As an all-state basketball player at Altoona, Mike Iuzzolino made a deep run in the state playoffs as a junior in 1985. His team was undefeated until a crushing semifinal loss to Brashear.
That was 40 years ago.
He later achieved a basketball resume far better than most as a college star at Saint Francis and a former NBA player. But he said failing to reach Hershey still feels like one that got away.
“One thousand percent,” said Iuzzolino, who will finally make a trip to the state finals Friday as a first-year coach of the Sewickley Academy boys.
“When I was walking off the court (last Saturday) my dad grabbed me and said, ‘You couldn’t get there as a player, but you got there as a coach. Congratulations.’”
Iuzzolino said his near-miss four decades ago makes this trip more meaningful. Not for his own resume, but because he knows how much reaching the state finals can mean for his players.
Sewickley Academy (24-5) faces District 3 runner-up Linville Hill Christian (23-5) in the PIAA Class 2A final at 2 p.m. Friday at Giant Center in Hershey.
“It’s funny because you’re just so excited for these young guys,” Iuzzolino said. “But you also have the joy that you’re helping them get to this thing, because you remember as a high school kid how heartbroken you were not to get there.”
Just a few weeks ago, Sewickley Academy didn’t appear to be on a path to Hershey either.
Not after the Panthers lost in the WPIAL semifinals to eventual champion Jeannette. Yet they regrouped in the state tournament to win four consecutive games, including a 52-48 victory over Greensburg Central Catholic last weekend.
Junior forward Lucas Grimsley and 6-foot-8 freshman center Mamadou Kane scored 17 points apiece in the semifinal win. That was much improved from their WPIAL playoff loss when the Panthers scored only 25 points.
They’ve averaged 53 points since.
“The first part of it was to figure out why we didn’t perform the way we had been performing all season,” Iuzzolino said.
That started with an hour-and-a-half film session where they broke down the Jeannette loss.
“I always joke with the guys that there’s going to be times during the season that you don’t like me a lot,” Iuzzolino said. “That was definitely one of them.”
His takeaway from the video was that Sewickley Academy just needed to be more comfortable on the offensive end. That’s sometimes a challenge since Grimsley (10.6 ppg) is the only scorer averaging double figures.
But the Panthers haven’t needed too much offense since they own the WPIAL’s stingiest defense, allowing 37.9 points per game.
“As a team, we’ve really grown into a defensive-minded group and started taking a lot of pride in it,” junior Amare Spencer said. “We give up less than 39 points (per game) and consistently shut down high-scoring offenses.
“For me, I love playing defense. That’s what I do. I don’t care if I score zero points, I’m proud as long as I’m shutting down their best player.”
Their state finals opponent Linville Hills averages 66.8 points per game. The Warriors have two seniors averaging 14.5 points and one at 12.5.
Sewickley Academy has that potential.
The Panthers have had six different players finish as the top scorer in a game. Kane has totaled 40 points in the past three games. Senior forward Nolan Donnelly had a team-high 14 in the quarterfinals.
“That’s the one thing about us,” Iuzzolino said. “We don’t have anybody averaging 10.5 a game, but on any given night, somebody can step up for us.”
Sewickley Academy in May hired Iuzzolino as coach. The 57-year-old spent the previous eight seasons on the Robert Morris men’s basketball staff, including three years as associate head coach.
In his interview, he didn’t promise any titles.
“The first thing I said was I can’t promise you whether we’re going to win or whether we’re going to lose because I’ve been around this game for a long time,” Iuzzolino said. “There’s no guarantee. But I told them these young men would be taught the right way to do things.”
Donnelly is the only senior in the starting lineup, joined by three juniors and a freshman. Sophomore Adam Ikamba, another 6-8 forward, is a key contributor off the bench.
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With so much youth on the roster, Iuzzolino said he has stressed a couple of messages to his team about this trip to Hershey. The second one was to stay focused on the team’s mission.
“The first one was, ‘Have fun,’” Iuzzolino said. “Everybody says, ‘You’re young,’ but you don’t know if you’ll ever get back here. So, be where your feet are and appreciate the experience.”