Even though now he’s in college, the teenager who scored more points than any high school boys basketball player in WPIAL history still enjoys big numbers.
“I really like accounting,” said Vinnie Cugini, a freshman at Pitt-Johnstown majoring in business finance. “It’s pretty cool. I didn’t think I’d like it as much as I do, but I like working with numbers.”
And while his numbers on the court look much different than they did when he was a four-time WPIAL scoring champion at Aquinas Academy, Cugini still has been able to carve out a big early role in his rookie season playing in the NCAA Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of Cugini breaking Tom Pipkins’ 30-year-old WPIAL career scoring record. In a packed gym at Neighborhood Academy, located in Stanton Heights, Cugini sank a free throw with 2:08 remaining in the game for his 2,839th career point, eclipsing Pipkins’ record. Cugini scored 33 points in the game and went on to increase his career total to 3,189 before the end of the season, one which saw Cugini pump in 43.7 points per game and lead the Crusaders to their first WPIAL playoff win.
“It was super cool and something I’ll never forget,” the Morningside native said of his season-long chase of the record. “It was really good for me and for the school. High school feels like forever ago. It feels like I’ve been here a while at school, but at the same time it feels like just yesterday that I played my final game.”
A large media presence was there that night at Neighborhood Academy, as was former Steelers star Ryan Shazier. And also in the house was Cugini’s current coach, Bob Rukavina, who in 35 seasons at Pitt-Johnstown has collected 553 wins. Pitt-Johnstown was the only college to offer a scholarship to Cugini, who verbally committed while on an official visit to the school in September of his junior year.
“I thought he had a toughness about him,” Rukavina said. “He plays really hard. He’s really good in the open court. We didn’t have anyone like him that did those things.”
Well, now the Mountain Cats do, as Cugini has been a key reserve throughout the season and recently made his first career start.
In Cugini’s high school career, it might take him only three games to score 124 points, but that’s how many points he has total this season after shifting from star player to role player. Cugini, a 6-foot-2 guard, is seventh on the team in minutes (17.4 per game) and points (6.2), and is fifth in rebounds (3.5). He’s shooting 42% from the field and 94% from the free-throw line. Cugini has converted 2 of 10 3-point attempts. He has scored in double figures six times and scored a season-high 17 points Dec. 18 in a win against Bloomsburg.
“He’s been the first guy off the bench most of the year,” Rukavina said. “We’re putting him on some of the other team’s best scorers. He has good feet. He can guard as well as anyone we have. He’s been good in the open court. He’s just basically been trying to fit in.”
Added Cugini, “I’ve just been trying to find my role and trying to get on the court as much as I can. This is a big learning year for me. I feel like me and a lot of the young guys are just trying to find our roles.”
It has been a challenging season for Pitt-Johnstown, which has lost eight consecutive games and will take a 5-15 overall record (3-11 in the PSAC) into a home contest Saturday against Mercyhurst. Cugini is one of four freshmen on the team and the Mountain Cats have dealt with “a million injuries,” Rukavina said.
A starter coming down with an illness allowed Cugini to make his first start Jan. 24 at California, an assignment Cugini didn’t find out about until an hour before the game. Playing against a California team then ranked No. 17 in Division II, Cugini scored 11 points in a 95-74 loss. Cugini was 3 of 8 from the field, 1 of 1 from behind the arc, and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line.
Rukavina hinted that Cugini could be in line Saturday to make his second start.
The transition to college has been smooth on and off the court, Cugini said. He holds a 3.8 grade-point average and already has made the dean’s list. Cugini’s roommate is Ryan Koch, a freshman who played at Berks Catholic. The two took their official visits to Pitt-Johnstown the same weekend.
“Class-wise, Aquinas has prepared me greatly for this,” Cugini said. “Basketball has been really good. Everyone on the team is young, and I’ve been getting a lot of opportunities. Everything has been pretty smooth. And it’s not super far away from home, so I get to see my family a lot.”
Family means a lot to Cugini, and when he committed to Pitt-Johnstown, he said that feeling like he was already a member of the family was one of the main reasons why he made his decision.
Rukavina is excited that Cugini will continue to be part of the Pitt-Johnstown family for seasons to come.
“He’s a hard worker and has a lot of skills,” Rukavina said, “so I think he will be a very good player at this level.”
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.