Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin named Tribune-Review Westmoreland Boys Basketball Player of the Year
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Saturday, April 2, 2022 | 8:44 PM
Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin competes against Montour in the WPIAL semifinals Feb. 26, 2022, at Bethel Park.
Norwin’s Adam Paul Bilinsky scores past Hempfield’s Sean Gordon Friday, Jan. 29, 2021 at Hempfield Area High School.
Latrobe’s Landon Butler (4) looks to run a play against Penn-Trafford Jan. 24, 2020, at Penn-Trafford.
Yough freshman Terek Crosby drives to the hoop during Yough’s WPAL Class 4A playoff matchup against Knoch on March 1, 2021.
Penn-Trafford’s Nick Crum shoots over Franklin Regional’s Jake Kimmich during their game on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Murrysville.
Hempfield’s Sean Gordon (33) celebrates a 3-pointer with Harrison Sowers during their Section 3-6A game against Norwin on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, at Hempfield Area High School.
Ligonier Valley’s Matthew Marinchak handles the ball as South Allegheny’s Bryce Epps defends in a WPIAL Class 3A first-round playoff game Thursday, March 4, 2021.
Franklin Regional’s Caden Smith puts the ball behind his back as he leads the fast break around Penn-Trafford’s Nick Crum during the Penn-Trafford Holiday Tournament on Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021 at Penn-Trafford High School.
Belle Vernon’s Devin Whitlock scores against Hempfield on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, at Hempfield Area High School.
Greensburg Central Catholic junior Brevan Williams led the Centurions with a 20.3-point average this season.
Quinton Martin
Belle Vernon, So., G/F
At this rate, Belle Vernon football star Quinton Martin is going to mess around and get mistaken for a basketball player.
Martin, the five-star football prospect who is racking up Power 5 scholarship offers, had a breakthrough sophomore season on the court for the Leopards.
Get this: He played all five positions, led the team in scoring and rebounding, and helped the Leopards finish 20-5 after they reached the WPIAL 4A semifinals and PIAA second round.
Martin’s play earned him the Trib Westmoreland Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
His teammate, senior Devin Whitlock, senior Matthew Marinchak of Ligonier Valley, senior Brevan Williams of Greensburg Central Catholic, and juniors Adam Bilinsky of Norwin and Landon Butler of Latrobe also received consideration.
The 6-foot-3 Martin averaged 19 points and 9.6 rebounds. When he wasn’t providing a true post presence, he was moving the ball on the wing. When he wasn’t cleaning the offensive glass, he was defending the opponents’ top player and pulling down defensive rebounds.
In the playoffs, when Whitlock missed two games, Martin moved to point guard.
Martin and Whitlock complemented each other tremendously over the last two seasons.
Martin’s versatility and raw athleticism made him a matchup problem for opponents.
“I felt like I was going to have a bigger role in my second year,” said Martin, a basketball player since the age of 8. “I knew we needed rebounds, so I had to play in the post. When Devin was out, I knew I had to step up and do more as a guard.”
Martin, who also averaged 1.9 assists and 1.9 steals, played so well this season, it was a surprise when he didn’t have a double-double.
“I am always aiming for a double-double,” he said. “I try to get that second shot back up. I try to do more all around on the floor.”
Veteran coach Joe Salvino thinks Martin could be a college basketball prospect if he wanted to be.
“The last couple of games, in the state playoffs, Quinton really showed what he can do,” Salvino said. “I know how good he is in football, but I have talked to him about this; If he put in the work and just focused on basketball, he could really be something.”
Not that Salvino is anti-football. Remember, he was a football coach briefly at Monessen. He just sees the on-court talent that oozes from the sophomore.
“We’ve talked about next year and him maybe doing more at the guard position,” Salvino said. “We have to see how things work out with our big guys.”
Martin, who has football offers from Notre Dame, Texas, Wisconsin, Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, and others, has 632 points in two seasons.
His freshman season was cut short to 15 games. Teams played fewer games last year after the covid pandemic took hold in 2020.
…
First team
Adam Bilinsky
Jr., G, Norwin
Athletic backcourt presence averaged 17.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks per game for the Knights.
Landon Butler
Jr., G, Latrobe
Versatile junior averaged 20 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals for the Wildcats.
Terek Crosby
So., G, Yough
One of the top scorers in the WPIAL averaged 24.7 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game . Has 730 career points in two seasons.
Nick Crum
Sr., G, Penn-Trafford
Led Warriors with 14.5 points, made 46 3-pointers and added 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Sean Gordon
Sr., G, Hempfield
Led Spartans with 18.7-point average to go with 7.3 rebounds and made 52 3-pointers.
Matthew Marinchak
Sr., G, Ligonier Valley
Led Rams to WPIAL playoffs, averaging 22.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists. Finished with 1,483 career points.
Caden Smith
Sr., G, Franklin Regional
Streaky scorer led Panthers with 14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Devin Whitlock
Sr., G, Belle Vernon
Averaged 15 points, 5.6 assists and 3.3 steals a game for the Leopards, who reached WPIAL semifinals and PIAA second round. Had 1,723 career points, 1,236 coming at Belle Vernon.
Brevan Williams
Sr., G, Greensburg Central Catholic
Reining player of the year led Centurions with 18.1 scoring average and 7.1 rebounds. Finished with 1,161 career points.
…
Second team
Ryan Appleby
Sr., G, Greensburg Central Catholic
Michael Fleming
Sr., G, Norwin
Lorenzo Gardner
So., G, Monessen
Anton Good
Sr., G, Jeannette
Daniel Gordon
Sr., G, Belle Vernon
Ty Keffer
So., G, Southmoreland
Chase Sickenberger
Sr., G, Latrobe
Cam Rowell
So., G, Franklin Regional
Tyree Turner
So., G, Greensburg Central Catholic
Noah Wright
Sr., G, Penn-Trafford
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Belle Vernon, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Yough
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