‘Dice Dynasty’ looking to add to its history
Each year before the start of the season, Allderdice coach Buddy Valinsky takes his team out of the gym for a day to have some fun.
Last year they tried rope climbing.
This year it was bowling and flag football.
But regardless of the activity, whenever the team picks up a basketball again, it becomes business as usual.
The ‘Dragon Dynasty’ is unlike any other dominant run in 100 years of City League basketball.
Allderdice is hoping to make more history this season, and it’s tough to bet against a team that might not be just the best in the City League, but in all of Western Pennsylvania, as well.
The Dragons have T-shirts that read “Six in the City.” That’s in reference to them attempting to win the City League championship for the sixth consecutive season. Since the league began contesting championships in 1919, no team has ever done it. Westinghouse won five in a row from 1950-54 and Allderdice matched that last season.
“We’re going to try to do something that has never been done before, and they’ve been playing City League basketball for a long time,” said Valinsky, who guided Allderdice to a 118-23 record the past five seasons, including a 26-3 mark last season.
Sure, City League basketball isn’t what it once was, but the run Allderdice has been on is impressive nonetheless. The Dragons have won eight titles in nine years, a feat that previously had never been accomplished.
The success has carried over to the state level, too, as Allderdice has advanced to at least the PIAA quarterfinals three of the past four seasons. The Dragons lost to Pine-Richland in last season’s Class 6A quarterfinals.
When Allderdice played Roman Catholic for the PIAA title in 2016, the Dragons were gifted athletically and played above the rim. Many of those players graduated after that season, so the team’s identity changed to that of a group that played hard-nosed defense and was scrappy. This year’s bunch has an identity, too, and it’s the one that also drove them last season.
“We can shoot the ball,” said Valinsky. “We have seven or eight kids that can shoot the 3. That and they’re unselfish.”
Allderdice has two of the area’s best shooters in seniors Bobby Clifford and Jackson Blaufeld, both of whom were named to the all-City League team last season. Clifford is a 6-foot-2 guard who led the Dragons in scoring with 17.1 points per game. Blaufeld, a 6-3 guard, averaged 15.3 a game. Both will play in college. Blaufeld signed with Dartmouth and Clifford with Slippery Rock.
Blaufeld said there’s a reason why his team is so good from the perimeter.
“It’s the unselfishness. It’s awesome,” he said. “That kind of fuels our shooting. We find the open man. No one cares about who’s scoring.”
Terrell Childs, a 6-4 senior forward, is the team’s other returning starter. Blaufeld and Clifford will be joined in the backcourt by 6-foot junior Rob Jones.
Allderdice’s fifth starter might be one of the keys to the season, and it’s a player who didn’t even play basketball last season. But with 6-6 senior forward Dalen Dugger, the Dragons have a post player who can impact games on both ends with his versatility and athleticism. Dugger was the starting quarterback on Allderdice’s football team that won a City League title this fall.
“He’s unbelievable,” Blaufeld said. “Such a good athlete. Blocks shots. Finishes around the rim. I think he’s going to be really, really good.”
As has been the case in recent years, Allderdice will play an aggressive non-league schedule. The Dragons open the season Friday against Lower Merion in the Erie McDowell tournament. They’ll also play in the always-loaded Kreul Classic in Florida and the C.J. Betters tournament. Among the WPIAL teams they’ll play are Latrobe and Aliquippa.
Allderdice will be playing with 11 and for 11 this season. It has 11 players on its roster, matching the number of people killed in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting that transpired about a mile away from the school in October. Before every home game, Allderdice will put 11 seconds on the scoreboard and a moment of silence will be held as the clock ticks down. The team is also donating and raising money for a fund they will use to plant 11 trees at the school in the spring. They’ll be wearing special “Dice Stronger Than Hate” shooting shirts, as well.
Said Valinsky: “We’re doing a lot of things to recognize the community because we think that’s really important.”