The Roundball Classic is bigger than ever and starts tonight.
The Roundball Classic has nothing to do with the old Dapper Dan Roundball Classic, except part of the name. But the Roundball is now the No. 1 event for Western Pa. basketball players - boys and girls. The entire event is held at Geneva College. The Roundball Classic banquet was last night and close to 500 people attended.
This year's Roundball is bigger than ever. Roundball director Allen Deep added two games this year and both will be played tonight. The main games are tomorrow. But there is an underclassmen showcase tonight at 6:30, followed by an East-West game at 8:30. Tomorrow, the girls games are at 2 and 4 and the boys games at 6 and 8.
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All of the seniors on the Post-Gazette Fabulous 5 teams will be in the games as well as the three Players of the Year -- Chartiers Valley's Matty McConnell for the boys, and co-players of the year for the girls: Vincentian's Brenna Wise and Blackhawk's Chassidy Omogrosso.
The rosters for the Roundball are listed below. But before we get to them, one piece of news on the football coaching front. Blackhawk has hired a new football coach - finally.
Legendary Joe Hamilton retired in January. But Blackhawk didn't name a new coach until Thursday night. Joe Lamenza takes over for Hamilton, who coached 49 seasons at four different schools. He is the second-winningest coach in WPIAL history.
Lamenza has been Mohawk's coach the past four seasons, where he had a 7-29 record. He coached West Mifflin for one season in 2006, but was not rehired after a 3-6 record. He also has been an assistant at Robert Morris and Ellwood City, Riverside and Beaver.
It is never easy to follow a legend. It won't be easy for Lamenza. But he has plenty of experience.
One of the other known finalists for the job was Kim Niedbala, a former Blackhawk player in the early 1990s. Niedbala has been an assistant for a number of years at Edinboro University and Clarion.
Now onto the Roundball Classic rosters.
SCHEDULE
At Geneva College
Tonight — Undergraduate game,
6:30 p.m.; East-West boys,
8:30 p.m.
Saturday — Class A/City League/District 6 & 10 vs. Class AA girls, 2 p.m.; Class AAA vs. Class AAAA girls, 4 p.m.; Class A/Prep schools vs. Class AA boys, 6 p.m.; Class AAA vs. Class AAAA boys, 8 p.m.
BOYS ROSTERS
East — Billy Urso, Fox Chapel; Adam Witucki, Highlands; Marcus McGinniss, Upper St. Clair; Tyler Eadie, Laurel Highlands; Kindhal Taylor, North Hills; Chris McConnell, Indiana; Nick Tantuo, Kennedy Catholic; Kaison Branch, Highlands; Dequay Isbell, Washington; Noah Kunst, Kittanning; Alex Schoppen, Central Catholic; Justice Lewandowski, Butler; Matt Zannella, Knoch.
West — Jake Whitmer, Slippery Rock; Hunter Szilagy, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart; Danny Torok, Grove City; Santino Platt, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart; Chase Tomasetti, Lincoln Park; Logan Sheridan, Riverside; Nate Bell, Hopewell; Nick Barney, Beaver; Dylan Groff, Shady Side Academy; Matt Benson, Shenango; Zeph Rombold, New Brighton; James Micco, Shenango.
Class A/Prep Schools — Ryan Wolf, Vincentian; Mike Tappe, Aquinas Academy; Timon Gribbin, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic; Jamel Brown, Farrell; Dante Lombardi, Kiski School; Julian Batts, Jeannette; Carter Ehms, Eden Christian; Tray Matthews, California; Dane Jackson, Cornell; Kareem South, Kiski School; Rece Henneman, Jefferson-Morgan; Vince LeGrande, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic; Alex Otzyv, Kiski School.
Class AA — Stephon McGinnis, Aliquippa; Christian DelGreco, Seton-LaSalle; Isaac Williams, West Middlesex; Darrien Fields, Aliquippa; Alec Ferrari, Chartiers-Houston; Ryan Smith, Shenango; Zach Gould, Riverside; Antonio Kellem, Lincoln Park; Romano Sebastiani, Greensburg Central Catholic; Darrell Baron, Northgate; Trey Staunch, West Middlesex; Ryan Norkus, Seton-LaSalle; Chris Conlan, Quaker Valley; Troy Elphinstone, Brentwood.
