Dziezgowski rebounds from adversity to lead Bethel Park
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Emma Dziezgowski is averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds per game for Bethel Park two years after recovering from ACL surgery.
Emma Dziezgowski keeps her eye on the hoop. The Bethel Park senior ranks among the scoring leaders in the WPIAL with a 20-point-per-game average. She is also pulling down seven rebounds an outing.
Emma Dziezgowski, left, attempted to console her sister, Maddie, after Bethel Park's 54-50 loss to North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship game played in 2018. Dziezgowski was sidelined by an ACL tear and could not participate in the game.
Maddie Dziezgowski
Emma Dziezgowski embraces hardships because she knows brighter days lay ahead.
“No matter what you are going through, you will get threw it,” the Bethel Park basketball player said. “Things may not seem right or fair but God has a plan for you. So, pray, take a deep breath, relax and realize that after it rains, there is always going to be flowers.”
Three years ago, Dziezgowski suffered a severe knee injury while competing in the She Got Game Classic in Springfield, Va. Four minutes into a game against North Point, Md., she streaked down the court on a fast-break.
“No one touched me. I planted weird on the layup and tore everything,” she said. “Next thing I knew I was in an ambulance racing to a strange hospital in a strange city.”
After X-rays and receiving all the emergency medical care she could have, Dziezgowski returned to Pittsburgh. Within weeks, Dr. James P. Bradley operated and repaired the damaged ligaments. She spent months rehabbing at the David Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Center in Mt. Lebanon.
“It was super, super difficult. The first couple of months were particularly hard and stressful because I was dealing with the fact that it had happened and I would be out so long because basketball was my life,” she said.
Dziezgowski started playing basketball in first grade when her father signed her up for the Little Dribblers program at St. Thomas More School in Bethel Park.
Although her father did not play basketball, Ron Dziezgowski was a standout athlete at Chartiers Valley and Duquesne University. During his baseball career, he held WPIAL and school records for home runs.
Her mother, Cindy, also competed in sports. She was a swimmer and equestrian rider during her youth before she played lacrosse at Bethel Park High School.
“My parents have been inspirations to me because of everything they have dealt with in life. They have worked hard and overcome a lot to get me to where I am,” Dziezgowski said. “They have been there for me every step of the way.”
Dziezgowski was injured during the one game her parents were unable to attend. Instead they were attending her dad’s graduation from California University of Pennsylvania where he was being awarded a master’s degree.
“Dad never did get to walk in the ceremony,” Dziezgowski said. “When they heard that I had gotten hurt, they got in the car and flew down to the emergency room as fast as they could to see me.”
Dziezgowski missed the rest of BP’s championship run that winter. The Black Hawks finished 23-3 overall after the 2020 campaign was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. BP won the section title and finished runner-up in the WPIAL before reaching the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament.
On Dec. 16, Dziezgowski returned to the court. She remembers the game against Rochester vividly but not because the Black Hawks won, 65-54. She had scored on a breakaway similar to the one that caused the injury.
“After that game I was so excited,” she recalled. “I felt comfortable out on the court. After that layup, I thought to myself, ‘I’m OK and I’m back baby.’ I was fully 100% and nothing was going to stop me anymore.”
Dziezgowski averaged 11.9 points and six rebounds last season as she helped the Hawks reach the quarterfinals in the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs. BP finished 15-4 overall after falling in overtime, 59-58, to Mt. Lebanon.
This winter, Dziezgowski ranks among the leading scorers in the WPIAL with a 20-point average. She also leads the team in rebounding with seven a game. Dziezgowski also manages 1.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
“Emma is a great basketball player and a fantastic leader,” said BP coach Sam Loadman. “She is the type of person who is easy to follow and she has a team-first mentality and will do whatever is asked of her.
“Her stats speak for themselves,” Loadman continued, “but I believe her best attribute is her mental toughness. Emma is always willing to do whatever is needed to win. She’s able to lock in and stay mentally prepared no matter what is happening.”
Loadman believes Dziezgowski’s psyche factored into her ability to overcome her ACL injury.
“You would never know Emma suffered such a devastating injury by watching how hard she plays,” Loadman said. “Emma brings a toughness to the team and has a no quit attitude. To remain positive and focused after a difficult injury speaks volumes on the type of person Emma is. She shows up everyday and gives everything she can to basketball.”
Determination and dedication earned Dziezgowski scholarship offers from West Liberty and Wheeling University and interest from Seton Hill, St. Bonaventure and Mercyhurst. On Feb. 13, she committed to Wheeling where she hopes to pursue a degree in nursing.
