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Mike White's high school sports chat: 12.10.24
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Mike White
11:01
Well, football is a wrap. Heavy into basketball now. Post-Gazette football player of the year and coach of the year will come out Sunday. Who do you think should be the winners? Anyone?
11:03
And hey, to start things off. What a night for New Castle last night -- and I don't mean any current New Castle athletes. How many times do you think in NFL history has there been a game when two players from the same high school had an interception. Well it happened on Monday Night Football. New Castle grad Malik Hooker had an INT for the Cowboys. And New Castle grad Geno Stone had one for the Bengals. Pound your chest, New Castle!!! Tremendous. .... OK, time to start answering questions.
Jesus Dos Equis
11:03
Central Catholic seemed to have a good team, however they got humiliated in the championship game. St. Joe's wins almost every year... are they really that good at 'recruiting?'
Mike White
11:06
"Humiliated" is pretty strong. I don't know what St. Joe's does to get players. I'm sure they go after some. But the team recruits itself also. But when some players win a Pennsylvania state championship and don't even live in Pennsylvania ... well it doesn't seem quite right, does it? But it's been written about, talked about, debated for years and years. PIAA has no interest in having separate championships. Even though I know former Catholic school and private school players who say it isn't quite right.
Coach
11:07
Have you seen the South Allegheny Boys basketball team play I hear this years team might be better that the 2021 team that featured Antonio Epps, Bryce Epps and Omar Faulkner.  I hear that have 2 guards Drew Cook and Cameron Epps t hat can flat out play.
Mike White
11:08
Any chance you're a South Allegheny parent or fan? Couldn't be, right? I have not seen South Allegheny play, but I know they should have a pretty good team. Moving down from 4A to 3A should make them even better.
South hills
11:08
I hear there is another Epps  in the South Allegheny school district  that is on the horizon he is in 5th grade and I hear the boy can play and is very skilled for his age.
Mike White
11:09
I'll have my 5th grade scouting list out soon.
TM
11:09
Hearing some schools are having 7th and 8th graders "playing up" on their Freshman basketball team. Does this start eligibility clock or is it when they play JV/or Varsity? How many years could an athlete compete for the 9th grade team before it counts toward legibility?
Mike White
11:12
Loads of 8th graders have played on 9th grade teams for years. Even sometimes a 7th grader. This isn't new. But to explain the rule. In PIAA and WPIAL, 9th grade is still considered junior high. A kid could play 9th grade as a 7th grader, 9th grade again as an 8th grader and 9th grade again as a 9th grader. But playing 9th grade as a 9th grader only counts as a year of your high school eligibility. Playing 9th grade as an 8th or 7th grader doesn't count against your high school eligibility. If you play for the 9th grade team in 9th grade, you still have three years eligibility left.
Fantabulous
11:12
Why was the lineman from NA Yatchenko not on the fab 22 last year but not this year?
Mike White
11:13
Because we picked 22 other people. Doesn't mean he's not a good player. We just picked 22 others. You could make a case for him, but you can make a case for many other kids.
Kip
11:13
How can the piaa like having private schools in the finals when the 6a game only had 1400 in attendance?   A regular season game in 1a gets better number than that
Mike White
11:16
Attendance is bad for state football championships, but it's not just the charter and some Catholic schools that hurt attendance. It's not like there is a gigantic crowd when two public schools play, either. Attendance this year was 10,427. Largest crowd was 2,079 for 2A final.
NA
11:16
Do you think NA last year would’ve beaten this St Joes team?  Seemed like this was the year they were beatable but no other team in the state was that good.  I don’t think anybody touches st Joes the next two years considering how young and talented their QB and receiver is
Mike White
11:18
I don't kow. NA was very good last year, but Central was pretty darn good this year. I know some people thought St. Joe's might be a little down this year because they lost a game to La Salle and had a sophomore QB. But look at all the big-time college talent they had - and they pretty much crushed all PIAA opponents. NA last year would've had a hard time beating this St. Joe's team.
Russ
11:18
Should Westinghouse have stayed in 2A?  I think they would’ve had a better chance at winning there.  Do you think fort cherry would’ve beaten them?
Mike White
11:19
Westinghouse coach wanted to stay in 2A, but Pittsburgh Public Schools wanted Westinghouse to go where enrollment placed Bulldogs - Class 2A. Would not have been any easier probably in 2A. Fort Cherry - Westinghouse would've been a tossup.
Wpial fan
11:19
In 2020 you did an all time fab 5  ranking the 20 best players .  Dejuan Blair, Danny Fortson, and TJ McConnell were the top 3.  If you redid that today would TJ be number 1?
