offered McConnell a scholarship, and he accepted. But T.J. McConnell has grown 4-5 inches in the past year and is now 5 feet 9. He might not be a Division I college player now, but with his shooting ability, he has plenty of potential.
Shanahan Out
Norwin senior Mike Shanahan, one of the top senior basketball players in the WPIAL, hasn’t played a game yet because of a broken finger sustained in football season. Shanahan, a 6-foot-4 guard-forward, helped Norwin to the WPIAL Class AAAA semifinals last season, and probably won’t play for a couple more weeks.
Shanahan also is a talented football player and has football scholarship offers from Pitt and West Virginia.
Making Their Point
One of the more exciting teams to watch this season in boys’ basketball will probably be the Highlands Rams. They like to run, have some good shooters and are averaging 86 points in the first few games.
Where Are the Points?
While Highlands is putting up impressive scoring statistics, it looks like there might not be much scoring in WPIAL Class A Section 4 this season. Of the five teams in the section, only one is averaging more than 48 points a game. That is St. Joseph’s, which is averaging 54.0.
The other four teams in the section -- Elderton, Trinity Christian, Wilkinsburg and Leechburg – are all averaging in the 40s.
Ray of Sunshine
Maybe it gets lost sometimes in the Terrelle Pryor and Jeannette hype, but isn’t Ray Reitz doing a fine job as the Jayhawks’ coach? Sure, he has talent, but the Jayhawks’ offensive and defensive schemes are impressive.
And maybe the hardest coaching job is the one where you have a team that is expected to dominate. Jeannette has done that – and then some.
“It’s funny,” Reitz said. “If we win by a lot, that’s what we’re supposed to do and nobody thinks a whole lot about it. But if we would lose, we would be called the dumbest coaches around.”
Football Tidbit
Much has been written this week in newspapers about Pittsburgh Central Catholic coach Terry Totten going against Harrisburg coach George Chaump in the PIAA Class AAAA Semifinals. Chaump gave Totten his first job years ago as a graduate assistant at IUP. Totten spent five years coaching under Chaump.
But how is this for irony? When Central Catholic defeated Neshaminy in the PIAA championship three years ago, Totten was Central Catholic’s defensive coordinator. Chaump’s brother, John, was an assistant coach for Neshaminy that year.
Dealing With the Elements
Teams still playing football at this time of year in the state playoffs, will try to find an indoor facility to practice. Not Jeannette coach Ray Reitz. He would rather his team practice outdoors.
“You have to deal with this weather in the game, so you might as well practice in it,” Reitz said.
National Notice
Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor is one of six finalists for the Army All-American Bowl National Player of the Year.
Considering that, it makes the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year harder to understand. Bethlehem Liberty linebacker Brendan Beal won that award last week.
Impact of the Game
Gateway’s Cam Saddler made an official visit to West Virginia this weekend and attended the WVU-Pitt game. A few days later, he made a verbal commitment to Pitt.
But Saddler said Pitt’s victory didn’t play much of a role in his decision.
“It had maybe just a little effect,” Saddler said. “I still everything after the game, regardless of who won. I just tried to go about everything and evaluate the schools the same way, no matter what happened in the game.”
Saddler praised Pitt assistant coach Greg Gattuso, who recruited Saddler. Gattuso is a former high school coach at Seton-LaSalle who won a WPIAL title in 1989.
“I love him. He’s just a great guy,” Saddler said. “He just makes me feel good.”
Where Are They Now?
* Perennial power Mount Union College is going after another Division III national championship, playing in the semifinals Saturday. Mount Union has a tremendous defense, allowing only 15 yards rushing per game. Two former WPIAL players are members of that defense. Linebacker Tony DeRiggi, a Seneca Valley graduate, is second on the team in tackles with 62. Defensive back Chris Kappas is fourth on the team in tackles with 46.
* Another North Hills graduate was featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd this week. Mike Czerwien, a senior defensive end at Waynesburg College, set an NCAA all-divisions record with 52 ½ career sacks, including 22 this year. He was the MVP of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
* Meagan Cowher, daughter of former Steelers coach Bill, is averaging 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds a game as a senior forward at Princeton. Her younger sister, Lauren, played at Princeton last year, but is not playing this season.
The Chops....
12/7/2007 -
Chartiers Valley coach Tim McConnell has always been known to have some excellent shooters in the Colts’ corral. The most recent deadeye comes from McConnell’s own stable.
McConnell’s son, T.J., is a sophomore guard at Chartiers Valley, and already proving to be one of the top 3-point shooters in the WPIAL.
