Robbins named Almanac MVP for boys’ basketball
Upper St. Clair has huge plans and dreams for the 2025 basketball season and Tyler Robbins is the big reason why. With the 6-foot-9 center, the Panthers are certain to contend for another WPIAL title and perhaps a PIAA championship.
With Robbins as a junior this winter, USC compiled a 22-6 record that featured a Class 6A crown and an appearance in the state quarterfinal contest. The Panthers beat Central Dauphin and State College before falling to eventual state champion, Central York, to end their season.
“Tyler is an unbelievable player,” said USC floor boss Dan Holzer. “He’s still getting better. He still looks like a young kid. I don’t think he’s done growing. I think he’s going to get bigger and stronger. I can’t imagine what he’s going to look like next year at this time.”
This winter, Robbins was dominant on both ends of the court. He averaged 13.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.5 blocks a game. He was accurate on 61.5 percent of his field goal attempts.
“Tyler impacted the game on both ends of the floor,” Holzer said. “He’s very skilled and getting better. He’s a hard worker and he loves the game.”
Robbins inherited his passion for the game.
His mother, Kim Seaver, was a standout performer at Mt. Lebanon and Virginia Tech. She remains the all-time scoring leader in Lebo women’s basketball history with 1,806 career points.
His sister, Kate, was a 1,000-point scorer at USC and a two-time WPIAL finalist. She just completed her freshman season at Marist.
His younger brother, Ryan, was a 6-6 freshman on USC’s varsity this winter.
Robbins, along with his brother, however, are the only WPIAL champions among the clan.
“That’s pretty cool,” Robbins said. “It feels great. Awesome,” he added. Winning titles, he noted, “is what you play and live for.”
Robbins submitted one of his finest performances in the WPIAL title game played March 2 at the Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus, where his father, Tim, excelled in football before becoming a physical education teacher and assistant coach at USC.
During a 64-41 win against Baldwin in the Class 6A final, Robbins fired in 22 points, hauled in 12 rebounds and blocked five shots. He was extremely efficient, connecting on 9 of 11 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line.
“I think I played pretty well,” Robbins said modestly. “I just tried to take advantage of the moment. It was a team effort though. We don’t win a WPIAL championship just by one guy.”
Holzer said, however, Robbins was the “huge difference” and that USC separated itself from Baldwin because of its inside presence. “Tyler is such an offensive factor and threat,” he added. “He’s only going to get better,” Holzer predicted.
Robbins is already the best. For the regular season, he earned all-section and Big 5/6 conference first-team accolades. Most recently, he earned Player of the Year honors from other major media outlets. Robbins now adds Almanac Most Valuable laurels to that collection.
USC ADDS 2
Christian Ito and Holzer joined Robbins on the Almanac all-star list. While Ito claimed second team honors, Holzer earned the distinction as Coach of the Year for leading the Panthers to the WPIAL championship and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class 6A tournament.
In his 29th season, Holzer compiled a 22-6 record, putting him four wins away from his 500th career victory. He guided the Panthers to their fourth district title in school history and second in five years.
Meanwhile, Ito averaged 13 points per game for the Panthers. He came on strong particularly in the playoffs.
Ito fired in 19 points, 17 during a decisive fourth frame in the first postseason win against Butler, 78-81, and then pumped in 17 in a semifinal victory against Central Catholic. He contributed 17 and 10 tallies in state playoff wins against Central Dauphin and State College.
“Christian was a tremendous shooter,” said Holzer. “He worked his tail off to become one of the better players in 6A. There is not a kid who works harder. He gave us a lot of energy.”
3 FOR LEBO
Mt. Lebanon earned three spots on the all-star roster.
Liam Sheely leads the list as both the newcomer of the year and a first-team performer. The sophomore forward led the Blue Devils in scoring with a 14.5-point average. He connected on 45 percent of his three-point attempts. He also dished up 2.3 assists per game.
A Big 5/6 Conference first-team performer, Sheely scored a career 30 points during a section win at Baldwin at the start of 2024. In the game, he buried six, three-point field goals.
Nate Girod and Brody also helped the Blue Devils claim a Section 2 banner and post a 20-6 overall record that included a WPIAL semifinal appearance and a PIAA Class 6A playoff berth. The seniors both joined Sheely on the Big 5/6 Conference’s all-star list as first-team performers.
Girod averaged 14 points per game. He converted 42 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
A versatile athlete, Girod is the starting shortstop on the baseball team. He helped Lebo win a WPIAL championship and hoist a PIAA runner-up trophy in 2023.
Barber provided 13.3 points per game. He connected on 37 percent of his long-range shots. Plus, he dished up four assists a game.
BP DUO
Bethel Park may have sported a lackluster record of 15-14 but the Black Hawks experienced a milestone season. Not since the turn of the century had they won a playoff game let alone reached the quarterfinals in the state playoffs.
