Almanac Boys’ Basketball all-stars
Jake Dixon
Nick Valentic
Andrew Wheeler
Ross Wilkerson
Britton Beachy
Cletus Helton
Mitchell King
Mark Lamendola
AJ Myers
No championships were claimed during the boys’ basketball season. However, that didn’t mean there weren’t any good players. With the assistance of the area coaches, The Almanac unearthed plenty of them and they headline the Elite Eleven edition for 2016.
Chartiers Valley’s Eddie Flohr spearheads the list as Most Valuable Player (see related article). Jacob Dixon of Bethel Park, Nick Valentic of Peters Township, Andrew Wheeler of Upper St. Clair and Ross Wilkerson, also from CV, join Flohr on the first team. Canon-McMillan’s Britton Beachy, Seton-La Salle’s Cletus Hilton, Bishop Canevin’s Mitchell King, Mt. Lebanon’s Mark Lamendola and Chartiers-Houston’s A.J. Meyers comprise the second squad while Antonio Garofoli captured Rookie of the Year honors and Kevin Trost earned Coach of the Year laurels.
Here’s a comprehensive look at the all-star team.
Jacob Dixon
A beast. That describes this 6-6 senior center. He averaged 16 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots per game while leading Bethel Park to a 19-8 record, complete with playoff appearances in the WPIAL and PIAA tournaments.
Jake Dixon averaged 16 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots per game. He earned first-team all-Section 4-AAAA honors.
“Bethel Park had a very talented group of players,” said Peters Township skipper Gary Goga, himself a BP graduate. “The guards could flat out shoot it but Jake was a beast inside.”
Dixon, who excelled as a tight end on the football team, likely has seen his last playing days as he will take to a different court in college. The WPIAL Player of the Year in 2015 will attend Lewis University and play volleyball for the Flyers, who were NCAA Division I runners-up last season.
Nick Valentic
This Peters Township senior led the team in scoring with a 20.8 average. In addition, he managed 4.5 rebounds for the Indians, who finished 14-9 overall and qualified for the district playoffs. Valentic, who also earned first-team all-Section 4-AAAA recognition, will continue his career at Waynesburg University.
“Nick had a fantastic year for us,” said Gary Goga. “He really improved from last year and worked hard all season long. He is just going to keep getting better and better and Waynesburg is getting a great college player.”
Andrew Wheeler
This Upper St. Clair senior makes his second appearance on the Almanac’s Elite Eleven list. He was also a Section 4-AAAA all-star, named to the first team.
After averaging 12 points per game as a junior, Wheeler improved those numbers to 17.2 markers an outing. A sharpshooter, he converted 55 3-point field goals.
“He was a great scorer and leader for them,” said Gary Goga.
Wheeler, who captained the Panthers to an 11-11 record, also pulled down four rebounds and dished up three assists per game. He finished with 801 career points. Wheeler lettered four years in basketball. Plus, he is a standout on the baseball diamond.
Ross Wilkerson
This Chartiers Valley junior is another all-Section 4-AAAA first-team member. He played an integral role on the Colts’ 2015 WPIAL championship club as well as the 2016 section winner.
Despite playing with a broken nose during the first half of the season, Wilkerson ranked second on the team in scoring with a 16.1 average. He converted 42 percent of his long-range shots, burying 55 of 130 attempts from beyond the arc. He converted 87 percent of his free throws (60 of 69). He averaged 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
“Ross is one of the best shooters to ever come through the program,” said CV floor boss Tim McConnell. “The time he puts in during the off season has really elevated his game.”
Britton Beachy
This Canon-McMillan guard was the bright spot in an otherwise lackluster season. The Big Macs finished 9-13 overall and 3-11 in Section 4.
Beachy came into the season hot off a sophomore campaign that saw him average 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. As a junior, he improved on those numbers and continues on a path to being “one of the best” that Rick Bell has coached because Beachy continually “works to improve his skills and game every day.”
Beachy dropped in 16 points per game and dished up 4.3 assists. Though a point guard, he averaged 5.7 rebounds, ranking him second on the squad. He converted 62 percent of his 2-point field goals. Beachy also gained all-Section 4-AAAA, second-team honors.
Cletus Helton
This Seton-La Salle senior led the Rebels in scoring with a 16.6 points per game. He also converted better than 50 percent of his shots inside the arc. He earned Section 3-AA first-team honors.
Helton helped the Rebels to a WPIAL playoff berth, finishing third in the league with an 11-3 record, which included a win against section-winner Bishop Canevin. The Rebels finished 15-11 overall.
“Cletus has a tremendous year,” said SLS coach Mark Walsh. “He was our go-to guy and a player that the opponent concentrated on each and every game.”
Mitchell King
This junior helped Bishop Canevin to one of its best seasons in school history. The Crusaders captured the Section 3-AA title with a 13-1 slate. They finished 20-7 overall and advanced to the WPIAL semifinals, falling to Lincoln Park, 59-53, and the second round of the PIAA playoffs, losing to eventual state champion, Aliquippa, 56-38.
King ranked among the scoring leaders in the WPIAL with a 17-point average. He cashed in on 50 percent of his field goals and 38 percent of this 3-point attempts. In addition, the Section 3-AA Player of the Year collected three steals, dished up three assists and grabbed four rebounds a game.
