Ten local boys teams will gather at a pair of county gyms Saturday for the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Boys Basketball Showcase.
The round-robin event will be played at Greensburg Salem and Jeannette.
The schedule is as follows:
At Greensburg Salem: Ligonier Valley vs. Greensburg Salem, 1:30 p.m.; Hempfield vs. Southmoreland, 3.
At Jeannette: Mt. Pleasant vs. Derry, noon; Belle Vernon vs. Greensburg Central Catholic, 1:30; Jeannette vs. Norwin, 3.
There also will be two junior varsity games, one at each site. Mt. Pleasant will play Derry at 10:30 a.m. at Jeannette, and Ligonier Valley and Greensburg Salem will play at noon at Greensburg Salem.
Rajkovich ranked
Derry junior standout Stanley Rajkovich, a 6-foot-7 swing forward who also is listed as a center, is the No. 6-ranked prospect in the state for the Class of 2027 and has a three-star rating by Rivals.com.
Rajkovich, who is averaging 25 points and 11 rebounds, said he has interest from a number of Division I programs, including Pitt, Pepperdine and Mercyhurst.
Ring the Belle
Belle Vernon players and coaches — Joe Salvino came back — received their WPIAL championship rings Tuesday night before the Leopards hosted Uniontown.
Belle Vernon won its first boys basketball title since 1978 last season, sending Salvino out a winner.
Several graduates who had a role in the title run also returned for the ceremony, including Trevor Kovatch and Dom Ghilani.
A different perspective
Austin Butler knows he had more in the tank and probably could still be playing the game at a high level.
After a college career at Holy Cross and Charlotte, Latrobe’s all-time leading scorer played professionally in Belgium and Finland and with USA Basketball 3v3. He was making a living as a pro hooper.
But coaching was calling his name, and he listened. Early into his time as Hempfield’s coach, Butler said there’s still plenty to learn following a playing career at every level.
“It feels different. I’m not going to lie,” he said. “You miss being able to play and do all that, but obviously I took this job because it’s something I was interested in and had a desire to do.”
Butler’s staff has two assistants who also have apparently thrown their sneakers over the telephone wires.
Bryce Butler, his brother and former Latrobe star himself, and Kason Harrell, Hempfield’s all-time leading scorer, join him on the bench.
Norwin grad Dante Rizzo is another assistant. The twenty-somethings bring young energy and a still-burning drive to compete.
“We’ve got four guys who love the game who are young,” Austin Butler said. “We’re on the court with the guys. We’ve experienced it. The kids respect and appreciate that. We’re building relationships with the guys to become a closer group, but there’s still steps to be taken.”
Friday action
Games to watch Friday include Hempfield at Central Catholic (Section 1-6A); Franklin Regional at Gateway, Latrobe at Laurel Highlands and Penn-Trafford at Uniontown (Section 1-5A); Derry at Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward at Greensburg Salem (Section 3-4A); Mt. Pleasant at Ligonier Valley and Southmoreland at Charleroi (Section 4-3A); Jeannette at Riverview and Greensburg Central Catholic at California (Section 1-2A); and Neighborhood Academy at Monessen (Section 2-A).
Leopold coaching
The Franklin Regional boys basketball team has a new assistant coach on the bench this season.
Former two-sport athlete Nick Leopold is helping Jesse Reed after Lucas Poole moved out of state.
Leopold played college football at Duquesne as a wide receiver. He also helped the Franklin Regional football team this season as an assistant to Lance Getsy.
And-ones
Jeannette and Monessen are the only local teams in this week’s TribLive rankings. Jeannette is No. 2 in Class 2A, Monessen is No. 5 in Class A. … Eight Westmoreland teams were averaging 60 or more points at the start of the week: Jeannette (72.0), Ligonier Valley (68.8), Franklin Regional (67.8), Belle Vernon (66.6), Latrobe (61.8), Derry (61.1), Hempfield (60.2) and Norwin (60.0).