Trib HSSN 2021-22 WPIAL Class A boys basketball preseason breakdown

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, December 9, 2021 | 7:33 PM

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The Bishop Canevin boys basketball program finally won its first WPIAL championship last season and is the preseason favorite to repeat. But with plenty of talent back and some notable transfers around the classification, it won’t be easy for the Crusaders to win gold again.

Here is a rundown of players to watch, top five teams and other notables in WPIAL A boys basketball this season.

Preseason Player of the Year

KeVaughn Price, Bishop Canevin

6-2, Sr., forward

15.0 ppg last season

Players to watch

Vinnie Cugini, Aquinas Academy

6-2, Jr., G, 39.2 ppg

Matt Stanley, Union

5-11, Jr., G, 24.5 ppg

Mark Stanley, Union

6-1, Jr., G, 24.4 ppg

Damon Astorino, Eden Christian

6-2, Jr., G, 21.0 ppg

Sal Laure, Rochester

5-7, Sr., G, 14.0 ppg

Preseason Top 5

1. Bishop Canevin (16-6 last season)

Last year was a bittersweet season for Bishop Canevin. The Crusaders won their first WPIAL boys basketball championship, but they had to forfeit their PIAA quarterfinal minutes before tipoff because of covid-19 issues. BC is favored to repeat with four starters back including senior guards Jaden Gales and KeVaughn Price along with senior forward Jhamil Fife and junior guard Shea Champine.

2. Rochester (14-5)

The 2020-2021 season was one of a historic turnaround for the Rochester boys basketball program. The previous year, the Rams finished 0-21. There aren’t too many district teams that have enjoyed a 14-game turnaround from one season to the next. Senior guard Sal Laure was a big part of last year’s success, leading the Rams with 14 points per game. Three other starters are also back in seniors J.D. Azulay, Noah Haskins and junior Jerome Mullins

3. Union (10-5)

There is one less Stanley on the Union team this year after the graduation of Anthony Stanley. So the Scotties are going to have to make do with only three: head coach Mark Stanley along with his sons, juniors Matt and Mark. Their twin powers were activated often as they both averaged over 24 points per game. Two other Scotties starters back are juniors Kaden Fischer and Cameron Taylor.

4. Eden Christian (11-2)

Eden Christian Academy has become a perennial power in Class A and last winter was no different. The Warriors were 11-1 heading into the WPIAL quarterfinals where they lost to Leechburg, 45-40, in double overtime. They also lost leading scorer Elijah Manges among others to graduation, but Eden does return Elijah’s brother, junior Malachi Manges, along with the coach’s son, junior Sean Aiken, and junior guard Damon Astorino, a transfer from Ambridge.

5. Imani Christian (11-3)

Imani Christian won nine of its last 10 regular season games last year to finish in second place behind Eden Christian in Section 3-A. However, for the second straight season, the Saints were upended in the district quarterfinals, 65-53, by Union. The talk of the district this offseason has been Alier Maluk, a 6-10 freshman center transfer from the Bethel Park school district. Senique Jenkins is back for Imani. The 6-5 center averaged 16.5 points per game last season.

Notable

• Bishop Canevin will be attempting to repeat in Class A. If the Crusaders are successful, it would be the first back-to-back champions in boys A in over a decade. The last team to win consecutive WPIAL Class A crowns was Sewickley Academy in 2009-2010. The previous repeat came at the start of the century when Monessen won Class A WPIAL championships in 2001-2002.

• The WPIAL basketball steering committee made a rare change in alignment after one year of the current two-year cycle. Section 3 champion Eden Christian Academy is moving back into Section 1. This will balance out the three sections equally so they all have six teams. Last year, after the closing of Vincentian Academy and Quigley Catholic, Section 1 was only left with five teams.

• The freshman scoring machine from the 2019-2020 season showed no signs of a sophomore slump last winter. Aquinas Academy junior Vinnie Cugini has been scorching opposing defenses in his first two scholastic seasons. In 35 high school games, Cugini has now scored 1,285 points for a mind-numbing average of 36.8 points per game. The Crusaders finished with a record of 6-16 two years ago and improved to 7-9 last season.

• There are 18 Class A district boys basketball teams and none of them made a coaching change this offseason. Ten of the 18 schools are private or charter schools while eight are public schools. Of those 18 coaches, only three have won WPIAL championships: Gino Palmosina of Bishop Canevin last year, Nehemiah Brazil of Nazareth Prep in 2019 and Damian Davies of Leechburg in 2007.

• From 1986-2007, public schools won 21 of the 22 WPIAL Class A boys basketball championships with multiple titles for Duquesne (7), Clairton (5), Monessen (3) and Cornell (2). However, the pendulum has definitely swung the other way since. Private schools have now won 12 of the last 14 Class A district crowns with multiple championships for Sewickley Academy, Lincoln Park and Vincentian Academy. Monessen’s titles in 2015 and 2017 are the only two times in the last 14 years a public school has won the Class A boys hoops championships.

2021-2022 Alignment

Section 1: Cornell, Eden Christian Academy, Nazareth Prep, Rochester, Union, Western Beaver

Section 2: Avella, Bishop Canevin, Geibel Catholic, Mapletown, Propel Montour, West Greene

Section 3: Aquinas Academy, Imani Christian Academy, Leechburg, Neighborhood Academy, St. Joseph, Propel Andrew Street