Central Valley Roundball Holiday Classic hits 30th anniversary
CENTER TWP. – Big Names. Big Games.
That's the theme for this year's Central Valley Roundball Holiday Classic, which will be played Thursday and Friday at the Community College of Beaver County Dome.
Actually, "Big Teams" could be part of the slogan as well.
In its 30th anniversary, the event has developed into a blockbuster showcase that will feature some of the WPIAL’s most successful boys basketball teams and the top players on those teams.
And this year, two teams from the eastern part of the state ― Archbishop Wood and West Philadelphia ― will come to Beaver County.
“This is easily the strongest field we've had in 30 years," said CVRHC director Dave Ambrose. "We want to bring great basketball to Beaver County.”
In 1992 when the tournament was first played, there were just four boys teams in the field: Center, Monaca, Freedom and Moon. Ever since then, the event has grown and grown.
This year, the Central Valley Roundball Holiday Classic has expanded its boys field from the 10 boys teams it had last year to 12.
It's the biggest series of holiday games in the WPIAL. The second-largest is the Holiday Bash at North Allegheny, which features 10 teams.
Among the teams playing at the Dome this week are Lincoln Park, Aliquippa, Central Valley, Laurel Highlands, Highlands, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland and Chartiers Valley. Those seven teams have combined to win 15 WPIAL titles in the past 10 years.
Laurel Highlands, led by all-state football and basketball star Rodney Gallagher, is the reigning WPIAL 5-A title and has won three of the last four WPIAL 5A championship games.
Aliquippa hasn't won a WPIAL title since 2016, but it did advance to the state 3-A final last year. The Quips return most of their starters.
In the most recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette WPIAL rankings, Penn Hills is No. 1 in 5A; Lincoln Park, Laurel Highlands and Highlands are 1, 2 and 3 in 4A; while Aliquippa is No. 1 in 2A.
Archbishop Wood, which is located 14 miles north of Philadelphia, has played in four 6A finals in the past six years. It won the state title in 2017, then lost to Moon in 2019, Reading in 2021 and Philadelphia's Roman Catholic last year.
West Philadelphia has never won a PIAA championship. But for decades, the Speedboys' program held the state record for most consecutive wins with 68 straight victories from Jan. 25, 1976, through Feb. 19, 1978. The 1977 West Philadelphia team went 30-0, but in those days, teams from Philadelphia didn't compete in the PIAA.
West Philly's record was broken Dec. 3 by Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. The Chargers have now won 74 straight games.
Other boys teams in the Central Valley Roundball Holiday Class field are Blackhawk and Sto-Rox. Those two programs have have multiple WPIAL titles over the years.
Here's the schedule for Thursday's boys games:Blackhawk vs. Sto-Rox, 1 p.m.Pine-Richland vs. Highlands, 2:30 p.m.Lincoln Park vs. Laurel Highlands, 4 p.m.Penn Hills vs. Archbishop Wood, 5:30 p.m.Aliquippa vs. West Philadelphia, 7 p.m.Central Valley vs. Chartiers Valley, 8:30 p.m.
Then on Friday, it will be:Blackhawk vs. Pine-Richland, 1 p.m.Central Valley vs. Sto-Rox, 2:30 p.m.Aliquippa vs. Chartiers Valley, 4 p.m.Laurel Highlands vs. West Philadelphia, 5:30 p.m.Lincoln Park vs. Archbishop Wood, 7 p.m.Highlands vs. Penn Hills, 8:30 p.m.
“Our committee came up with the pairings," Ambrose said. "We consider some of those games as classic matchups. But I really believe that every one of those games will be competitive.”
"Historically, we've always tried to play in it," said Lincoln Park coach Mike Bariski, whose Leopards will play in two of those "classic matchups" that Ambrose alluded to.
"We can stay local and also get some good competition. We try to stay loyal to that tournament as long as it's competitive because some games there make you a lot better. Obviously, playing these two high-caliber teams (Laurel Highlands and Archbishop Wood) make us a lot better.”
As far as the roundball holiday classic bringing in West Philadelphia and Archbishop Wood, Bariski said "It's smart. It's a draw. People are going to see how the other half of the state plays. You'll see some Philadelphia basketball. There's no comparison between Philly basketball and anywhere else in the state."
As far as some of the best individuals who'll be at the Dome this week, start with Gallagher. Last week, he signed a national letter of intent to play football at West Virginia where he’ll play either wide receiver or defensive back. Gallagher, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, was first-team all-state last year.
Lincoln Park has two of the best sophomores in the state. One of them is Meleek Thomas, who according to one scouting service, is the No.1 ranked point guard nationally in the class of 2025. He already has offers from Pitt, Indiana, St. John's, Kansas State and Missouri.
The other highly-regarded Leopard is Brandin Cummings, the younger brother of former Lincoln Park star Nelly Cummings, who's now playing at Pitt. Brandin Cummings has offers from Pitt, Duquesne, Creighton and South Carolina.
Last year, Cummings and Thomas were named second-team and third-team all-state, respectively.
Archbishop Wood's Jalil Bethea, a 6-4 senior guard, has close to 20 scholarship offers. Among them are offers from Villanova, UCLA, Pitt, Penn State, Temple and Miami (Fla.). Archbishop Woods' Carson Howard, a 6-8 forward, recently signed with NCAA Division II East Stroudsburg.
Other high-profile players in the field include Chartiers Valley’s Jayden Davis, a sophomore guard who averaged 27 points per game last year; Highlands guard Jimmy Kunst, who's an Eastern Michigan baseball recruit; Penn Hills' Daemar Kelly, a Quinnipiac recruit; and Laurel Highlands' Keondre DeShields, who was third-team all-state last year.Two highly-regarded local players won't play in the CVRHC as they recover from football injuries: Central Valley's Jayvin Thompson (hand) and Aliquippa's Brandon Banks (shoulder).
“It’s pretty neat,” Aliquippa coach Nick Lackovich said of the strong 12-team field. “We are always looking forward to playing good competition. Any time you’re able to play good, quality teams you normally wouldn't play, that’s a great opportunity.”
“It's the best holiday tournament around,” Bariski said. “I don't know who can match it."
The Central Valley Roundball Holiday Classic will also feature four girls teams. On Thursday, it'll be Moon vs. Rochester at 10 a.m. and Central Valley vs. Aliquippa at 11:30. The losers of those games play at 10 a.m. Friday and the winners at 11:30.
Tickets will be available at the door and online. Adult tickets cost $10 and student tickets $5 per day. Tickets purchased at Golden Dome will be cash only. Tickets can be purchased online on the GoFan app.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: The 30th annual Central Valley Roundball Holiday Classic begins Thursday.
