32-year mentor steps down with over 500 high school wins.
McKEESPORT, Pa. – A Western Pennsylvania boys basketball icon is calling it quits.
Bob Rozanski, a PIAA and WPIAL championship-winning coach at Serra Catholic (McKeesport) for the past 32 years, announced his retirement last week.
While putting Serra Catholic basketball on the map, Rozanski, whose team won the 2008 PIAA Class A title, put up a career record of 519-243, a record that includes just four losing seasons. He took his teams to 22 WPIAL playoff berths and 16 PIAA playoff appearances while winning the section title 11 times.
"I put a lot of consideration into it," Rozanski told the McKeesport Daily News. "I just think it is the right time. The timing is perfect. It is a combination of many, many things. I have been thinking about it the past two or three years.
"I’m tired. It’s a lot of work. It’s just not three or four months of the season. It’s around the clock, and it takes a lot of energy. I need a break from it right now."
Serra athletic director Bill Cleary, who doubles as the school’s girls basketball coach, plans an immediate search to replace Rozanski.
"I don’t want to hurry. I don’t want to delay, but I don’t want to hurry either," Cleary told the Daily News. "I have to get somebody in place to get the summer program off and running. I want to have it done by May."
2. Wachob steps down at West Forest: Another Western Pennsylvania basketball icon is also calling it quits this season. Bob Wachob, the head coach at tiny
West Forest (Tionesta), is retiring after 31 seasons and 483 wins. Wachob quietly built the Lady Indians into a regional force despite class sizes routinely in the 30s and 40s if not smaller at times. West Forest, which went 483-234 under Wachob, has been to the PIAA playoffs in each of the last three seasons, all coming in District 9. For the first 25 seasons, West Forest was a member of District 10 before moving into District 9 in 2005. Since joining District 9, the Lady Indians have gone 125-37 (.772) with a pair of second-place Class A finishes. 
T.J. McConnell, Chartiers Valley
File photo by Paul Burdick
3. Western PA well represented in all-state awards: Western Pennsylvania was well represented when the Pennsylvania Sports Writers announced their all-state teams and major award winners. Seven of the eight coaches of the year and four of the eight players of the year are from the western half of the state.
Chartiers Valley’s
T.J. McConnell (34 ppg, 8 rpg, 9 apg, 6 spg) was the Class AAA boys Player of the Year, Sewickley Academy’s Tom Droney (21.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 6.1 apg) was the Class A boys Player of the Year, Villa Maria’s Kayla McBride (20.5 ppg) was the Class AA girls Player of the Year and Bishop Guilfoyle’s Alli Williams (16.4 ppg) was the Class A girls Player of the Year. All four players are headed to NCAA Division I schools next season. McConnell is going to Duquesne, Droney to Davidson, McBride to Norte Dame and Williams to St. Francis (Pa.).
The WPIAL swept all four Coach of the Year honors with
North Allegheny (Wexford)'s Dave DeGregorio taking home Class AAAA honors, Chartiers Valley (Bridgeville)'s Tim McConnell, T.J.’s dad, taking the Class AAA award, South Fayette's Rich Bonnaure winning the Class AA nod and Sewickley Academy’s Win Palmer the Class A award. Bonnaure and Palmer won state titles, McConnell’s team was runner-up and DeGregorio’s a surprise semifinalist.
Three girls coaches from Western Pennsylvania were also named Coach of the Year after leading their teams to PIAA title defenses.
Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh)'s Doris Oldaker is the Class AAAA winner, Villa Maria Academy (Erie)'s Scott Dibble the Class AAA winner and Bishop Guilfoyle (Altoona)'s Mark Moschella the Class A winner.
4. Monaca’s Shultz having quite a baseball season:
Monaca's Brandon Shultz is having himself quite a baseball campaign. Shultz has five home runs and 16 RBI with all five homers coming in the past five games. Monaca is 4-3 on the young season.
5. Three WPIAL baseball, seven WPIAL softball teams with at least five games still unblemished: Three WPIAL baseball teams and seven WPIAL softball teams who have played at least five games are still unbeaten.
Two of the baseball squads are in Class AAA Section 3 with
Hopewell (Aliquippa) sporting a perfect 10-0 record going into action Tuesday while Montour (McKees Rocks) was 6-0. In Class AA, Laurel (New Castle) was 8-0.
In softball, two Class AA Section 3 teams are still unbeaten going into Tuesday’s action with
Burrell (Lower Burrell) at 6-0 and Valley at 5-0, while a pair of Class A Section 2 teams were also unbeaten with Chartiers-Houston (Houston) at 7-0 and Carmichaels at 6-0. Additional unbeaten teams include Yough (Herminie) (6-0 in Class AAA), Franklin Regional (Murrysville) (10-0 in Class AAA) and South Park (5-0 in Class AA).
Three teams, two softball and one baseball, are also unbeaten but haven’t played five contests. In softball, Seton-LaSalle is 3-0 with
Sto-Rox (McKees Rocks) at 2-0 while in baseball Peters Township (McMurray) is 3-0.
6. Post office in Beaver County to be named for fallen Western PA high school athlete: The post office in Freedom will bear the name of former
Freedom baseball player John Challis, who died of cancer in August 2008. Challis’ story became national news in the months preceding his death. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a dedication is set for early June.
