Super sophomores sparking Sewickley
Jett Roesing, Isiah Warfield and Isaiah Smith are talented guards with very bright futures.
All three are 10th-graders and all play for the same school.
They’re Sewickley Academy’s super sophomores.
You likely won’t find a better sophomore trio in the WPIAL. And the three are doing it while playing on one of the best Class 2A teams in Pennsylvania. Sewickley Academy (16-4) won the state championship last season and can earn a share of the Section 3 title if it wins its showdown Friday against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Roesing is averaging 16.2 points per game, Warfield 16 and Smith 13.2.
“I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but all three of them are clearly college basketball players and they could all be very highly-regarded college basketball players,” said longtime Sewickley Academy coach Win Palmer.
Sewickley Academy has some other excellent players. Junior Nate Ridgeway was an all-state pick last season and senior David Groetsch was also a starter on that team. But the emergence of Roesing, Warfield and Smith have the Panthers looking like they could make a run at not only a WPIAL championship, but also another PIAA title.
If you’re wondering, yes, Jett is indeed Roesing’s actual first name. His father, Nate, played college basketball at UTEP for legendary coach Don Haskins and later professionally in Italy. Jett said that his father gave him the name because he hoped his son would be fast and hopefully develop a jetlike, quick release. Well, Jett has lived up to his name, especially shooting the basketball. Roesing, who is 6 feet 3, is shooting 46 percent from behind the arc and has made 68 3-pointers this season.
Like Roesing, Warfield comes from good bloodlines. His mother is a Jeter. Warfield is first cousins with former Beaver Falls stars Lance, Sheldon and Donovan Jeter. Warfield is a terrific ball handler who excels at getting to the basket, which is impressive for a player who is 6-4 and expected to grow a few more inches. He’s also averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.
Smith is sort of a combination of Roesing and Warfield and is often a stat sheet stuffer. He had a triple double (16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) in a game against Bishop Canevin. The 6-foot Smith is averaging 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 steals a game. Palmer raves about Smith’s motor on defense, saying “he just goes and goes and goes.”
Said Palmer: “It’s rare to have three sophomores on any team that have that combination of skills. They love the game, are good students and work hard. So it’s a great combination. And the greatest thing about it all is everybody is sharing the ball.”
Allderdice
Point guard play has been paramount for Allderdice during its four-year reign as City League champion.
Ramon Creighton and Jahi Ogbonna were the last two standouts, and Tyler Williams is the latest star point guard for coach Buddy Valinsky, who himself played the position in college.
Williams is a 5-10 senior who is in his first year as a starter. He’s averaging 14.1 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds per game. Williams said he is cherishing his opportunity as the point man for the Dragons (17-2), who have clinched the City League regular-season title.
“It means a lot,” he said. “I know that I have to make sacrifices from scoring a lot just to get everyone involved. That’s good because we’re getting wins. We’re trying to keep it rolling.”
Williams was a sophomore when Creighton guided Allderdice to the PIAA final for the first time. Like Creighton, Williams has been a big scorer in AAU and youth leagues, but has become a pass-first point guard for his high school team.
“It’s hard to change that mentality,” Valinsky said. “He would love to be a twoguard. But he has Jackson [Blaufeld], Bobby [Clifford] and them, so I think that he’s really learned that making that great pass can be really good. Plus, look at our record, it’s because of him. It all starts there. All my previous years, Ramon Creighton and Jahi last year, it all starts with the point guard. I played it in college. I knew what it was. To me, it’s like the quarterback. It’s important.”