BP’s postseason run commenced after a 6-4, third-place showing in Section 1 and with an upset win, 34-32, against South Fayette in the WPIAL Class 5A tournament. Though the Hawks lost in the quarterfinals to Shaler, they won two consolation contests to earn a berth in the PIAA tournament. After upsetting Hershey, 59-45, and Fox Chapel, 48-43, BP’s Cinderella season ended with a 67-51 loss to Moon.
Shawn Davis and Nick Brown played pivotal roles in BP’s success. The seniors both earned Big 5/6 Conference, first-team acclaim at the forward and guard positions respectively.
Nick scored 347 points for a 12.4-point average. He also led the team in assists from his point guard position.
“Nick was a premier ball handler in the conference,” said BP skipper Dante Calabria. “We hardly needed to run press breaking plays due to his ability to self manage full court pressure.”
Davis produced 367 points for the BP offense. He averaged 12.7 points per game. He also ranked among the team’s top rebounders.
“We believed Shawn to be one of the best disrupters defensively in our entire conference,” Calabria said.
TOP GUNS
Though South Fayette’s playoff run was cut short by Bethel Park, the Lions still produced a winning record because they boasted two of the top offensive weapons in the league. Helping the Lions to a 14-9 record that included a runner-up finish behind section champion and WPIAL winner, Moon, were Michael Plasko and Gavin Orosz. Both garnered first-team accolades on the Big 5/6 Conference all-star lists.
Plasko ranked among the WPIAL’s top scorers with a 25.6-point average. The senior scored more than 1,000 points in his career. He tossed in a career-high 50 points during a section game against North Hills.
Plasko, who connected on 47 percent of his field goal attempts, did more than score for the Lions. He gathered in four rebounds a game and recorded two steals an outing.
“I believe Michael was the best player in the local area,” said SF head coach Dave Mislan. “He faced double teams and junk defenses throughout the season and still scored against competition in Class 6A as well as 5A.”
A two-sport standout, Plasko helped South Fayette win a WPIAL soccer championship in the fall. He scored 18 goals for the Lions, who won the Class 3A title.
Plasko likely will play basketball in college as he has several Division II/III offers. Pitt-Johnstown, Mercyhurst and West Liberty are among the schools that have expressed interest in the 6-foot-1 guard.
Expect Orosz to pick up the offensive slack after Plasko graduates. The junior chipped in 15 points per game to the SF offense. Additionally, he dished up three assists and picked up two steals a game. He averaged three rebounds and recorded 60 deflections this season.
PT’s BEST
After dominating the district action as a junior, Jack Dunbar continued his reign as one of the top players in Class 5A. The senior led Peters Township in scoring with a 17.5-point average. He also dominated the boards, cleaning the glass for 5.7 rebounds an outing. He also blocked many shots and managed a few of his patented dunks.
Dunbar, who also earned Big 5/6 Conference laurels as a first-team performer, scored his 1,000th career point this season as he helped the Indians to a 17-6 record, a runner-up showing in the section and a WPIAL Class 5A playoff berth.
Almanac Boys Basketball All-Stars
First Team
Shawn Davis Bethel Park Forward Senior 12.7 ppg.
Jack Dunbar Peters Township Forward Senior 17.5 ppg. 5.7 rpg.
Michael Plasko South Fayette Guard Senior 25 ppg. 4 rpg.
Tyler Robbins Upper St. Clair Center Junior 13 ppg. 11 rpg.
Liam Sheely Mt. Lebanon Forward Soph. 14.5 ppg. 2.3 apg.
Second Team
Nick Brown Bethel Park Guard Senior 12.4 ppg.
Gavin Orosz South Fayette Guard Junior 15 ppg. 3 rpg.
Nate Girod Mt. Lebanon Guard Senior 14 ppg.
Brody Barber Mt. Lebanon Guard Senior 13.3 ppg. 4 apg
Christian Ito Upper St. Clair Senior Guard 13 ppg.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Tyler Robbins, Upper St. Clair
HONORABLE MENTION: Mike Mathias, Tanner Pfeuffer-Bethel Park; Julian Semplice, Jayden Davis, TJ Kubicsek-Chartiers Valley; Riley Farabaugh-Mt. Lebanon; Nate Miller, Nick McCullough, Mickey Vaccarelli, Sean Thelk, Cam Mills-Peters Township; Nico Lamonde, Gino Satira-South Fayette; Brett Meinert, Julian Dahlem-Upper St. Clair
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Liam Sheely, Mt. Lebanon
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Dan Slizik-Chartiers Valley; Dylan Donovan-Peters Township; Kaamil Jackston, Jake Foster, Peja Strobl-Upper St. Clair
COACH OF THE YEAR Dan Holzer, Upper St. Clair