Few coaches in any WPIAL sport — if any — have engineered a turnaround as remarkable as what Tony DiCenzo has accomplished at South Allegheny over the past half-decade.
To transform one of the area’s most downtrodden programs into a legitimate title contender with a proven playoff pedigree in the span of five years is no easy feat, no matter the circumstances. To do so while also spending the previous two years competing in Class 4A — both times advancing to the WPIAL quarterfinals and qualifying for the PIAA tournament — speaks volumes to the culture of success DiCenzo and his staff have instilled in such a short period of time.
But despite the feel-good nature of all the Gladiators have achieved in recent years, there is still one piece of hardware missing from their trophy case — that elusive WPIAL title.
“I’d like to think we’re one of the better teams in [Class] 3A right now, but there is a long way to go,” DiCenzo said. “We haven’t accomplished anything yet.”
In a historic 2019-20 season that laid the groundwork for years to come, South Allegheny surged to its first section title in 23 years and only the second in school history, finishing with a record of 24-3 after falling to North Catholic in the WPIAL semifinals. The following year, the top-seeded Gladiators advanced to their first WPIAL championship game, where they suffered a heart-wrenching 53-50 upset loss against No. 11 Ellwood City in the Class 3A final.
In 2021-22, South Allegheny advanced to both the WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A semifinals, and both times the Gladiators came up just short — first in a 46-43 nail-biter against Avonworth in the WPIAL semifinals, then in a devastating 57-55 defeat against Aliquippa in the Western Region final. South Allegheny spent the next two years in Class 4A, competing against the likes of back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA champion Lincoln Park — the team that knocked the Gladiators out of both the WPIAL and PIAA tournaments in 2023.
All along, DiCenzo has shifted the culture at South Allegheny and instilled a winning tradition that has carried over from year-to-year — something even the Gladiators’ most loyal fans would have found downright unthinkable prior to DiCenzo’s arrival in 2012.
“There were certainly some dark days back then,” DiCenzo said. “The kids see what the upperclassmen are doing ahead of them [now] and what the requirements are. We have had a nice five- or six-year run where the names change, but the results are consistent. Good players help with that. We’ve had good guys who have really bought into our philosophy, and that mixture is why we have had so much success.”
Now back in Class 3A for the current two-year cycle, South Allegheny (10-1, 2-0) has been one of the most impressive teams in the WPIAL so far this season, regardless of classification. The Gladiators own victories against Class 5A contender South Fayette (57-46 on Dec. 27) and Class 4A contender Belle Vernon (69-58 on Nov. 30), and their only loss was a 63-45 defeat on the road against Class 6A powerhouse New Castle on Dec. 7.
Averaging 67.5 points per game as a team — second best behind Aliquippa in Class 3A — South Allegheny features a trio of double-digit scorers in junior guard Drew Cook (19.4 ppg), senior guard Cameron Epps (18.6 ppg) and senior forward Jack Jackowski (13 ppg).
“We’re balanced,” DiCenzo said. “I think that’s the best way to describe this team. Probably moreso than others that we’ve had. … We lean heavily on our guards and our perimeter play, but we start three kids over 6-3. It gives us a little bit of everything.”
Epps, of course, is the younger brother of Antonio and Bryce Epps, two of the players primarily responsible for lifting the Gladiators out of the cellar and into the upper echelon of contenders in Class 3A. Antonio Epps was a two-sport star who went on to play football at Duquesne, while Bryce graduated as South Allegheny’s all-time leading scorer in 2023 after a stellar four-year career.
Standing only 5 feet 7, Cameron Epps is the smallest of the three brothers and usually the shortest player on the court — but he makes up for his lack of height with a reliable handle, smooth shooting touch and a level of intensity on defense few opposing guards can handle.
“He’s tenacious on defense. He’s a problem for the other team’s point guards most nights. Really throws the other team’s rhythm off on the offensive end, and he takes a ton of pride in it,” DiCenzo said. “I think that’s what separates him. His dedication to defense and how much that impacts our team.”
As for Cook, the 6-1 junior earned PUP “Best of the Rest” honors after a sensational campaign at wide receiver for the Gladiators last fall, when he caught 80 passes (No. 2 in the WPIAL) for 1,490 yards (most in the WPIAL) and scored 18 touchdowns. Cook is equally prolific on the hardwood, where he uses his elite athletic ability and jaw-dropping quickness to slash to the hoop with ease.
“He’s just a natural scorer,” DiCenzo said. “He’ll have 21, 23, 24, and it’s quiet. He’s always consistently around 20 points per game. He just finds a way to score the ball. It’s pretty impressive. … He’s the best athlete on the floor most nights, and he’s very versatile. He’s a great shooter from the perimeter, but he’s athletic enough, strong enough and has enough size to get to the rim and finish around the basket.”
With the 6-4 Jackowski rounding out South Allegheny’s talented trio of scorers while providing a formidable presence in the paint alongside 6-3 center Camden Lewis, the Gladiators have gotten a solid mix of production from both the frontcourt and backcourt this season. All in all, this could be DiCenzo’s most well-rounded team yet — and with section play heating up and a handful of marquee matchups still looming on the schedule, there’s no doubt South Allegheny will be battle-tested when the playoffs come around.
But do the Gladiators have what it takes to finally reach the proverbial mountaintop and capture their first WPIAL championship? Only time will tell.
“All those experiences [in previous years] really helped us grow,” DiCenzo said. “Our seasons have been extended pretty long. … [In 2022], we went to the Western Region final. Our seniors now were freshmen on that team. We have gotten an extended amount of time together, practice time and important moments in games. It has allowed our program to really grow and take off.”
Salvino slips into second place on career wins list
The winningest active coach in the WPIAL took one step closer to the top of the all-time leader board last week.
Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino broke a tie for second place with former Geibel Catholic and Immaculate Conception coach Ken Misiak when the Leopards defeated rival Elizabeth Forward, 63-59, in a Class 4A Section 3 clash last Friday. Salvino now holds a career record of 731-313.
After spending the first 34 years of his storied career at Monessen, where he won six WPIAL titles and a pair of PIAA crowns, Salvino is now in his seventh season at Belle Vernon (8-4, 3-1). He is 70 wins away from tying the WPIAL record held by former North Catholic coach Don Graham, who went 801-436 during his legendary 51-year career from 1948-99.
Latrobe looking like legitimate threat in Class 5A
Following in the footsteps of older brothers Austin and Bryce Butler — two of the best players to come out of Western Pennsylvania over the previous decade — senior guard Max Butler has plans on leaving his own legacy at Latrobe before he graduates in the spring.
He still has a long way to go to match his older brothers’ lofty feats, but so far, Butler and the Wildcats are firing on all cylinders heading into 2025.
In an 80-55 win against Monessen on Dec. 21, Ian DeCerb led Latrobe with a career-high 25 points to go with 24 from Butler — then the Wildcats embarked on a trip to Indiana over the holidays for the Shenandoah Raider Classic. Playing three games in two days from Dec. 27-28, Latrobe (11-1, 3-1) won all three — first defeating Indianapolis Lutheran, Ind., 53-36, then beating Blackford, Ind., later that night, 66-56. The next day, the Wildcats defeated host Shenandoah, Ind., 56-50.
After returning home to start the new year, Butler poured in a game-high 26 points to lead Latrobe to a 53-50 triumph in enemy territory against rival Penn-Trafford on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats will now take a six-game winning streak into Tuesday night’s matchup against 2024 WPIAL finalist Franklin Regional.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
