2015-2016 WPIAL Boys Basketball Preview

Three elite boys basketball programs added to their trophy case this past spring, ending personal droughts at the same time. In Quad-A, Chartiers Valley won a sixth title and their first since 2010…In Double-A, Aliquippa won an eleventh crown, but first since 2007…While Monessen captured their seventh district gold ball and first since 2011. There was a new kid on the block as Indiana won a first ever WPIAL basketball crown by edging Beaver Falls at the buzzer in a Class AAA thriller. That success did not carry over to the state playoffs however as only ALiquippa made it to the PIAA Finals in Hershey but settled for silver as District 12 won all four state basketball championships. Here are the Pre-Season Top 10 in each classification along with the players to watch in each class.

Check out the weekly boys rankings every Tuesday with boys hoops talk during The WPIAL Roundball Report every Wednesday night at 6:00pm, along with boys basketball broadcasts throughout the regular season and exclusive coverage of every boys WPIAL playoff game in February all here on the MSA Sports Network.

Final 2014-2015 record in parenthesis.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA Boys Basketball Preseason Top Ten:

1.     NORTH ALLEGHENY TIGERS  (24-4)

2.     PINE-RICHLAND RAMS  (17-6)

3.     CHARTIERS VALLEY COLTS  (23-4)

4.     LATROBE WILDCATS  (17-5)

5.     NORTH HILLS INDIANS  (13-12)

6.     PLUM MUSTANGS  (17-6)

7.     BETHEL PARK BLACK HAWKS  (16-9)

8.     UPPER ST. CLAIR PANTHERS  (17-8)

9.     MOUNT LEBANON BLUE DEVILS  (21-7) 

10.   FRANKLIN REGIONAL PANTHERS  (7-15)

WPIAL CLASS AAAA Boys Basketball Players to Watch:

Austin Butler – Latrobe
Sean Graytok – Latrobe
James Edwards – Plum
Todd Summers – Franklin Regional
Brandon Heilman – Armstrong
Phil Jurkovec – Pine-Richland
Andrew Petcash – Pine-Richland
Curtis Aiken – North Allegheny
Nick Smith – North Hills
Eddie Flohr – Chartiers Valley
Jake Dixon – Bethel Park
Eddie Jenkins – Mount Lebanon

WPIAL CLASS AAA Boys Basketball Preseason Top Ten:

1.     BEAVER FALLS TIGERS  (23-4)

2.     MARS FIGHTING PLANETS  (26-3)

3.     NEW CASTLE RED HURRICANE  (22-6)

4.     WEST MIFFLIN TITANS  (19-3)

5.     INDIANA LITTLE INDIANS  (25-3)

6.     HIGHLANDS GOLDEN RAMS  (13-14)

7.     SOUTH FAYETTE LIONS  (19-7)

8.     HAMPTON TALBOTS  (20-7)

9.     AMBRIDGE BRIDGERS  (17-9)

10.   UNIONTOWN RED RAIDERS  (18-5)

WPIAL CLASS AAA Boys Basketball Players to Watch:

Dylan Stapleton – Indiana
John Castello – Mars
Alex Gruber – Mars
Robbie Carmody – Mars
Mitch Dezort – Highlands
Jamison Nee – Highlands
Donovan Jeter – Beaver Falls
Josh Creach – Beaver Falls
Darius Wise – Beaver
Marquel Hooker – New Castle
Marcus Hooker – New Castle
Tommy Pisula – Southmoreland
Karlyn Garner – West Mifflin
Josh Long – West Mifflin
Nick McKee – South Fayette
 

WPIAL CLASS AA Boys Basketball Preseason Top Ten:

1.     ALIQUIPPA QUIPS  (29-1)

2.     GREENSBURG CENTRAL CATHOLIC CENTURIONS  (23-4)

3.     LINCOLN PARK LEOPARDS  (23-4)

4.     WASHINGTON LITTLE PREXIES  (15-8)

5.     SETON-LaSALLE REBELS  (24-4)

6.     QUAKER VALLEY QUAKERS  (19-7)

7.     NESHANNOCK LANCERS  (18-9)

8.     LAUREL SPARTANS  (16-8)

9.     OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART CHARGERS  (15-9)

10.   CHARLEROI COUGARS  (12-10)

WPIAL CLASS AA Boys Basketball Players to Watch:

Nelly Cummings – Lincoln Park
Ethan Moose – Neshannock
Scott Siddall – Laurel
Dom Rullo – Greensburg Central Catholic
Alvin Ross – Greensburg Central Catholic
Nathan Swart – Washington
Matt Popeck – Washington
John Arnold – Charleroi
Sam Micelli – Charleroi
Noah Brown – Brownsville
Jassir Jordan – Aliquippa
Charles Humphries – Aliquippa
Paris Ford – Seton-LaSalle
Collin Neville – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

WPIAL CLASS A Boys Basketball Preseason Top Ten:

1.     MONESSEN GREYHOUNDS  (22-7)

2.     CARDINAL WUERL NORTH CATHOLIC TROJANS  (16-10)

3.     SEWICKLEY ACADEMY PANTHERS  (22-2)

4.     JEANNETTE JAYHAWKS  (16-9)

5.     CORNELL RAIDERS  (14-11)

6.     UNION SCOTTIES  (11-11)

7.     VINCENTIAN ACADEMY ROYALS  (17-10)

8.     SERRA CATHOLIC EAGLES  (9-14)

9.     CLAIRTON BEARS  (8-13)

10.   EDEN CHRISTIAN ACADEMY WARRIORS  (19-7)

WPIAL CLASS A Boys Basketball Players to Watch:

Tristan Newcamp – Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic
Nico Sero – Riverview
Blake Lipke – Cornell
Drew Aiken – Eden Christian
Justin Pryor – Sewickley Academy
Garrison Bell – Union
Tyler Coleman – Winchester Thurston
Justice Rice – Monessen
Lavalle Rush – Monessen
Anthony Schmidt – Jeannette
Kass Taylor – California