Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Archbishop Wood’s Rahsool Diggins named state Class 6A Player of the Year
Wood senior named 6A Player of the Year as North Penn’s Jones, U.Dublin’s Stover both selected all-state
Rahsool Diggins knows he’s come a long way in just four years.
The Archbishop Wood point guard got tossed right into the thick of it as a freshman, had his ups and downs but also never stopped working. Diggins just kept improving, the Vikings kept winning games, college coaches came calling and eventually, everyone had to take notice.
Diggins was named the Player of the Year to lead six local selections on the PA Sportwriters Class 6A all-state team released Saturday evening.
“It’s a big honor and something that means a lot to me,” Diggins said Saturday. “It’s the biggest class in the state and the most important one to me, so it’s a great accomplishment.”
A first team all-state selection last year in Class 5A, Diggins and Wood didn’t get a chance to play a full schedule this winter but still had plenty of success. The UConn recruit was named the Philadelphia Catholic League MVP for the second straight season and he helped the Vikings lift their first PCL trophy since 2017.
Diggins is Wood’s first state player of the year since Collin Gillespie was honored after his senior year in 2017 and Diggins is just the second Vikings player to
earn the accolade. The selection also gives Wood two state players of the year as senior Kaitlyn Orihel was named the top player in the state on the Class 4A girls’ team.
While the individual awards are nice, Diggins never played for them and each one that came his way was a result of his team’s success.
“To be a great player, you have to be consistent,” Diggins said. “You always have to be the same, every game, no matter the outcome.”
Diggins has strong numbers across the board, averaging 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 6.8 assists per game for Wood.
He finishes his career as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1.513 points and scored a gamehigh 26 points in the PIAA 6A title game, although the Vikings fell a possession short of winning the PIAA championship.
The point guard is joined by three of his teammates on the all-state teams. Senior Marcus Randolph, who led Wood with a 16.9 ppg average, joins Diggins on the first team after the Richmond recruit was selected third team in Class 5A last year.
Wood seniors Jaylen Stinson and Daeshon Shepherd were both selected second team all-state. Stinson, a James Madison recruit, averaged 13.7 ppg and had a team-high 21 in the Vikings’ PCL title game win while Shepherd, a La Salle recruit, averaged 14.8 ppg.
Both were also all-state selections in Class 5A as juniors.
All four Wood selections scored 1,000 points in high school and all four will play Division I basketball. Their bond extends well beyond the basketball court as all four played for the same AAU team under Wood assistant coach Chris Roantree.
“They’re like brothers, we’re with each other almost every day, even outside of school and basketball,” Diggins said. “It’s a tight-knit bond. Those are the guys you’re going to stay close with the rest of your life.”
Diggins thanked Wood head coach John Mosco, Roantree, his parents and teammates for always pushing him. Despite not winning the state title, Diggins had nothing but
good memories of this past season.
“I’m happy we got the PCL championship before we left, because that’s what I craved the most,” Diggins said. “I wanted to win a state championship but that PCL championship was way more important to me. I promised Coach Mosco that and I was happy we finally got it for him, I felt like that was our biggest accomplishment.”
Last weekend, Gemantown Academy’s Jordan Longino was named the non-PIAA all-state player of the year. Longino (Villanova), Diggins (UConn) and Class 6A first team selection Stevie Mitchell of Wilson (Marquette) will be seeing a lot of each other the next four years playing in the Big East and Diggins said it was another
credit to the overall talent in the state of Pennsylvania.
“That speaks so much to Pennsylvania, because great guards play in the Big East and this shows we have great guards,” Diggins said. “You don’t have average guards in the Big East, so seeing Jordan going to Villanova and Stevie to Marquette, that’s a pretty big thing and I’m looking forward to competing against them.”