2026 WPIAL Boys Basketball Player of the Year

Ryan Robbins

School: Upper St. Clair

Position: Center

Class: Junior

When Ryan Robbins began playing high school basketball at Upper St. Clair as a freshman, he was already operating in his older brother Tyler’s footsteps.

At 6-foot-10, Tyler Robbins was a big reason the Panthers won back-to-back WPIAL Class 6A championships in 2024 and 2025.

But with Tyler and several other key starters graduating, it was time for Ryan Robbins to step out of the shadows and become a leader as a junior.

“His teammates voted him as one of our captains because of his selflessness to do whatever it takes for the team to win,” Upper St. Clair coach Danny Holzer said. “He leads by example on and off the court. His competitive spirit is contagious to his teammates.”

For his efforts, Robbins is the Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Robbins, along with senior guards Jake Foster and Luke Marchinsky, helped steer the USC ship early in the season while others were improving in their first taste of varsity basketball.

Opponents could try to come up with ways to slow down the Panthers’ guards, but finding a solution to playing against “Mount” Robbins was a totally different and nearly impossible task.

“His size, hands, footwork, feel and understanding of the game and what it takes to win,” New Castle coach Ralph Blundo said of Robbins. “Those are unheard of attributes of a player his size and a football-first guy.”

Robbins is listed at 6-7, 280 pounds. He is like a giant magnet in the paint attracting defenders on offense. He often is trying to make plays with two or three players draped all over him.

“His patience, high skill level and basketball IQ make him so tough to play against,” Holzer said. “He’s a willing passer and has become really good at it. His work ethic in practice helped him improve to a high level in games.”

Robbins says he will definitely be back for his senior basketball season next winter, even though football is his sport in the future.

Robbins hopes to make his college decision this summer before the start of his senior season for the Upper St. Clair football program where he is an offensive and defensive lineman.

Upper St. Clair won a third straight WPIAL championship after beating New Castle, 52-51, in a Class 6A championship game classic.

Robbins led USC with a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He also had four blocked shots in the three-peat win, which also gave USC four crowns in the last six years.

The junior center finished the season with 442 points, 325 rebounds and 67 blocked shots.

He averaged a double-double for the season with 15.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per contest.

Upper St. Clair finished the season with a final record of 27-2.

“My takeaway this season is that our team continues to play and believe that it’s all about the team first,” Holzer said. “Team success is first, which then leads to individual success.”