The Herald, Sharon, Pa: The 1997 Fabulous 15

Published Sunday, April 6, 1997

Jamie Cicuto
Kennedy Christian

Jamie Dick
Slippery Rock

Muhsinah Saleem
Sharon

Heather Powell
Reynolds

Future appears bright for girls

player photo

Player of the Year: Mandy Clelland
Grove City

By Brad Isles
Herald Sports Writer

If selections for girls basketball -- as a part of The Herald's first Fabulous 15 -- are an indicator, then the future looks quite bright for area coaches, players and fans.

Whereas the boys teams in the area were dominated mostly by upperclassmen, the girls team was just the opposite. It was the youngsters who led the way and the have laid the foundation for what should be some exciting years to come for girls basketball.

The evidence proving how good the county's young talent actually is is in the selections for the Fab 5 -- two sophomores, two juniors and one senior were chosen, with one of the juniors earning Player of the Year honors.

FAB 5

Mandy Clelland, Grove City (Player of the Year) -- Clelland, a 5-11 junior swingman, has the total package.

She can score on a post-up inside, as well as hit from the perimeter. She can out-rebound any center and pass with the flair of a guard.

That is why she was chosen as the Herald's first girls' Player of the Year.

``I'm flattered that I was chosen MVP,'' Clelland said. ``It's an honor to be the first.''

Her coach, Roger Flynn who just finished his 18th season on the Lady Eagles' bench and has seen his share of quality players, said, ``she is certainly one of the most talented players that I've had in terms of all-around talent.''

Clelland was second in scoring in the MCAC with 16 points per game (384). She also pulled down 196 rebounds, had 82 blocks, 53 steals and 37 assists.

The number that arguably is the most impressive is this: 54 percent from 3-point range, going 31-for-57.

``She can score inside and is a tremendous 3-point shooter,'' Flynn said. ``She's also a good ballhandler and throws excellent passes.''

Clelland has 860 points in her career and has played in all but one of Grove City's 79 games the past three seasons. She missed one game this year because of the flu.

Over that span, the Lady Eagles have won 59 games and have made it to the District 10 playoffs each year.

Barring injury she'll eclipse the 1,000-point plateau next season and leapfrog several players into at least second place on Grove City's all-time list.

Clelland's all-around talent is almost certain to land her at a Division I program. She has already received inquiries from Delaware, Miami (Fla.), Syracuse, St. John's, Ohio State, St. Joe's and Youngstown State, among others.

Flynn said the only thing she needs is to get a little stronger.

``In order for her to play Division I, she needs to gain strength,'' Flynn said. ``Next year will bring a lot of interest. And as she gains strength, she'll become more attractive.''

Muhsinah Saleem, Sharon -- The 5-1 sophomore guard was theintegral cog in a young Lady Tigers team which featured nine sophomores and one senior and was headed by coach Mary Jo Staunch.

Saleem finished first in Mercer County scoring with an average of 19.5 per game (429) and grabbed 100 rebounds, 136 steals and dished out 84 assists en route to garnering MCAC Class AAA first team honors.

During the season, in which Sharon went 8-14, Saleem scored in double figures in every game but one. Against PIAA qualifier and Class AAA power Oil City, she managed just six points. Her highest point total was 35, which she reached against both Grove City and Wilmington.

At the Brookfield Christmas Tournament, Saleem earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team and at the recent Sharpsville Underclassmen Tournament, she was named MVP. As a freshman, along with earning first team All-MCAC honors, Saleem was awarded the Sharon Golden Sneaker award.

Barring major injury, Saleem will likely eclipse the 1,000-point plateau as a junior as she sits with 785 points.

Heather Powell, Reynolds -- The only senior on the girls Fab 5 slate, this 5-foot-7 forward did it all for coach Brian Durniok.

She led the team for the third-consecutive season with 330 points, including a career-high and school-record 28 against West Middlesex, and earned first team Class AA All-MCAC honors. Powell also won the 1997 Erme Award handed out to the county's top senior player prior to the Sharon Lions Club-W.U. Hoyle Basketball Tournament.

As a junior, Powell had 255 points en route to being named the MCAC Class AA MVP. And as a sophomore she totalled 260 points. Over her 4-year career, in which she missed nine games, all in her freshman year, Powell amassed 870 points and led the Lady Raiders to a 55-40 record and one District 10 playoff appearance.

