Let’s take a trip back to college

Some thoughts, notes and anecdotes after the WPIAL basketball championships. Peters Township has a beautiful new gym and was a good spot for six WPIAL championship games. North Allegheny was also a good site for six other title games.

But for Pete’s sake, let’s hope the WPIAL gets the title games back to a college venue next year.

All 12 of the WPIAL championship games were played at Peters Township and North Allegheny this year because the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the league from having games at college venues. That was totally understandable. For the previous six years, the title games were held at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center. Here’s to hoping the WPIAL can swing a deal next year to get the games back at The Pete.

Sometimes you don’t know how good you have something until it’s not there. While the games at Peters Township and North Allegheny were nice, game at The Pete were missed. Or even the old Palumbo Center at Duquesne University. Games at those places made things just a little more special. It gave the championships a big-time feeling. And the kids loved it – and isn’t that who this is about?

Sure, Petersen Center seems empty for some games in smaller classifications. But so what? It still was special for the teams. And it’s a pretty good atmosphere at The Pete when 5-6,000 fans are in the place for a doubleheader, although I wish they’d finally let students in the end zone seats in the lower bowl.

Duquesne’s new Cooper Fieldhouse would also be great for games. But with a capacity of only around 4,000, it’s not big enough for some of those doubleheaders in the larger classifications. Remember the olden days at Palumbo when a few games would sell out the place.

I think it would be great to have some semifinal games at The Coop or Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center. But again, if only a deal can be worked out financially. Remember, the WPIAL lost a lot of revenue from some sports this year because of COVID-19 – and people don’t realize it’s not cheap to go into places like Petersen Center or Heinz Field for football.

• This is only the second year that the WPIAL had an open tournament for boys and girls basketball (the other was 1984). It was done because of the pandemic.

Some coaches have suggested the league go to an open tournament every year. WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman had said the league’s basketball committee will look at the future of the playoffs when the tournament concluced. While some coaches might like the open tournament idea, a random sampling of some coaches showed the majority would favor going back to the old system, where four teams from each section make the playoffs. They feel it makes the regular season more interesting. And with only two sections in boys or girls basketball having eight teams, isn’t four enough. Give five playoff teams to those two sections.

• This was the first year that the WPIAL let higher-seeded teams play home games through the semifinals. It used to be that all playoff games were played at neutral sites.

Another random sampling of coaches showed some like the idea of home games. But here’s another idea the WPIAL might consider: Give the higher-seeded team a home game in the first round only. That would add some more incentive to all regular-season games, and especially ones that might decide a section title. Then put the quarterfinals at neutral sites.

To me, there is nothing better in all of WPIAL sports than a basketball semifinal game at a neutral site with a packed house.

• The Post-Gazette ran a story in February naming the top 10 places

in the WPIAL to watch a high school basketball game. Peters Township’s new gym had just opened at the time and didn’t make the cut.

I’m not saying it’s the greatest atmosphere, but I say Peters Township is now the nicest gym in the WPIAL. It’s shiny, spacious, love the bleacher seats and the parquet floor. It holds somewhere near 2,500. It will surely play host to many playoff games in the future. I bet the atmosphere would be pretty good with a packed house for a playoff game.

• What a year for Lawrence County basketball as the New Castle boys, Ellwood City boys, Neshannock girls and Mohawk girls all won titles. The four schools are located within 21 miles of each other.

• Andrew Ammerman is set to attend Duquesne University as a regular student. If I’m a coach at an NCAA Division II college in the PSAC, I’m trying to change his mind and get him to play basketball.

Ammerman, a 6-foot-7 senior forward at North Catholic, is a late bloomer who came into his own this year and was dominant at times. He had 35 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks in the title game against Lincoln Park.

He’s athletic, long and gave fits to a number of teams. He is a player whose recruiting was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic because colleges couldn’t get out to watch him play. But he could definitely be a player to help some Division II school. Or heck, maybe Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot would like him as a preferred walk-on.

• Tim McConnell is tied for fourth on the list of most WPIAL titles for a boys coach. He has three WPIAL titles as a girls coach, which is nowhere near the top.

But if you combine McConnell’s titles to get nine, only two basketball coaches in the history of WPIAL basketball have won more. North Catholic’s Don Barth won 11 girls championships and Farrell’s Ed McCluskey 11 boys titles. North Catholic girls coach Molly Rottmann also has nine girls championships.

• New Castle coach Ralph Blundo winning seven titles in 10 years is indeed an amazing feat. Can I ask again, where’s the statue going at New Castle? Front of the building or in the back near the gym entrance?

• Former Lincoln Park star Nelly Cummings will be in the NCAA tournament this weekend. He averages 12.3 points a game for Colgate, which will play Arkansas Friday. Cummings’ younger brother, Brandin, won’t get to attend the game because he’ll be playing that night for Lincoln Park in the PIAA playoffs. Cummings, a 6-2 freshman guard, is a star of the future. He scored a team-high 22 points as Lincoln Park beat North Catholic Monday to win the WPIAL Class 4A title.

“My brother is an amazing player, but my goal is to be better than him,” Cummings said.

Maybe he’s on his way. With Brandin Cummings and North Hills 6-6 freshman Royce Parham, plus a few others, the WPIAL looks to already have some potential Division I college players in the class of 2024.

• The Beaver girls winning a WPIAL championship and giving up an average of only 25 points a game is surreal. And they hold teams down with a 2-3 zone defense.