Trib HSSN boys basketball player of the week – Ryan Robbins

School – Upper St. Clair

Class – Junior

Height – 6-foot-7

Position – Center

#Earned – He is respectfully referred to by his high school boys basketball coach as Mount Robbins.

There were times during the PIAA opener for three-time WPIAL Class 6A champion Upper St. Clair that junior center Ryan Robbins mounted his Panthers’ teammates on his broad back.

The 6-foot-7 center was nearly unstoppable on the blocks Saturday in scoring 24 points as USC held off upset-minded Cedar Crest, 66-52.

With the Panthers in a back-and-forth dogfight with the No. 8-seed Falcons from District 3 and his teammates struggling from behind the arc, Robbins scored 12 of his team’s 14 points in the second quarter, as the game was deadlocked at the half, 27-27.

It was more of the same in the third quarter as the team made a concerted effort to pound the ball inside.

In that eight minutes of basketball, Robbins scored nine of the Panthers’ 17 points as USC started to pull away, leading by 10 points after three quarters.

Some rare struggles from the free throw line in the second half kept Robbins from hitting the 30-point mark against the Colonials — he was 4 for 10 in the second half after going a perfect 4 for 4 from the charity stripe in the first two quarters.

The fact that Robbins led the way for USC in a postseason win is not surprising at all. He also led the Panthers in scoring in their three victories in the WPIAL postseason.

Robbins exploded with 29 points in a 56-41 district quarterfinal victory over Fox Chapel, and then scored 15 points as Upper St. Clair knocked off Seneca Valley, 42-35.

In the 2026 WPIAL championship game against New Castle, Robbins registered a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, all of which were needed in a thrilling title game win, 52-51.

As a freshman and sophomore, Robbins was a valuable player coming off the Panthers bench. This is his first year as a starter.

Ryan is a star lineman for the Upper St. Clair football team. He was first team all-conference at tackle this past fall.

He plans to play football at the next level and has several Division I offers. He hopes to make his college choice this summer.

He is following in the footsteps of his brother, Tyler, who was a big part of the Panthers’ title runs in 2024 and 2025. Tyler is a true freshman at Miami (Ohio) where he is averaging nearly six minutes and over 3 points per game for the 19th-ranked and undefeated RedHawks.

2026 Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Players of the Week

Week 7 – Qa’Lil Goode, Aliquippa

Week 6 – Evan Moore, Deer Lakes

Week 5 – Deng Mu, Brentwood

Week 4 – Aaron Webb, Indiana

Week 3 – Liam Sheely, Mt. Lebanon

Week 2 – Nick Trklja, Thomas Jefferson

Week 1 – Nathan Schanbacher, North Hills