“Mitchell can do it all offensively,” said Crusaders’ coach Kevin Trost. “He can shoot the three, he has a mid-range game, and can finish at the rim. He handles the ball extremely well and isn’t afraid to take big shots.
Mark Lamendola
After a sensational debut season in 2015, when he garnered Almanac Rookie of the Year laurels, this Mt. Lebanon guard moved up a notch. In addition to earning second team honors, Lamendola merited first-team recognition on the all-Section 4-AAAA squad.
Lamendola led Lebo in scoring with a 16-point average. He supplied 3.6 assists and 3.1 steals a game. He also managed six rebounds a contest for the Blue Devils, who qualified for the WPIAL playoffs but finished 11-13 overall.
“(Mark) took on the responsibility of directing our offense and defense,” Lebo skipper Joe David said. “He became our leader. He did it all for us. He made big, big plays. It’s nice to know, too, that we’ll have him for another year.
AJ Myers
Chartiers-Houston will also have Myers for another season. He ranked among the top scorers in the WPIAL.
Myers averaged 23.4 points per game. Already a 1,000-point scorer, the 6-1 guard tossed in a career-high 42 points in a first-round playoff win against Charleroi. In addition to his scoring prowess, Myers managed 2.5 steals per game. He also grabbed 5.6 rebounds an outing.
Myers, who earned first-team all-Section 3-AA honors, is also a standout on the football and track teams for the Buccaneers.
Rookie of the year
Antonio Garofoli may have been the smallest player on the court but he proved one of the most dangerous thanks to his sharpshooting. The 5-5 sophomore averaged 11 points per game. He buried 62 3-point field goals for Mt. Lebanon. For his efforts this season, he earned Almanac Rookie of the Year honors.
“When he gets in the zone,” Lebo skipper Joe David said of Garofoli, “Antonio gets the place hopping. He’s fun to watch.”
Coach of the year
Two seasons into his position as head coach, Kevin Trost has turned around the boys’ basketball program at Bishop Canevin. This winter, in fact, the Crusaders experienced one of their finest seasons in school history.
The Crusaders captured the Section 3-AA title with a 13-1 record. They finished 20-7 overall after advancing as far as the second round of the PIAA playoffs, falling to eventual state champion, Aliquippa. Canevin also reached the semifinals in the WPIAL tournament, falling to Lincoln Place, 59-53.
Trost, who previously coached at Carlynton, took over a program that had been 15-31 from 2013-14. In 2015, Trost led the Crusaders to a 17-8 record before topping 20 victories this season. For his efforts, he has been named Almanac Coach of the Year.
Honorable mention
Among the players meriting honorable mention status on the Almanac boys’ basketball all-star squad are:
• Josh Duda, Chance Wright, Levi Metheny and Brandon Thorsen from Bethel Park. This foursome helped the Hawks reach the PIAA playoffs. Duda earned second-team all-Section 4-AAAA honors while Metheny and Wright gained honorable mention recognition. In addition to being a standout on the court, Thorsen excels in volleyball for the Hawks, who are expected to challenge for the WPIAL title this spring.
• Walter Bonds, Justin Dix and John Weldon from Bishop Canevin.
A junior, Bonds earned all-section honors at point guard. The team captain averaged 12 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals per game. “Walter did almost all of the ball handling for our team and averaged only two turnovers a game,” said Kevin Trost. “He alowed us to compete against anybody, regardless of the pressure they applied.”
Dix averaged 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals a game. He converted 40 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. He made 59 3-point field goals. “He was the heart and soul of the team this year,” Trost said. “He is a self-made player who developed into a very good basketball player. He brought so many valuable intangibles to our team in addition to the production that showed up in the box score.”
Weldon averaged 10 points and five rebounds a game. He made 62 percent of his shots from the field. “John provided a lot of size to our team,” Trost said. “He battled through some injuries but finally got healthy at the end of the year. Him getting back into form was a key reason why we were able to make a deep playoff run.”
• RJ Bell and Carson Miller from Canon-McMillan.
A junior, Bell averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and two assists per game. He converted 75 percent of his free throw attempts.
A junior, Miller managed 11.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. He cashed in on 39 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
• Joe Antonucci and Caleb Zajicek from Chartiers Valley. Both are versatile athletes, excelling in football and soccer respectively during the fall months.
A senior, Antonucci led the Colts in rebounding, managing 6.6 caroms a game. He averaged 9.3 points.
A sophomore, Zajicek averaged 11.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He led the team in 3-pointers, burying 58 shots from beyond the arc.
• Mike Cortese from Peters Township.
This junior guard averaged 10.8 points and 2.5 assists per game. “Mike had some really good moments for us this year, culminating with an outstanding performance in the playoffs against Central where he had a dominant second half,” said Gary Goga.
• Billy O’Malley and Nico Popa from Seton-La Salle.
A senior swingman, O’Malley averaged over 16 points per game and led the team in rebounding. “Billy was one of the key components to our team this year,” said Mark Walsh. “He was able to play inside and out and did so very well.”
• Ryhan Culberson and Matt Thomas from South Fayette. Both earned all-section first team honors.
A sophomore, Culberson averaged 14.7 points per game for the Lions, who competed in the WPIAL playoffs and sported a 12-10 overall record. A junior, Thomas managed 12.5 points per game.
• Zach Pateras from Upper St. Clair. A senior guard, Pateras averaged 10 points per game for the Panthers.