Penn Hills grad Sherron Schifino bursts onto scene at Point Park

By: Andrew John
Thursday, December 5, 2019 | 11:49 PM

After a year away from basketball, Sherron Schifino has reappeared on the Pittsburgh basketball scene, this time at Point Park.

Schifino, a 2017 Penn Hills graduate, has acclimated himself quite well in his first year at Point Park (4-4) under head coach Joe Lewandowski.

In the early going, Schifino leads the Pioneers in scoring with 17.1 ppg and a 54.5 3-point percentage. Schifino is shooting 58.8% from the field and 83.3% from the free-throw line while averaging 23 minutes per game in a reserve role at the moment.

“I wasn’t expecting to have a season like this because last season, I wasn’t playing college basketball,” Schifino said. “Coach gave me an opportunity to play college basketball and the game that I love and I took advantage of the opportunity.”

Schifino, a 6-foot-1, sophomore guard, was named the River State Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week in November. Schifino scored 19 points, including 4 for 7 from behind the arc, in a 99-63 win at Penn State-New Kensington on Nov. 15. On the next night, Schifino scored 29 points, including 5 for 5 on 3-pointers, in a 102-86 win against Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo.

“Sherron had an opportunity to be away from it for a short period of time, and I think he values every single day,” Lewandowski said. “He’s always been a great scorer but I don’t think people realize how great he is defensively. He’s really good. I would put him up against any guard in the area.”

In the two recent contests, Schifino finished with 27 points and went 9 for 10 from the free-throw line in a 93-86 loss at Salem on Nov. 23 and had 15 points in 79-76 loss at Malone on Nov. 30.

After his early season success, Schifino doesn’t figure to be coming off the bench much longer for Lewandowski, who was trying to get to know his personnel.

However, Schifino has no problems with any role he’s asked to play for the Pioneers.

“If that’s the role they want me to play, then I’m going to play my hardest,” he said. “I want to come in and do what the team needs me to do to be successful.”

At Penn Hills, Schifino averaged 21.2 ppg during his senior season.

Last season, Schifino played a couple of games at CCAC-Boyce before sitting out the year. Schifino knew his basketball career wasn’t over, so he made sure he stayed in shape by working on his shot, ball handling and conditioning.

During that time, Schifino was approached by Lewandowski and associate head coach Daryn Freedman about the idea of playing for the Pioneers. Schifino visited a Pioneers practice and decided he would continue his playing career at Point Park.

“He was one of our most important recruits,” Lewandowski said. “We got a chance to see him play in high school and he was absolutely fantastic in high school. He has been tremendous for us. He has just an insane shooting percentage.

“He really understands defensive principles and understands the commitment it takes to be a college basketball player. I think it’s hard for players to figure out how hard you have to play game in and game out. He goes about his business and gets it done.”

Schifino will look to make a name for himself in Pittsburgh’s basketball scene, but he can’t say enough about how great it has been to play with his teammates at Point Park.

“We have a great relationship with all the guys on the team, which allows us to play better on the court. Everyone knows how each other play on the court,” he said. “The atmosphere in practice is always serious and nobody is clowning around. We know it’s practice time, and it’s time to get serious in order to be successful.”

Tags: Penn Hills