In three games, T.J. McConnell has 16 3-pointers. Against Thomas Jefferson Tuesday, he had nine 3-pointers, including six in the first quarter. T.J. had five 3-pointers in the season opener against North Hills.
Many were surprised this fall when Duquesne University offered McConnell a scholarship, and he accepted. But T.J. McConnell has grown 4-5 inches in the past year and is now 5 feet 9. He might not be a Division I college player now, but with his shooting ability, he has plenty of potential.
Shanahan Out
Norwin senior Mike Shanahan, one of the top senior basketball players in the WPIAL, hasn’t played a game yet because of a broken finger sustained in football season. Shanahan, a 6-foot-4 guard-forward, helped Norwin to the WPIAL Class AAAA semifinals last season, and probably won’t play for a couple more weeks.
Shanahan also is a talented football player and has football scholarship offers from Pitt and West Virginia.
Making Their Point
One of the more exciting teams to watch this season in boys’ basketball will probably be the Highlands Rams. They like to run, have some good shooters and are averaging 86 points in the first few games.
Where Are the Points?
While Highlands is putting up impressive scoring statistics, it looks like there might not be much scoring in WPIAL Class A Section 4 this season. Of the five teams in the section, only one is averaging more than 48 points a game. That is St. Joseph’s, which is averaging 54.0.
The other four teams in the section -- Elderton, Trinity Christian, Wilkinsburg and Leechburg – are all averaging in the 40s.
Ray of Sunshine
Maybe it gets lost sometimes in the Terrelle Pryor and Jeannette hype, but isn’t Ray Reitz doing a fine job as the Jayhawks’ coach? Sure, he has talent, but the Jayhawks’ offensive and defensive schemes are impressive.
And maybe the hardest coaching job is the one where you have a team that is expected to dominate. Jeannette has done that – and then some.
“It’s funny,” Reitz said. “If we win by a lot, that’s what we’re supposed to do and nobody thinks a whole lot about it. But if we would lose, we would be called the dumbest coaches around.”
Football Tidbit
Much has been written this week in newspapers about Pittsburgh Central Catholic coach Terry Totten going against Harrisburg coach George Chaump in the PIAA Class AAAA Semifinals. Chaump gave Totten his first job years ago as a graduate assistant at IUP. Totten spent five years coaching under Chaump.
But how is this for irony? When Central Catholic defeated Neshaminy in the PIAA championship three years ago, Totten was Central Catholic’s defensive coordinator. Chaump’s brother, John, was an assistant coach for Neshaminy that year.
Dealing With the Elements
Teams still playing football at this time of year in the state playoffs, will try to find an indoor facility to practice. Not Jeannette coach Ray Reitz. He would rather his team practice outdoors.
“You have to deal with this weather in the game, so you might as well practice in it,” Reitz said.
National Notice
Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor is one of six finalists for the Army All-American Bowl National Player of the Year.
Considering that, it makes the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year harder to understand. Bethlehem Liberty linebacker Brendan Beal won that award last week.
Impact of the Game
Gateway’s Cam Saddler made an official visit to West Virginia this weekend and attended the WVU-Pitt game. A few days later, he made a verbal commitment to Pitt.
But Saddler said Pitt’s victory didn’t play much of a role in his decision.
“It had maybe just a little effect,” Saddler said. “I still everything after the game, regardless of who won. I just tried to go about everything and evaluate the schools the same way, no matter what happened in the game.”
Saddler praised Pitt assistant coach Greg Gattuso, who recruited Saddler. Gattuso is a former high school coach at Seton-LaSalle who won a WPIAL title in 1989.
“I love him. He’s just a great guy,” Saddler said. “He just makes me feel good.”
Where Are They Now?
* Perennial power Mount Union College is going after another Division III national championship, playing in the semifinals Saturday. Mount Union has a tremendous defense, allowing only 15 yards rushing per game. Two former WPIAL players are members of that defense. Linebacker Tony DeRiggi, a Seneca Valley graduate, is second on the team in tackles with 62. Defensive back Chris Kappas is fourth on the team in tackles with 46.
* Another North Hills graduate was featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd this week. Mike Czerwien, a senior defensive end at Waynesburg College, set an NCAA all-divisions record with 52 ½ career sacks, including 22 this year. He was the MVP of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
* Meagan Cowher, daughter of former Steelers coach Bill, is averaging 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds a game as a senior forward at Princeton. Her younger sister, Lauren, played at Princeton last year, but is not playing this season.
The Chops....