Jamie Cicuto, Kennedy Christian -- This 5-foot-11 sophomore center averaged a double-double per game while leading coach Father Tomasone's Lady Golden Eagles to a 25-6 record, a District 10 Class A Championship and a berth in the PIAA Western Finals.

On her way to the MCAC Class A MVP award, Cicuto scored a team-high 427 points (13.8) and grabbed 361 rebounds (11.6) in 31 games.

She was a force on the offensive glass with 182 boards. Cicuto also dished out 44 assists and had 91 steals.

As a freshman, Cicuto was third on the Lady Eagles' 23-6 squad with 225 points and was named to the MCAC A first team.

Jamie Dick, Slippery Rock -- This 5-foot-3 junior guard finished the 1996-97 campaign as the most prolific 3-point shooter in the county with 64. Among area players, it is believed only Hickory's Geoff Evans made more this past season.

Dick had at least one trey in every game and scored 366 points (14.1) and had 194 assists (7.4) to go along with 65 boards and 59 steals en route to the MCAC Class AAA MVP award.

Her Lady Rockets (20-6) won the MCAC AAA division and lost to Harbor Creek in the District 10 consolations.

Dick has 666 career points, including 108 3-pointers, and 425 career assists. She is second on Slippery Rock's all-time assist leaderboard with 425.

team photo

With a proud coach Father Rick Tomasone looking on, members of the Kennedy Christian Lady Eagles celebrate their District 10 Championship. (Gene Paulson/Herald)

COACH OF THE YEAR
TEAM OF THE YEAR

Sometimes it takes a specific game during the season to know the team is something special -- say, a win at the buzzer in overtime, or a 40-point blowout over an arch-rival.

But for Kennedy Christian coach Father Tomasone, he knew from the outset his team was something special.

``I thought right from the beginning of the year we had the opportunity to be very good,'' Father Tomasone said. ``We only graduated one senior from the year before and we had played an awful lot of girls, including some very young players.''

His Class A Lady Golden Eagles proved him right in just the third game of the season, a 100-24 shellacking of Erie East. From there, Kennedy played the bigger schools closely, losing to MCAC Class AA champ Grove City (46-37) and to the eventual District 10 AAAA champ Erie McDowell by two, 42-40. The Lady Eagles beat McDowell in the Girard Christmas Tournament, 49-45.

With Commodore Perry being the only other Class A program in the MCAC, Kennedy had the luxury of knowing it had a spot in the D-10 playoffs secured before the season ever began.

The importance was then laid upon the out-of-conference schedule.

``Because of the league situation, we went out and scheduled as strong a schedule as we possibly could,'' Father Tomasone said. ``And that helped us in the playoffs because as the kids get more and more confidence in their playing, they begin to see they can compete with the good teams. Once they get that sort of feeling of confidence, it's hard to stop them.''

Playing the tough schedule proved valuable as the Lady Eagles rolled to the D-10 Class A title by beating Youngsville, 48-31.

From there, Kennedy put together a string of come-from-behind victories en route to PIAA Western Finals.

``We scored pretty well some games and we defended pretty well some games,'' Father Tomasone said. ``I just thought that if both our offense and defenses come together, we'd have the opportunity to go real deep (into the playoffs).''

The Lady Eagles lost to eventual PIAA champ Williamsburg, 53-30, and finished the season with a 25-6 record.

But only graduating three seniors, Melanie Giordano (180 points), Colleen Hough (174) and Kathy Sokolak (74), Tomasone has a nucleus of girls returning that would make other coaches drool.

``The kids now know what it takes to get there and make the next step,'' Father Tomasone said. ``I think they'll be thinking about that and wanting to go to that next step.

``You learn a little bit every year about the playoffs. I think the hardest thing to learn is you have to take them one game at a time. Even though your focus is down at the end of the road at Hershey, nonetheless, you still have to take them one game at a time.''

Tomasone and his team were unanimous choices for The Herald's first coach of the year and Fabulous Five girls team.

And Tomasone was quick to credit his girls for getting him to the Western Finals for the second time in his career.

``It was a fun team to coach because they were always ready to practice,'' Father Tomasone said. ``When it was time to work, they got to work. When it was time to enjoy themselves, they enjoyed themselves.

``Obviously, I had some very talented players,'' Father Tomasone said. ``Sometimes, though, talented players don't work that hard. That was not the case with our kids. Our talented players all worked very, very hard.''

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Updated April 8, 1997
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FAB 5

COACH OF THE YEARTEAM OF THE YEAR

COACH OF THE YEAR
TEAM OF THE YEAR