City of Basketball Love

Michael Bullock (@thebullp_n)
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Welcome to City of Basketball Love’s inaugural attempt at cobbling together preseason rankings for all four of Pennsylvania’s boys’ basketball classifications.

And while we continue today with Class AA, Classes AAA and AAAA will follow later this week — all just in time for Friday’s season-opening scraps.

(Other previews: Class A | Class AA | Class AAA | Class AAAA)

Once the first full week of games is played, we’ll be back with weekly updates of our rankings, beginning on Dec. 14 and appearing on Mondays the rest of the way.

As for a quick glimpse at Class AA, we’re going with Aliquippa as our preseason No. 1 since the Quips have Chucky Humphries, Jassir Jordan and Kaezon Pugh returning from last year’s scrap in the state final against eventual champ Conwell-Egan.

With Aliquippa’s football team still playing — Jordan and Pugh are prominent members of that club — the Quips likely won’t be full strength at the start.

Conwell-Egan still has senior all-staters LaPri McCray-Pace and Vinny Dalessandro in uniform, but Frank Sciolla’s Eagles lost lead guard Stevie Jordan, an all-state selection as a junior, to a Texas prep school in addition to the graduation of two key seniors.

Brief glimpses of our preseason top 10 appear below, with PIAA district and last season’s final record displayed in parentheses. Only those schools competing for PIAA state championships are eligible for ranking purposes.

CITY OF BASKETBALL LOVE’S PRESEASON STATE-WIDE BOYS’ BASKETBALL RANKINGS — CLASS AA

NR — not ranked; OW — others to watch.

1. Aliquippa (7, 29-1) — final 2015 ranking: 2

Notables: Nick Lackovich’s Quips may have lost all-state blur Stephon McGinnis to graduation, but there’s still plenty of talent here. While Humphries signed with D-II West Liberty, Pugh has verbally committed to play football at Pittsburgh. Jordan likely will be the Quips’ backcourt quarterback.

Season-opening game: Dec. 7 vs. Beaver Area.

2. Conwell-Egan (12, 21-8) — final 2015 ranking: 1

Notables: Frank Sciolla’s Eagles capped a tremendous postseason run last March by capturing their first state championship. Despite preseason departures of Jordan plus Chase Kumor and Sean Kelly, the presence of McCray-Pace and Dalessandro will provide C-E with plenty of on-court experience. St. Joseph’s Prep transfer James Leible should help.   

Season-opening game: Dec. 5 vs. Samuel Fels (@ Holy Family)

3. Lincoln Park (7, 23-4) — final 2015 ranking: 7

Notables: May have tumbled last March in opening round of states to a quality West Middlesex side, but Mike Bariski’s Leopards still have one of the best players around in guard Nelly Cummings (24.5 ppg). A first-team all-state choice as a sophomore, Cummings is a straight-A student with a Cornell offer.

Season-opening game: Dec. 4 vs. Propel Andrew Street.

4. Trinity (3, 19-8) — final 2015 ranking: 10

Notables: Shamrocks return four starters — all-state combo guard Austin Gilbertson, 6-11 soph big man Sean Good, 6-9 Mount St. Mary’s signee Jack Vukelich and 6-4 Timmy Edwards — from team that reached second round of states. Larry Kostelac Jr.’s club also won second straight District 3-AA crown.

Season-opening game: Dec. 5 at York Catholic.

5. Seton-La Salle (7, 24-4) — final 2015 ranking: 5

Notables: Mark Walsh’s Rebels are now two seasons removed from their appearance in the 2014 Class AA championship game, but the suburban Pittsburgh entry just keeps cranking out quality teams. Guards Cletus Helton and Paris Ford, the latter a Pitt football commit, will key the latest edition.

Season-opening game: Dec. 4 vs. Vincentian.

6. Washington (7, 15-8) — final 2015 ranking: NR

Notables: Ron Faust’s bunch tumbled 71-69 to eventual state qualifier Neshannock in the opening round of last season’s WPIAL tournament, but returns of Section 3 all-stars Nathan Swart (13.0 ppg) and Matt Popeck (15.8 ppg) have the Prexies feeling mighty good. Won 11 straight at one point in 2014-15.  

Season-opening game: Dec. 4 vs. Latrobe (@ Canon-McMillan Tip-Off)

7. Dunmore (2, 17-7) — final 2015 ranking: NR

Notables: Bucks may have a number of players still involved with state football playoffs — and one game already has been postponed — but the return of 6-7 senior big man Jonathan Williams provides Tony Lacertoso’s club with plenty of credibility in the low blocks and on the wings. Matt Murray also back.

Season-opening game: Dec. 7 vs. Valley View.

8. Camp Hill (3, 19-6) — final 2015 ranking: OW

Notables: Here’s yet another club that could start slowly since the Lions’ veteran frontcourt — 6-4 senior David Fetrow, 6-3 Michael Shuster and 6-7 Zack Kuntz — are busy playing in the state playoffs for Camp Hill’s football team. New skipper Scott Barrows has to be mighty, mighty anxious.

Season-opening game: Dec. 4 at Bermudian Springs.

9. Minersville (11, 20-6) — final 2015 ranking: OW

Notables: With three starters returning from a club that lost to hammer Loyalsock in the second round of states — Jon McBreen, Chris Leshko and David Graham — Cliff Woodford’s Battlin’ Miners should contend for Schuylkill League and District 11-AA supremacy. Perhaps much, much more.

Season-opening game: Dec. 7 at Tamaqua.

10. West Branch (6, 22-5) — final 2015 ranking: OW

Notables: All-state swingman Kody Trude, the 6-4 senior who last season nearly averaged a double-double (21.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg), headlines an experienced crew that reached the second round of states. Danny Clark’s Warriors return five of their top seven, including Austin Krise (15.8 ppg) and Brandon Zwick (13.2 ppg).  

Season-opening game: Dec. 5 vs. Philipsburg-Osceola.

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OTHERS TO WATCH: Bellwood-Antis (6, 20-8), Bishop Canevin (7, 17-8), Cambridge Springs (10, 10-12), Church Farm (1, 15-11), Danville (4, 18-7), Fairview (10, 22-4), Mahanoy Area (11, 21-6), Meyers (2, 15-8), Mid Valley (2, 25-5), Neshannock (7, 18-9), Southern Columbia (4, 15-8), Tussey Mountain (5, 14-9), West Middlesex (10, 25-4).