Family affair
Shelley Bortz to join dad George in Pittsburgh Basketball Club HOF
When Shelley Bortz was inducted into the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame in 2021 she became part of the first father-daughter duo to be enshrined into that organization.
The 1992 Geibel Catholic graduate joined her father George Bortz, who was part of the Class of 2016.
The two will match that accomplishment again later this year.
Shelley Bortz has been chosen for induction into the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Hall of Fame in the “Legends” category. Her father was enshrined in the “Women’s Coaches” category in 2019. The induction ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 7.
Shelley Bortz is regarded as one of the top Lady Gators in program history. She held the team record for career points (1,977) and points in a game (49) for over 30 years, led the WPIAL boys and girls in scoring as a senior (27.2 ppg) and pulled down over 1,000 rebounds. She helped lead the Lady Gators to two WPIAL finals and was chosen to play in the Roundball Classic.
George Bortz, a Uniontown graduate and playground and summer league legend who played one year in college at Waynesburg, was an assistant coach at Geibel while his daughter played, then took over as head coach and guided the Lady Gators to five WPIAL championships, nine section titles and over 250 wins in 11 years.
George Bortz, nicknamed “The General,” drew praise from his daughter after she was informed she’d be joining him in the PBC Hall of Fame.
“As a little girl, I loved watching my dad play and dreamed of being just like him someday,” Shelley Bortz said. “He later became my first coach and my biggest supporter. To now join him in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Hall of Fame — and make it the second Hall of Fame we’ve shared together — is something I never could have imagined.
“It means more to me than any individual recognition ever could.”
Shelley Bortz, who currently works as an anchor/reporter at KDKA, followed up her outstanding high school career by playing four years at Gannon University where she scored over 600 points despite suffering serious injuries in an automobile accident in 1994 when the car she was in was struck by another vehicle. Her Gannon teammate and best friend Kerri Welc did not survive the accident.
Bortz fought back against tremendous odds to get back on the court and finish her playing career at Gannon.
“After the car crash, I never reached my full potential as a player,” Shelley Bortz said. “That’s what makes this honor so humbling. To be recognized alongside so many incredible players is something I never expected. It’s a reminder that sometimes people see your impact even when you don’t think you’ve achieved everything you were capable of.”
Shelley Bortz will be the third local athlete inducted into the PBC Hall of Fame this year, joining 1975 Uniontown graduate Dana Perno and 1971 Laurel Highlands graduate Barry Taylor who were both enshrined in March.
Perno was a starter on the Red Raiders’ 1975 WPIAL championship team that went 27-1. He scored a team-high 25 points in a 68-61 win over Valley in the final. Perno went on to play at West Virginia.
Taylor, the son of legendary Mustangs head coach Harold “Horse” Taylor, averaged 17.4 points per game his senior year when he helped LH go 20-4 and win a section title, and was named to the all-section team. He went on to play two years at Richmond.
Joe Salvino, a 1970 Monessen graduate, was also inducted in the coaches category in March after a 745-313 career record spanning 41 years (34 at Monessen and seven at Belle Vernon) that included six WPIAL championships (five at Monessen and one at Belle Vernon) and two PIAA titles (both at Monessen).
Other area players who have been inducted into the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Hall of Fame are Will Robinson (Laurel Highlands/West Virginia) in 2016, Gus Gerard (Laurel Highlands/Virginia/NBA) in 2017, Buddy Quertinmont (Albert Gallatin/West Virginia) in 2018, Greg Beckwith (Laurel Highlands/Richmond) in 2019, Tom Parks (Belle Vernon/Robert Morris) and Don Yates (Uniontown/Minnesota) in 2023 and Jim Hobgood (Laurel Highlands/Virginia) in 2024.