Perhaps a bit overshadowed this time of year because of the high school basketball playoffs, the great sucess that local college have had this season. Gannon and Edinboro are both ranked in the top 15 of the nation and Behrend had another 20-win season and earned a berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Brian Flanagan's resignation at Prep says a lot about the kind of intensity and time you need to be a winner at the high school level these days, especially for a school like Cathedral Prep that uses it's athletics as a prime recruiting tool to attract student-athletes. Realize that most coaches do it for love of the game and the kids. It's not for the money. Some coaches, who don't work for the school district, have 40-hour a week full time jobs elsewhere. And it's not just showing up for the games and practices. You have to watch film, scout other teams, deal with player problems, parent problems, etc. Imagine working your job, then getting on a bus and travelling that night, coaching a game, back on the bus to go home and having to get up to go to the work the next morning. I think that's why, more and more, you don't see coaches stick around for years and years like they used to. The demands are tougher and it's not an easy job. You really have to love it.

One thing we have to deal with this time of the year in covering the high school basketball playoffs is the weather. It would seem to most people that last Friday, March 7th, it would be a no-brainer to postpone and re-schedule the PIAA playoff games in this part of the state with the forecast of 2-feet of snow on the way. But I know from dealing with this type of situation in the past, it's not always a given. Many times I was sure they would postpone PIAA playoff games, only to have them played in miserable and at times, dangerous weather. Like what happened to Saint Joseph's High School near Pittsburgh a week before. According to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it was snowing all day in Pittsburgh on Friday February 29th. St Joe's was scheduled to play a game in Ebensburg, in the mountains of central Pa. near Johnstown. Apparently they called the PIAA to try and get the game re-scheduled, only to be told to either make the trip and play or forfeit the game. The athletic director made the decision to not go. St. Joe's ended their season in the playoffs with a forfeit. You see, still fresh in the minds of the St. Joe's students, teachers and parents was the fact that one of their seniors was killed in an auto accident a week before Christmas.They made the decision to not risk any more lives, No one disagreed with the decision. It's too bad the PIAA did not see it that way. That's why, last Friday it was still a surprise to me that the games were postponed. So I applaud the PIAA for a resonable and sound decision about not playing games in bad weather. It's not always the case.. Just ask St. Joe's.

It all ends so suddenly for those of us who cover local sports. One week you're running around to different parts of the state covering high school basketball and hockey playoffs and then the next week, it's over, no one left. So, in this week Sporstwatch blog, a few leftover thoughts. How about the football-basketball championship schools. Until General McLane claimed the feat in the same school year last year, NO ONE HAD EVER DONE IT !!! One year later, two schools do it !!! Jeannette in Double-A and Steelton-Highspire in Triple-A and ironically, it was Steelton-Highspire that knocked out the Lancers in the state semi-finals. Oh well, at least McLane can always claim to be the first one to do it.
I don't think the new NBA D-League team announced in Erie this week is going to be some fly-by-night organization. This is legit folks. Back by the NBA, a close affiliation with the Cleveland Cavs and quality players involved should make for a good product. For the Cavs to send their General Manager, Danny Ferry, to the press conference shows how important it is.
Ron Sertz, who will be the President of the team, told me that unless you're a high draft pick and almost assured of making the roster, you can't get to the NBA unless you go through the NBA D-League. Something else to cover next winter, but I think this is going to be great. How it fits into the Tullio Arena schedule with the Otters should be interesting as well. Now that the winter sports seasons are over, let's bring on baseball and springtime.

It certainly has been a great start to March Madness hasn't it ???? Going into this weekend's Sweet Sixteen, you have all top four region seeds still alive and then a great combination of cinderella stories and others who could get a break or two and win it all as well.
I'm too caught up in the local college basketball scene to really watch the Division I hoops closely during the regular season since we are busy covering Gannon, Edinboro and Mercyhurst for starters. Now that their seasons are over, getting into March Madness is a great way to make it through the last part of winter. Think about it, March Madness in full swing. the baseball season ready to start next week and then the Masters on CBS in two weeks. It is more than just college hoops that keeps the sports fan occupied.
Gotta give a big thanks to all those who help out with the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the play "We Watched HIm Die" that I'm involved in. Those are two other reasons I like this time of year with spring right around the corner. I get a chance to get away from the ussual sports world and business and use by talents in another way. I play Pilate in the play and it's almost like I'm a frustrated sports bookie. I bet you never heard that analogy before. Anyway, Happy Easter and we have to start tee-ing up soon !!!