Trib HSSN 2020-21 WPIAL Class A boys basketball preseason breakdown

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, December 10, 2020 | 9:55 PM

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This will surely be a boys basketball season like no other.

WPIAL teams saw their seasons stalled by a three-week pause that starts Saturday, a schedule change unlikely to be the last as the year progresses.

Teams all have hopes of hoisting a WPIAL championship trophy in March, much like last year’s boys basketball champions — Butler (Class 6A), Laurel Highlands (5A), Highlands (4A), North Catholic (3A), OLSH (2A) and Vincentian Academy (A).

Here is a rundown of players to watch, team rankings and other notable facts for Class A boys basketball. Check out a breakdown of each class this week on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Click here to see Class 6A, Class 5A, Class 4A, Class 3A and Class 2A.

Boys Class A

Preseason Player of the Year

KeVaughn Price, Bishop Canevin

6-0, Jr., guard

17.0 ppg

Players to watch

Vinnie Cugini, Aquinas Academy

5-11, Soph., G, 35.0 ppg

Dom Elliott, Bishop Canevin

6-4, Sr., G, 18.0 ppg

Dylan Cook, Leechburg

5-10, Sr., G, 19.0 ppg

Senique Jenkins, Imani Christian

6-5, Jr., C, 16.5 ppg

Andrew Sullivan, St. Joseph

6-0, Sr., G, 22.0 ppg

Preseason Top 5

1. Bishop Canevin (20-6 last season)

Bishop Canevin reached the final four in the WPIAL playoffs and was still alive headed into the PIAA quarterfinals when last season came to a sudden end with the outbreak of covid-19 in March. The Crusaders return four starters: senior guard Dom Elliott, junior guard KeVaughn Price, junior forward Jhamil Fife and senior guard Nevan Crossey.

2. Imani Christian (15-10)

Last year, Imani Christian tied for a share of the Section 3-A title with Greensburg Central Catholic with a roster including only one senior. The Saints gained valuable experience by reaching the district quarterfinals and earning a state playoff berth. Among those returning for Imani Christian are juniors Senique Jenkins and Malik Shannon along with seniors Aiden Betsill and Jacquez Meyers.

3. Eden Christian (14-10)

Eden Christian Academy lost several key players to graduation, but they do return one of the top players in the classification in Elijah Manges. The senior led the Warriors in scoring last season, averaging over 16 points per game for a team that upset No. 4 seed Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round of the playoffs. Senior guard Kyle King is also back from last year’s starting lineup.

4. Leechburg (15-6)

Leechburg won its first six games and was victorious in seven of its final eight to close out the regular season with a 15-5 record. The Blue Devils’ postseason stay was short and not so sweet as they lost to Geibel Catholic in round one. Three starters return, led by senior guard Dylan Cook. Also returning for the Blue Devils are junior forward Eli Rich and sophomore guard Braylan Lovelace.

5. Union (14-9)

Archie Bunker would love Union because coach Mark Stanley is keeping it all in the family. Last season, the coach’s three sons were reserves who contributed off the bench. Now, senior Anthony and twins Mark and Matthew are ready to start for the Scotties. Matt Stanley averaged over 16 points per game for a Union team that reached the district quarterfinals.

Notable

• There will definitely be a new champion crowned in WPIAL Class A boys hoops after the closing last spring of Vincentian Academy. In their final year, the Royals went out in style by winning the school’s second district title in three years in fourth and final crown in the school’s history. Also closing its doors for good was Quigley Catholic. The Spartans finished their final season with a record of 5-17.

• While Vincentian and Quigley shutting down is a big change from a year ago, Class A was not greatly affected by realignment compared to the other five classes. No teams dropped down to Class A, while four schools moved up from A to 2A: Clairton, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jefferson-Morgan and Monessen. Propel Montour moved from Section 3 to 2 and Eden Christian moved from Section 1 to 3. Also, Neighborhood Academy is now part of the WPIAL in boys basketball, playing in Section 3.

• Talk about beginning your scholastic career with a splash. If there was a rookie of the year in WPIAL boys hoops, Vinnie Cugini of Aquinas Academy would have won hands down. The now-sophomore led the Crusaders to only six wins, but the team was tied for second in offense in Class A because of his mind-boggling 35.0 points per game average. In 21 games, Cugini scored 734 points.

• There were only two coaching changes among the 18 Class A district teams, with the biggest being the departure of longtime Cornell coach Bill Sacco. Sacco led the Raiders to the WPIAL finals last year, a 63-51 loss to Vincentian Academy. Sacco coached at Moon, West Allegheny and for the last 18 years, Cornell. He was 16 wins shy of 500. The man taking over for Sacco is a familiar name. Sean Crummie was a longtime assistant coach under his legendary father Chuck Crummie at Central Catholic. Sean Keaton is the new coach at Rochester after three years at New Brighton.

• From 1986-2007, public schools won 21 of the 22 WPIAL Class A boys basketball championships with multiple titles for Duquesne (7), Clairton (5), Monessen (3) and Cornell (2). However, the pendulum has definitely swung the other way since. Private schools have now won 11 of the last 13 Class A district crowns with multiple championships for Sewickley Academy, Lincoln Park and Vincentian Academy. Monessen winning gold in 2015 and 2017 are the only two times in the last 13 years a public school won the Class A boys hoops championships.

2020-2021 Alignment

Section 1: Cornell, Nazareth Prep, Rochester, Union, Western Beaver

Section 2: Avella, Bishop Canevin, Geibel Catholic, Mapletown, Propel Montour, West Greene

Section 3: Aquinas Academy, Eden Christian Academy, Imani Christian Academy, Leechburg, Neighborhood Academy, St. Joseph, Propel Andrew Street