Class AAA — Javon Turner, Beaver Falls; Joey Lafko, Hampton; Jack Relihan, South Fayette; David Huber, Hampton; John George, Central Valley; Robert Natale, New Castle; Blake Shields, Indiana; Justin Gorny, South Park; Daylon Carter, Ambridge; Riley Stapleton, Indiana; Joe Campbell, Uniontown; Andrew Koester, West Allegheny; Dom Keyes, Steel Valley; Dan Wanker, South Park; George Prota, Elizabeth Forward.
Class AAAA — Joe Mascaro, Bethel Park; Curtis Perz, Norwin; Matty McConnell, Chartiers Valley; Will Sandherr, North Allegheny; Jonny David, Mt. Lebanon; Kason Harrell, Hempfield; Cole Constantino, North Allegheny; Mike Simmons, Kiski Area; Matt Cullen, Latrobe; Khalil Perdue, McKeesport; DeAndre Schifino, Penn Hills; Logan Swan, Hempfield; Daylon Harris, Gateway; Zach Snyder, Seneca Valley; Patrick Ehland, Mt. Lebanon; Tony Pilato, Hempfield.
GIRLS ROSTERS
Class A/City League/District 6 & 10 — Chardonnay Littlejohn, Carrick; Katie Sieg, Serra Catholic; Kaitlyn Smith, Quigley Catholic; Ciara Clark, Aliquippa; Brandi Beader, Hickory; Liz Duer, Quigley Catholic; Tatum Kress, Kennedy Catholic; Chelsey Koren, Blairsville; Tina Bellhy, Fort Cherry; Nicole LaCava, Hickory; Heidi Langhorst, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart; Brenna Wise, Vincentian; Lyndsey Huhn, California.
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(Pictured are Vincentian's Brenna Wise and Blackhawk's Chassidy Omogrosso, Post-Gazette Players of the Year who are in the Roundball).
Class AA — Cassidy Guiser, Frazier; Carolyn Appleby, Greensburg Central Catholic; Sydney Bordonaro, Burrell; Caroline Cree, Carmichaels; Samantha Carr, Mohawk; Anna Bartman, Beth-Center; Ellen Shaffer, Laurel; Cassidy Walsh, Seton-LaSalle; Madison McHale, Neshannock; Jordan Melko, Carlynton; Nicolete Newman, Seton-LaSalle; Nikki Adisey, Greensburg Central Catholic; Cheyenne Seik, South Side Beaver; Tayler Grybowski, Neshannock; Conor Richardson, Carlynton; Leah Bisignani, Greensburg Central Catholic.
Class AAA — Chassidy Omogrosso, Blackhawk; Lesi Posset, Beaver; Claire Oberdorf, Greensburg Salem; Sara Getsy, Mars; Abigail Sporio, Elizabeth Forward; Bridget Shaffer, Blackhawk; Alexa Golden, Chartiers Valley; Alexa Szelong, Mount Pleasant; Ali Goetz, Mars; Melissa Rickens, Chartiers Valley; Sammie Weiss, McGuffey; Kelly Haslett, Ambridge; Courtney Vannoy, Blackhawk; Kaitlyn Slagus, Belle Vernon; Marlena Schmidt, Ringgold.
Class AAAA — Madison Serio, Upper St. Clair; Liz Kline, Shaler; Casey Aunkst, Penn-Trafford; Diandra Conwell, Upper St. Clair; Delaney Arbore, Norwin; Delaney Arbore, Norwin; Devvin LaBarge, North Allegheny; Rachel Mazzie, Upper St. Clair; Leah Knizner, Hempfield; Katy Abreu, Penn-Traford; Kaitlyn Chess, Bethel Park; Danielle Parker, Canon-McMillan; Maria Palarino, Penn-Trafford; Andi Lydon, Shaler; Meg Morningstar, North Allegheny; Courtney Zezza, Plum.
All of the seniors on the Post-Gazette Fabulous 5 teams will be in the games as well as the three Players of the Year -- Chartiers Valley's Matty McConnell for the boys, and co-players of the year for the girls: Vincentian's Brenna Wise and Blackhawk's Chassidy Omogrosso.