High-scoring junior Comforti soaring for Southmoreland

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, January 21, 2019 | 7:27 PM

Riley Comforti wants to dunk the basketball in a game. Throw one down and make the crowd ooh and aah.

The Southmoreland junior swingman can slam, he just has not had the right moment to get separation from the pack, sprint down the floor and stuff it through the rim.

“I want to so bad,” he said with a wry smile. “But I am scared to miss because coach will yell at me. It has to be a good day (for a dunk).”

Southmoreland coach Frank Muccino said there is no way he would yell at Comforti for passing up a layup in favor of a high-flying slam. That’s because he knows the junior can leap and has the potential to dunk.

Comforti is having a tremendous season for the Scotties. He leads the team in scoring at 18.9 points per game and has the look of the program’s next big scorer.

“He’s a different type of player with a unique skill set,” Muccino said. “He’s long, lean, athletic and smooth. When he’s going well, we’re going well. He draws extra defenders and frees up other guys.”

Muccino said Comforti would need to take 20 to 25 shots a game for the Scotties to win.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Comforti has done that, mostly scoring on drives and putbacks. That leaping ability has track and field coaches asking what his plans are for the spring.

Comforti has played all five positions for the Scotties (9-6, 4-2), who are looking to get back to the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs after a year away.

They have more than doubled their win total from last season (they finished 4-18).

From point guard to wing to post-up forward, Comforti has done it all.

“I didn’t expect to score like this,” Comforti said. “I knew I would probably score, but I didn’t think I’d get 30.”

After notching 198 points last season, he has more than 300 already this season.

Comforti scored 33 against Frazier, 29 against Geibel, 28 vs. Belle Vernon in double overtime and 25 vs. Washington.

“He is averaging 24 points and 10 rebounds in our last eight games,” Muccino said before the Scotties’ most recent game against Elizabeth Forward. “And he’s quiet. Sneaky. The night he had 33, I never imagined he had that many. He had 33 on just 15 shots.”

The Scotties went 3-1 in those big-point games, falling 84-80 to 4A Belle Vernon at the Charleroi Tournament.

Comforti also is averaging 9.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.1 steals.

“We focus on defense. Coach molded into our brains that we can play defense,” Comforti said. “Defense turns into offense.”

Comforti said, growing up, he looked up to former Scotties standout Tommy Pisula, a sophomore starting guard at Mt. Aloysius in Cresson.

“We would always play at the park in town,” Comforti said. “He showed me what to do to play at this level.”

Muccino said Pisula is a different type of player but would love to instill Pisula’s toughness into Comforti’s game.

“It’s not that Riley isn’t a tough kid,” Muccino said. “He is a tireless worker. He is here 2o to 25 extra minutes every day after practice. We want him to get into the weight room more. And we want him to be more assertive on the floor.”

Comforti had a breakout football season before he took to the hardwood this winter.

He had 47 receptions for 714 yards and six touchdowns and also stood out as a defensive back.

Sophomore quarterback Zach Cernuto, who threw for over 2,000 yards, found quick chemistry with the go-up-and-get-it Comforti. Cernuto also plays basketball. Muccino is an assistant football coach at Belle Vernon and encourages his players to play multiple sports.

“Zach put it in the right place,” said Comforti, who considered not playing football. “I knew it would be there. We completely turned things around here in football.”

Comforti missed several games as a freshman after he broke his right arm in a snowboarding accident.

He came back and played some as a ninth-grader to prepare him to be a starter as a sophomore.

He is quick to point out basketball is a team game and shines a light on his teammates.

“Experience has been a big part of it,” Comforti said. “We know how all the teams play now (in the section). And I have a lot of chemistry with my teammates. Last year, we lost some games we know we should have won. We have to win those now.”

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Southmoreland