For every great champion, there’s usually one team that defines an era. For me and my Penn Hills teams, that team was New Castle.

From 1997 through 1999, New Castle captured three straight WPIAL Class 4A championships, and looking back all these years later, I can honestly say they were the greatest high school basketball team I ever faced.

As much as it pains me to admit it… I respected every second of it.

If New Castle never existed, I truly believe my Penn Hills teams would’ve won three straight WPIAL championships. Instead, every road to a title seemed to run through those red jerseys.

 

A Coach Who Was Playing Chess

When people talk about that dynasty, they always start with the players. They should.

But I always start with the coach. John Sarandrea wasn’t just another great WPIAL coach. He had seen basketball at a much higher level before arriving in Western Pennsylvania. Before New Castle, Sarandrea built a powerhouse at Tolentine High School in the Bronx, coaching future NBA talent and leading his team to the No. 1 ranking in the nation. In 1988, he was named USA Today’s National Coach of the Year. He later spent four seasons as an assistant coach at University of Pittsburgh.

You could tell.

Every time we played New Castle, it felt like they were running college game plans against high school teams. I remember thinking before tip-off that we were already at a coaching disadvantage. He coached circles around a lot of WPIAL coaches. I’ve even wondered over the years what would’ve happened if I had played for a coach like John Sarandrea. Would I have won multiple WPIAL championships? Maybe. We’ll never know.

 

A Starting Five That Had No Weakness

The scary part wasn’t just the coaching. It was the players. Every starter could beat you.

Their center, Justin Farris, was an absolute monster. He reminded me of Bryant Reeves, “Big Country.” Strong. Physical. Skilled. We simply had no answer for him inside.

At power forward was Pat Cain. He was another physical force. The fact that he earned a Division I football scholarship tells you everything you need to know about the type of athlete he was.

Then there was Dave Young. In my opinion, he’s one of the ten greatest players to ever come through the WPIAL. He was a Top-100 recruit, starred at Xavier University, and was eventually drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics. He could score from anywhere. He could defend. He could rebound. When Dave Young got hot… The game was basically over. Every time we matched up, I knew everyone in the gym was watching him and me. We were the two best players in the WPIAL at that time, and those battles always brought out the best in both of us.

At shooting guard they had Ed Pagley. Every time he let a three-pointer go, I remember quietly saying to myself… “Here we go.” He reminded me of Steve Kerr or John Paxson. In my opinion, he was the best three-point shooter in the WPIAL during that era.

Running the show was Desmond Whetzel. He had that herky-jerky game that constantly kept defenders off balance. Everything started with him. I truly believe he had legitimate Division I talent. If his academics had lined up, I think he could’ve played at a very high level.

The crazy part? Those guys were winning championships as sophomores. That wasn’t normal.

 

My First Taste of the Dynasty

The first time we met New Castle was my sophomore season. They were already defending WPIAL champions. We had just beaten Uniontown in the playoffs and were feeling great. In my mind, there was no way we were losing.

Then we walked into Aliquippa.

I remember thinking Penn Hills was going to take over the gym. We brought two fan buses. I expected our crowd to be everywhere. Instead… New Castle fans packed that place. I had never seen anything like it. It honestly gave me secondhand embarrassment looking at our side compared to theirs.

Then the game started.

For a while, we traded punches. Then Dave Young and Ed Pagley caught fire from three-point range. It felt like smoke was coming off their hands. They beat us convincingly.

Walking off that floor, I realized something. New Castle wasn’t just good. They were different.

 

Déjà Vu

Later that same postseason, we met again in the state quarterfinals. Same gym. Same opponent. Same result.

They beat us again.

The only bright spot personally was that I had five dunks that night. Coaches from West Virginia University and Xavier were both there and offered me scholarships after the game. That moment meant a lot.

But I would’ve traded every dunk and every offer just to beat New Castle.

Instead… They ended our season again.

Ironically, I still believe that sophomore Penn Hills team was the best team we had during my four years. We just happened to run into a dynasty.

 

One More Chance

My junior year gave us another opportunity. This time it was the state semifinals at the A.J. Palumbo Center. We came out flying. Built a double-digit lead. Our crowd was loud. I was talking trash. Our fans were talking trash.

For the first time, it honestly felt like we were about to beat them.

What most people didn’t know was I was battling strep throat. I was extremely sick. But there was no way I wasn’t playing.

Then Dave Young happened.

He buried three after three after three. One possession still sticks with me. He hit a three… Got fouled by me… Made the free throw. A four-point play.

At that moment, I knew. Our season was over.

Again.

 

The Team That Made Me Better

My senior year was finally different. New Castle’s legendary starting five had graduated. Penn Hills won the WPIAL championship, and I set the WPIAL playoff scoring record. It was everything I had dreamed about.

But part of me always wished New Castle had still been there waiting in the championship game.

That would’ve been the perfect ending. Because as satisfying as winning that title was… Beating that New Castle team would’ve meant even more.

 

Respect Earned

At the time, I couldn’t stand New Castle. Not because of who they were as people. Because I respected them. They stood between us and championships. They forced us to become better. They represented everything a championship team should be. Great coaching. Great players. Unselfish basketball. An unbelievable fan base.

Looking back now, I don’t think of them as the team that ruined my high school career. I think of them as the greatest high school basketball team I ever played against.

Sometimes greatness isn’t measured only by the championships you win. Sometimes it’s measured by the respect your biggest rival still has for you decades later.

New Castle earned mine.

And if you were around WPIAL basketball in the late 1990s, you know exactly what I’m talking about.