Mike White
11:25
Good question. But first let me explain something, the "all-time Fab 5" in 2020 was not picked by "me." I wrote the story. I put a panel together of coaches, current and former, who voted for the "all-time team." We can't forget what Blair and Fortson did. I know it's been a while and T.J. is more current, but Blair and Fortson were tremendous in high school and college, and were decent in the NBA. Fortson played 10 years in NBA and averaged double figures in points for a few years and double figures in rebounds. But what T.J. has done is absolutely tremendous.
11:27
Going back to T.J. McConnell, you might think I'm crazy on this, but I say he's one of the biggest success stories of any Pittsburgh produced athlete. Are you kiddin' me? A suburban WPIAL player makes it in the NBA and is now in his 10th year - and is making a major impact. He had 30 points Sunday night. I watched the game. They couldn't guard him. Think of it. How many WPIAL-City League players have lasted 10 years in the NBA? And had an impact. I just wish the Pacers would let him play more. But it seems they have this set rotation and rarely deviate from it, no matter how he's playing. Except they did Sunday night.
11:30
Don't know if you saw this stat from the other night, but the last two players in the NBA who came off the bench and had 30 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and shot 60% from the floor in a game were Magic Johnson ........ and T.J. McConnell. I always knew T.J. would someday be in Magic Johnson's class. I just forgot to say it. ... And supposedly T.J. learned all of his tricks from his old Pittsburgh JOTS AAU coach.
Your Cuz
11:30
Hockey question for the Slasher.  Why does the Penguins power play continue to let them down?  No Jean Pronovost?
Mike White
11:30
Syl Apps needs to step up.
Mr Ed
11:30
When you retire Mike, which I hope for high school sports followers is still a year or a few away, will you take a complete break from following it or do you see yourself still attending some games here and there for pure enjoyment?
Mike White
11:32
Well Mr. Ed, "semi-retirement" might not be that far away. But I will still write some and yes, cover some games. Just not as many stories. I can't give it up totally. Like too much of it. I guess it's kind of in my blood.
Usc
11:32
Who would you say are the top 5 Upper St Clair football team players ever?
Mike White
11:34
I would need to think. But off the top of my head, the two who come to mind right away are Sean Lee and also Jeff Delaney from the mid 1970s. Delaney was a QB-DB at USC, went on to be an excellent DB at Pitt and played in the NFL for a while.
USC
11:34
The usc basketball team looks dominant, is realistic to think they can win the state?
Mike White
11:35
I don't know. 6A teams in the east are really good, as we all know. And let's see how the season progresses for USC. But they are very, very good.
pz
11:35
Any thoughts on the cause of the trend in Western PA football? Fewer state titles and Power conference commits than ever before and doesn't seem the next few years will be any different.
Mike White
11:41
Well, just because the WPIAL didn't win a state championship this year doesn't mean the world is ending. Things do go in cycles. I mean we had two state champs last year, two in 2022, four in 2021. That's not too shabby. As for the drastic drop in FBS and power conference recruits, I don't have an answer. I don't think anyone does. And please, don't say it's the drop in population. Western Pa. population isn't all that much different than, say, 15 years ago, is it? And we had only 18 from the class of 2025 sign with FBS schools last week and only 8 with power conference schools. 15 years ago, the WPIAL and City had 28 FBS recruits and 19 power conference recruits. Enough said.
Winter Sports
11:41
Fans please remember to cheer on your teams and do not be derogatory to the opposing teams, fans, or officials. If anyone is interested in becoming an official please check out the PIAA website PIAA.org Become an Official
Mike White
11:41
Thank you.
PJ
11:41
Best WPIAL boys games this week?
Mike White
11:42
Central at Upper St. Clair Friday night.
JP
11:42
Tough week for the WPIAL and public-school teams. I can see the day coming when non-public school teams win all six state championship games. Don't know how many non-public school teams there are but it has to be less than ten percent.
Mike White
11:44
Oh, there definitely might be a day when all six titles are won by non-public schools. In 2016, four of six champs were non-public. In 2014, three of four champs were non-public.
Mike Mo
11:44
Curious how eligibility is determined. TJ girls hoops has 2 transfers that appear to be eligible, Central hoops has a kid who played for fox chapel and one who played at north Catholic last year. Also the Brayden white kid transferred to TJ last year from Highlands, played as a junior regular season and playoffs
Mike White
11:47
There is definitely inconsistencies, but like I've said before on this chat: Unless you are in on the hearings, you don't know what reasons are given for the transfer. If you transfer after your sophomore season, you are ineligible for the playoffs the next year -- unless you meet one of the exceptions to be eligible. Participants usually have hearings closed (no media), so we don't know what evidence is presented at hearings. I will say this, the Thomas Jefferson girls lived in TJ district before. One was a sophomore, so she would be eligible for playoffs. THe other (Maggie Spell) was a junior and was ruled eligible for playoffs, apparently meeting one of the exceptions to the rule. But I know. Some of the cases are head scratchers.
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