News & notes of interest in Basketball , etc...

[THE CHOPS]

Scholastic Notebook ......................
2/4/2005


Monessen isn’t exactly entering the playoffs with a head of steam. The Greyhounds have an 8-12 record and lost on Tuesday, February 1st to Clairton.

But Monessen is in the playoffs – and that’s the significant part.

This is the 24th year in a row Monessen has qualified for the WPIAL playoffs.

That is the longest streak in WPIAL history. The last time Monessen didn’t make the playoffs, Ronald Reagan was in his first year as President.

Monessen has been a serious WPIAL Class (A) championship contender many times over the past two decades. But the Greyhounds aren’t among the favorites this year. They finished section play with a 6-4 record and they have not defeated any teams ranked in the top five.

While Monessen keeps alive its playoff streak, another one is in jeopardy entering the games of Friday, February 4th.

Blackhawk has made the playoffs "21" years in a row, the third-longest streak in WPIAL history. But the Cougars play Ambridge on February 4th and the loser most likely will be out of the playoffs, unless West Allegheny loses to Montour.

The second-longest playoff streak in WPIAL history is held by Penn Hills. The Indians made it "22" years in a row before their streak was stopped in "2002".

Something to Ponder............................................................................

Funny how things work out sometimes. In 2001, Victor Giannotta turned down Moon’s offer to become the school’s boys’ basketball coach. Moon eventually hired Jeff Ackerman.

Now, Ackerman is in the midst of an impressive three-year run at Moon. The Tigers made it to the WPIAL Class (AAA) semifinals two years ago, won WPIAL and PIAA championships last year, and are now ranked #1 in WPIAL Class (AAA) this year.

Giannotta eventually took the Peters Township job in 2001 and is now in his first season at Seneca Valley. Seneca Valley is 3-19 this season.

It’s a First............................................................................................

The Hopewell girls’ basketball team won its first section title in school history with a 50-46 double overtime victory against Moon on Thursday.

Hopewell actually shares the section title with Moon. Both teams finished 10-2 in section.

A Dynasty?..............................................................................

The word “dynasty” is being thrown around a lot these days as the New England Patriots go for their third Super Bowl win. Maybe the Connellsville wrestling team has a shot at that “dynasty” tag this weekend.

Connellsville will meet Kiski Area for the WPIAL Class (AAA) wrestling championship Saturday night, February 5th at Gateway High School.

Connellsville is trying to win its second championship in a row and fourth in six years. The only other school to win four titles in six years in the largest classification was North Allegheny, which won titles in 1984, ’86, ’87 and ’88.

Connellsville has won its titles under two different coaches, but from the same family. Tom Dolde Jr. is going for his second consecutive title. His father, Tom Sr., won the other championships.

Strange But True................................................

The football recruiting season has just ended and one of the most interesting stories had to be Pat McAfee. A kicker at Plum, McAfee basically won a scholarship to Plum by winning a kicking competition.

McAfee had made a verbal commitment to Kent State. But two weekends ago, he competed in a national kicking competition at the Orange Bowl. He made a 65-yard field goal in the contest – without a kicking tee – and finished first overall.

Let him tell the rest of the story.

“There were kids there who were committed to Florida, Utah and all over the place,” McAfee said. “West Virginia’s recruiting coordinator, Herb Hand, was there. He saw me. I got back Sunday night and West Virginia called me Monday morning.

“They were, like, ‘Do you want to come down here for an official visit this weekend (Jan. 29-30). I said, ‘Yeah.’”
McAfee committed to West Virginia during his visit and signed a letter of intent with the Mountaineers.

McAfee was 6 for 6 in field goals last season, with a long of 48 yards.

Different Story

Remember how upset Pitt fans were last year when Penn Hills quarterback Anthony Morelli and North Hills running back Andrew Johnson reneged on their verbal commitments to Pitt.

Morelli signed with Penn State and Johnson with Miami.

The shoe was on the other foot this year, but you didn’t hear many complaints from Pitt fans.

Seton-LaSalle quarterback Bill Stull committed to Kentucky. But when new Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt started recruiting Stull, he backed out of his commitment to Kentucky and signed with Pitt.

Not all that long ago, many college coaches said they would stop recruiting a player after he made a verbal commitment to a school. Not any more. Wannstedt tried to recruit players who were committed elsewhere.

He tried to get back in with Upper St. Clair’s Sean Lee, a Penn State recruit. But Lee was solid with Penn State. Penn State also recruited a few players who committed elsewhere.

Looking Ahead....

Although there is not a superstar player in the WPIAL next year, like a Justin King, the overall talent pool seems deeper. And Wannstedt already is trying to dip into it.

At his news conference Wednesday to discuss this year’s recruiting class, Wannstedt said he already has offered six scholarships to juniors.

College coaches can’t talk about specific players, but you can bet some of those six are from the WPIAL.

"THE CHOPS".