“I loved the campus and the coach,” Dziezgowski said. “Coach Matt (Schmidt) is amazing and super optimistic. He has a great plan for the future and lot of ideas for the program.
“I’m also excited about the academics,” added Dziezgowski, who owns a 4.63 GPA. “When I was younger, I would get stethoscopes and thermometers for toys for Christmas and play doctor at my house. So I always knew I wanted to help people and pursue a medical path. Being a pediatric nurse or practitioner seemed the perfect fit.”
Loadman believes Dziezgowski will find success at Wheeling.
“Emma is a competitor,” she said. “While the transition to the collegiate level can be difficult, Emma will be successful if she remains focused and continues to put in the extra work.”
Currently, Dziezgowski is concentrating on the WPIAL playoffs. The Black Hawks visit Norwin at 7 p.m. Feb. 23 in the first-round of the Class 6A tournament.
“Right off bat, we want to come hard. Strike first,” Dziezgowski said.
“We definitely want to be the team that no one overlooks. If we are aggressive from start to finish and play together as a team, we can go far.
“We definitely have had our ups and downs this season but we have always played hard and tough until last buzzer. The team aspect we had has also been huge but the biggest thing is we are having fun. When you have those common goals you can make it far.
“The secret though and it’s the same in life is to just take it one game, one day at a time. Always be grateful for all that you have. Play like it could be your last game because you never know when and if you are going to have to take a break.”
Age: 17
Birthday: June 4
Parents: Cindy and Ron
Siblings: Maddie, 19; Alex, 15 and Michael, 9
High School: Bethel Park
Sports: Basketball
Activities: National Honor Society, Spanish NHS, Student Government, Chess club
GPA: 4.36
College choice: Wheeling University
Career: Nursing
Color: Blue
Food: “I love all types of food but I’d have to say my mom’s hamburgers. They’re better than Five Guys.”
Restaurant: Condado
Music: “I’m into country music but I’ll listen to anything before a game. Garth Brooks and Brad Paisley are among my favorite country artists.”
Book: The Kite Runner. “I also loved the character development in the Harry Potter book series.”
Movie: Any of the Marvel Movies.
What Super Hero would you be? Captain America
Who would play you in a movie: Jennifer Aniston “But she is way too good looking to play me.”
Favorite athlete: Allen Iverson. “I loved his style of play and the way his moves made others look better. It was amazing watching him play.”
Dream Destination: Montana
Winter or summer: “I love cold weather but I also love to go hiking. So it’s easier to do that in the spring and the summer. My family has a cabin up in the Allegheny National Forest and there are all these neat trails with amazing views.”
Person you would like to happy dinner with: Robin Williams. “He’s super funny and hilarious. I figure I would be laughing the entire time.”
People might be surprised to know this about you: “I can juggle.”
Best kept secret in Bethel Park: The Library
In 15 years, I will be: “A pediatric nurse practitioner, raising a family and living my best life.”
For the past two years, Maddie Dziezgowski has been going it alone on the basketball court without her younger sister, Emma.
A sophomore, she is averaging 7 points and 3.3 rebounds for the St. Bonaventure University women’s basketball team. She had played in 21 games, starting seven times and ranking fourth on the squad in scoring.
As a freshman, she appeared in 21 games, making 15 starts. She averaged 3.3 points and ranked third on the team with 19, 3-point field goals.
While at Bethel Park High School, she surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in her career.
As a junior, she averaged 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds and was selected to the All-WPIAL first-team. She helped lead the Black Hawks to a 22-4 record, an appearance in the WPIAL Class 6A championships and a berth in the PIAA state semifinals. All four losses came against Peters Township, which won the district and state titles with a 30-0 record.
As a senior, she averaged 15.6 points and grabbed 7.5 rebounds a game. She helped the Black Hawks back to the WPIAL finals where they lost to North Allegheny. BP’s season ended at 23-3 overall when the PIAA suspended the state tournament in the quarterfinal rounds because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 19-year-old daughter of Cindy and Ron Dziezgowski is majoring in biochemistry. She hopes to become a pharmacists.
While Maddie has impacted all the programs for which she has performed, she left a lasting impression on Emma when she recently attended her Senior Recognition Night.
“Maddie has been so influential in my career. She has been there for me since we started playing in the backyard,” Emma said. “Maddie’s schedule is so demanding so I knew she wasn’t going to be coming to the game but she surprised me anyway. I was so happy I started sobbing when I saw her. No words can describe what her being there has meant to me.”