Yough scoring sensation Terek Crosby’s grand plan includes 2k run

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, February 3, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The thought of scoring 2,000 career points brings a smile to Terek Crosby’s face. It makes him daydream and drift off course for a minute before he quickly snaps back to the present.

It’s like he’s hypnotized and someone snaps their fingers and brings him back.

Reaching the coveted milestone long has been a goal for Crosby, Yough’s senior guard who leads the WPIAL in scoring at 27 points per game.

He appears to have a realistic shot at the often out-of-reach milestone that only has been achieved in Westmoreland County by six players.

Crosby, with an arsenal of drives, pull-up jumpers, dunks and 3-pointers, has piled up 1,890 points in his career. It was discovered by Yough’s staff that Crosby had been shorted more than 100 points from his freshman season, so his total went up and lends promise to his possible achievement.

Crosby has three games left in the regular season and whatever the Cougars manage to do with the postseason. If Yough (15-4) can make another run to the PIAA tournament like it did last year, who knows?

“I take it one day at a time,” Crosby said. “I am not going to go out there and just chuck up shots. I am not going to lie. I want 2,000. But I want to win more.”

Reaching his goal also would put Yough in select company. Chartiers Valley, Shaler and Blackhawk are the only WPIAL schools that have two boys in the 2,000-point club.

No Westmoreland team has more than one. Yough’s first member of the club was Ben McCauley, who scored 2,285 points from 2004-08.

While Crosby will be hard pressed to catch McCauley, he has second place all to himself on the school’s scoring list.

“He’s worked hard to get better in the offseason,” Yough coach Jim Nesser said of Crosby. “He’s bought into the team thing. He understands that he can’t win without his teammates.”

Nesser coached the last Westmoreland County player to score 2,000: Jeannette great Terrelle Pryor, who netted 2,285 from 2004-08.

“Terrelle was a pass-first guy,” said Nesser, who won WPIAL and PIAA titles as Pryor’s coach. “He was more worried about rebounds and assists than points. Terrelle could be Terrelle when we needed him to be.”

Crosby said Nesser has shown him video of Pryor.

“Wow,” Crosby said. “To be mentioned with guys like (Pryor) is crazy.”

Other players from Westmoreland County to score 2,000 are Tom Pipkins of Valley (2,838 from 1990-93), Joshua Tomson of Westmoreland Christian (2,572/2004-08), Vinnie Graham of Belle Vernon (2,429/1991-95), Eric Roslonski of Southmoreland (2,192/1988-92) and Bill Gales of Laurel Valley (2,099, 1952-56).

Pipkins was the WPIAL’s all-time scoring leader until Vinnie Cugini of Aquinas Academy broke the record last year.

Crosby snaps out of the 2,000 talk to make sure it’s clear Yough has another playoff contender on its hands. Yough, after all, is certainly more than a one-man show. It took a team effort Tuesday to defeat No. 3 Washington, 43-35, for a season split with the Prexies. The win moved Yough into a first-place tie in Section 4.

“The pieces are starting to fall into place for us,” Crosby said. “Ryan (Westerman) is finding his shot, Zander (Aird) is looking good in the point guard role, Austin (Matthews) is a rebounding machine, and Charlie (Quinn) is just fundamentally sound.”

Said Nesser: “Terek is a special player. He can score from every level. And he’s developed a mid-range game.”

It’s not often a team has a 2,000-point scorer and one with 1,000 during the same season. But Yough could. Matthews has 893 career points.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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