RJ Sledge and Dame Givner have been playing basketball together since they were little, but the two figured their run as teammates had come to an end when Givner transferred to a prep school after the two helped lead Imani Christian to a PIAA Class 1A title in 2023.
“We thought that Imani game was the last game we were going to play together,” Sledge admits.
As it turns out, the two will indeed play together again. And it will come just up the road at Slippery Rock, which landed high-scoring Beaver standout Brady Mayo over the weekend, too.
Landing Sledge, Givner and Mayo in the span of two weeks could be a major coup for Slippery Rock, which went 15-14 overall and 11-9 in the PSAC last season. All three players are former all-state selections, with Givner earning the honor in 2023, Sledge in 2024 and Mayo in 2025. Mayo (26 ppg) ranked second in the WPIAL in scoring this past season, while Sledge (22 ppg) led all WPIAL Class 6A players in scoring. Givner played this past season at L.A. Premier Prep in California after spending his junior year at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut.
Sledge, who won three WPIAL and three PIAA titles during his high school career, believes the three will make a big impact at Slippery Rock.
“We have a chip on our shoulder because we were overlooked. So we’re going to go there and do good,” said Sledge, a 5-foot-11 guard who lives in the Hill District.
Sledge was a second-team all-PUP selection this past season, as was Mayo, a 6-1 guard who pumped in 1,751 career points. Mayo appeared to be destined to play college football, as he committed to Bucknell just before his senior season. But Mayo had a change of heart in recent weeks.
“In the weeks leading up to the decision, I just think in my heart it felt like I wanted to play basketball,” said Mayo, who notified Bucknell coaches of his intentions last week.
Mayo visited both Slippery Rock and Gannon. He held offers from those schools, along with ones from fellow Division II schools Pitt-Johnstown, Millersville and Fairmont State.
“I really like the coaches, and I really like the school aspect of Slippery Rock,” said Mayo, who plans on majoring in cybersecurity. “I’m looking forward to building a bond with the team.”
That team will also include both Sledge and Givner, who helped Imani Christian win WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2023. Sledge said a Slippery Rock coach was on hand to watch the two play in an AAU tournament in Pittsburgh on April 12. Sledge had actually taken a visit to the school that morning. He also held Division I offers from Fordham, Canisius, North Carolina A&T and Bethune-Cookman.
“They showed me the most love, and it was close to home. Academics is first. I think about life after basketball,” said Sledge, who said he is thinking about majoring in safety management.
Sledge said he is thrilled to be teammates again with Givner, a 6-1 guard who averaged 15 points per game his sophomore season at Imani Christian. Sledge said the two talk just about every day.
“I’m excited because it’s going to be easier in college now,” Sledge said. “I’ve already played with him, so it will be easier for me to do things. He knows my game, and I know his.”
South Fayette 5 for 5
A lineup consisting of five players holding Division I offers hasn’t happened recently in WPIAL basketball, if ever, but it looks like that will be the case when the South Fayette girls take the court next season.
Fresh off its first PIAA title, South Fayette will be loaded once again in 2025-26. Junior Juju Leroux held multiple offers headed into the current AAU season, and four of her teammates claimed their first offers in recent weeks — junior Haylie Lamonde (Cornell), junior Ryan Oldaker (Rider), sophomore Lailah Wright (Le Moyne) and freshman Ella Vierra (Duquesne). Leroux, Lamonde, Oldaker and Wright were all starters for South Fayette this past season. Vierra was one of the first players off the bench and is expected to join the starting lineup next season.
Leroux, who scored 40 points in a recent AAU game, has seen her recruitment sizzle as of late. Her latest offers include Massachusetts, St. Bonaventure, Kent State and Air Force.
Two former South Fayette players are currently playing Division I basketball. Maddie Webber is at Illinois and Ava Leroux at Robert Morris.
Shanafelt, Timmons pick schools
Two of the WPIAL’s top junior football players committed to schools last week, with Peters Township defensive end-wide receiver Lucas Shanafelt choosing Stanford and Pine-Richland cornerback-wide receiver Jay Timmons selecting Indiana.
It’s the second year in a row that a Peters Township player has picked Stanford. Mickey Vaccarello is a standout senior linebacker who committed to the Cardinal last April. Shanafelt’s other offers included Pitt, West Virginia and Toledo.
Timmons is ranked by Rivals as the No. 17 junior in the state. Pitt, West Virginia, Iowa, Wisconsin and Syracuse were among the other schools to offer Timmons, son of former Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons.
Two to NIU
A pair of former WPIAL basketball standouts sought new homes this spring after transferring from Division I schools. And wouldn’t you know, they both decided on the same landing spot, that being a Mid-American Conference school located in DeKalb, Ill.
Penn Hills graduate Daemar Kelly and Steel Valley graduate Makhai Valentine will continue their careers at Northern Illinois. Kelly, a 6-5 guard, played his freshman season at Quinnipiac and his sophomore season at Saint Francis, which he helped reach the NCAA tournament last season. Kelly hit the transfer portal after it was announced that Saint Francis will be dropping to Division III in 2026. Valentine, a 6-3 guard, played a season at Link Academy, a prep school, before spending the past season at Missouri State.
Henderson to Missouri
Bralen Henderson had only a handful of offers by the time he graduated from Central Catholic in 2021. But during his most recent recruitment that concluded over the weekend, he had more than 20, some of which came from schools in power conferences.
Henderson, a defensive tackle who spent the past four seasons at Ohio, committed to Missouri of the Southeastern Conference on Sunday. The Tigers had offered just over a week earlier. Pitt, Ole Miss, Miami, Utah, Vanderbilt and California were among the other schools to offer Henderson, who has one year of remaining eligibility. In 14 games last season (all starts), Henderson collected 26 total tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss.
Baseball commitment
Penn-Trafford’s Hunter Brown (Pitt-Johnstown).
Basketball commitments
Latrobe’s Max Butler (Coker); Nazareth Prep’s Will Evans (Terra State); Trinity’s Jacob Dunkle (Penn State Behrend).
Swimming commitment
Avonworth’s Kacey LaVelle (Penn State Behrend).
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.