Nothing quite like playoff basketball
I love high school basketball.
Not quite sure why, but it probably has something to do with watching it while growing up as a youngster in Monaca, Beaver County, which was a hotspot for high school hoops back in the day.
Monaca High School had three players from 1965 to 1975 in Bill Zoph, Mickey Davis and his brother Brad Davis, who all ended up playing in the NBA. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it.
However, Monaca played second fiddle to some pretty legendary Midland High School teams. We could beat everyone but the powerful Leopards, especially their dynamic 1965 team, which featured future pro players in Simmie Hill and Norm Van Lier.
Uniontown beat Midland in 1964 on its way to a PIAA championship. Midland wanted revenge in the worst way and vowed to defeat the Red Raiders in a rematch the following year.
However, Uniontown was upset by Aliquippa in the WPIAL semi-finals that year, putting a stop to any revenge talk. Of course, Uniontown fans will tell you to this day that the game against Aliquippa was simply an off night and the Red Raiders would have prevailed in a rematch with Midland.
Little did I know while growing up in basketball-mad Monaca that I would end up spending most of my life in Uniontown, another place where people take great pride and passion in high school hoops.
I came here in June of 1981, right after Uniontown had won the last of its four PIAA championships. I started watching the Red Raiders perform on a regular basis in the late 1980s and have enjoyed watching them perform ever since then.
This year has certainly been a lot of fun as Uniontown was undefeated in section play, winning its WPIAL record-setting 47th section title. Overall, they’re 19-1, drawing favorable comparisons to the early 2000 teams, which played in two PIAA state championship games.
But now the real fun starts with the WPIAL playoffs. This is the best time of the year for high school basketball buffs. It will start with the pairings, which will be announced on Tuesday, followed by the usual moaning and groaning over the seedings. But the reality is that from here on out, the competition will be stiff, and every win will be an accomplishment.
Playoff basketball is like no other time with every possession and every shot critical. Calls from the officials will also be scrutinized as will strategy from all the coaches in the stands. As usual whoever gets hot will win and that’s always hard to predict with 16-and 17-year-olds. We forget sometimes that they’re just kids, and they’re still learning how to play this crazy game. There will be plenty of upsets and all kinds of wild plays made before the various WPIAL champions are crowned.
But it’s all a lot of fun, and the Uniontown boys aren’t the only local team taking part in the playoffs. Other boys teams in the post-season include Laurel Highlands, Brownsville, Frazier, California, Carmichaels and Mapletown. Girls teams in the playoffs include Uniontown, Belle Vernon, California, West Greene, Carmichaels and Frazier.
They all deserve a lot of credit for their hard work and commitment to the game of basketball. They also deserve your support. Going to high school basketball games is a great way to spend an evening with friends and fellow basketball lovers. Better yet, take your family, especially the youngsters, and no one will be disappointed. It just doesn’t get any better than high school basketball playoffs.
Mark O’Keefe is the editorial page editor of the Herald-Standard. He can be reached by email at mokeefe@heraldstandard.com, regular mail at 8 Church St., Uniontown, Pa., 15401 or by phone at 724-439-7569.