When Upper St. Clair students begin the new school year Wednesday, chances are many kids will be telling each other what they did over the summer.
Odds are quite a few went on family vacations or spent a lot of time relaxing in swimming pools, and then there’s the case of sophomore Peja Strobl, whose summer was undoubtedly unlike any of his classmates.
Strobl spent most of his summer in Europe training for and then playing for Austria at the European U16 Basketball Championship in Romania. But Strobl didn’t just play in the tournament, he excelled, as he was the second-leading scorer in the 22-team tournament.
“I enjoyed the experience a lot, on and off the court,” said Strobl, a 6-foot-3 guard. “I loved the culture and the food, and on the court, it was awesome playing with a shot clock again.”
Strobl is eligble to play for Austria as he has dual-citizenship with that country and the United States. He was born in Austria when his dad, Pete, was playing professional basketball there. The family moved to Western Pennsylvania a few years later before moving to Germany (they lived in Ulm, Braunschweig and Giessen) when Peja was 9. After Pete spent a few seasons coaching in the German Bundesliga, the family returned to Western Pa. just months before Peja’s freshman year at Upper St. Clair.
Playing for Austria was a first for Peja Strobl, so he first had to make the team. There were tryouts, but since it was a bit too far of a commute for Strobl to make, he was instead asked to send film of three full high school games from last season when Strobl saw varsity action off the bench. The Austrian team must have liked what they saw because Strobl was selected for the team.
Strobl spent seven weeks in Europe before returning home late last week. He trained in Austria, visited London, trained again in Austria, and then traveled to Pitesti, Romania, for the championship. The European Championships are held annually and feature three divisions — A, B and C. Romania was in the ‘B’ division. A relegation system is used, with the top three finishers in ‘B’ being promoted to ‘A’ next season and the bottom three being relegated to ‘C.’
“It was interesting for me being the new guy, meeting a bunch of new faces and trying to figure out who is who and getting to know everyone,” said Strobl, who received a Division I offer from South Carolina Upstate just before his ninth-grade year at Upper St. Clair.
In a way, Strobl fit in perfectly, gaining the respect of his teammates and coaches. But in another way, he stood out, that being through his outstanding play. Despite coming off the bench every game, Strobl finished as the tournament’s second-leading scorer with 19 points per game. He also led the tournament in 3.7 made 3-pointers per game. Strobl’s best scoring effort came against Iceland when he went off for 25 points. He reached double-digits in scoring each game.
As a team, Austria struggled, going 0-4 in the group phase. However, the team bounced back to rout Norway before ending the tournament with a loss to the Netherlands. By finishing in 18th place, Austria narrowly avoided relegation. Croatia won the tournament and will next year move up to the “A” division along with second-place Bulgaria and third-place Georgia.
Strobl said he enjoyed playing by international rules again. Along with the shot clock, the games consisted of four 10-minute quarters.
“It was just more under control,” he said. “I liked [the shot clock] a lot because teams can’t hold the ball for four or five minutes. There’s just a lot more thinking and better ball movement. There are a lot of smart European players.”
Making the experience extra special for Strobl was that he followed in his father’s footsteps in playing for Austria’s national team. Pete Strobl competed for Austria’s Senior National Team years ago.
“It was a huge honor for me to be able to accomplish that,” said Peja, who said he speaks fluent German.
In 2009, Pete Strobl founded The Scoring Factory, which provides skill training locally. Pete and his wife, Sheryl, both made the trip to Romania to watch Peja play. Peja said his dad’s message to him was to “go hard and make us proud.” Sheryl (Klick) Strobl was a basketball star herself who is in Upper St. Clair’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Peja is the oldest of the couple’s four children — Kaiser, Bastien and Vienika are the others.
Peja said he hopes to one day again don an Austria jersey, possibly as soon as next summer. And who knows, Strobl’s basketball journey could see him play professionally in Europe someday just like his dad. Strobl, though, is setting his goals sky high.
Said Strobl, “I want to play at the highest level possible.”
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.