When people ask me how I became one of the best scorers in Western Pennsylvania, they usually expect me to talk about AAU basketball, individual workouts, or hours in the gym.
The truth is, my greatest teacher never wore a whistle.
He was my older brother. Vernon “Jake” Schifino.
Growing up, my brother didn’t take it easy on me. Matter of fact, he beat on me. We’d fight, I’d cry, and my dad would usually come to my rescue. At the time, I thought he was just picking on his little brother.
Now I realize he was preparing me for life.
As we got older, those battles turned into basketball games that felt like championship matchups. I was always a gifted scorer, but Jake made scoring feel impossible. He was the best defender I’ve ever faced. Not high school. Not AAU. Not college. Not overseas.
My brother.
He was 6-foot-2, explosive, unbelievably quick, incredibly strong, and had a 41-inch vertical. He could slide his feet with anybody, recover if you beat him, and compete on every possession like the game depended on it.
Every basket I scored against him had to be earned. That’s why I developed a mindset that stayed with me my entire career: If I can score on my brother, I can score on anybody.
By the time I reached Penn Hills and later West Virginia, the defenders I faced didn’t intimidate me because I’d already been tested every day at home.
Looking back, those weren’t just games. That was love. Tough love.
Jake demanded that I bring my best every single possession, whether we were in the driveway, at the park, or in the gym. If I wanted to compete with him, I had to get stronger. I had to become quicker. I had to become mentally tougher.
So I did.
As we got into high school, something changed. We weren’t just competing anymore. We were building each other. I made him better. He made me better. Iron sharpened iron. That’s why competing against everybody else often felt easier. We’d already seen a level of intensity most people never experienced until college.
People remember Jake for football, and rightfully so. He had Division I basketball offers and was one of the best point guards around. He was also part of Penn Hills’ record-setting 4×100 relay team, proving just how special his speed was.
I still believe he could’ve played college basketball. He was that good.
Instead, football became his path even though he continued to play on the Akron basketball team his freshman season.
He went to Akron, ran a blazing 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Even then, I always believed he was underrated.
At wide receiver, I honestly think he was talented enough to play at Pitt or West Virginia. Penn Hills relied heavily on its running game, so he spent a lot of time at running back because that’s what the team needed. I always felt people never got to see everything he was capable of.
His NFL career looked like it was about to take off. He was on pace to become a starter in his second season before injuries changed everything.
That’s one of the hardest parts about sports. Sometimes talent isn’t enough. Sometimes your body doesn’t cooperate.
But no injury can erase the impact he had on my life.
When people praise my scoring ability, they’re really praising years of losing, battling, adjusting, and growing against one person. My brother.
Without Vernon “Jake” Schifino, I honestly don’t believe I become the player I was. Sometimes your biggest rival ends up being your greatest blessing.
Mine just happened to live in the same house.