Wilkinsburg basketball players inspired by teammates, look to AAU and summer leagues

Wilkins burg’s Hill brothers are both in the 1,000 point club. Elisha Hill got his 1,000^th point during Wilkinsburg’s early playoff loss to Jeannette. For both players, the milestone was in the background.

“They were aware of [being near 1,000 points} but they weren’t concentrating on it when they were playing in the playoffs,” said head coach Reuben Coleman.  Most basketball players put teams first, and the Hill brothers are no exception.

The other Tigers were quite happy for Elijah and Elisha, though. “The team was just as happy for them as if they were the ones who’d gotten it,” said Coleman. “We had another player who’s actually a standout football player – Rasheed Howard. He was playing in the Super 60 game and our team went crazy. For the younger people, it’s all very inspiring.”

Wilkinsburg (17-5) finished their WPIAL Class AA playoffs on Wednesday, February 22 in a 74-72 preliminary loss to Jeannette. But the team is looking to the future.

“What we do is we start preparing for the next season -- conditioning, running, weights, and skill development,” said Coleman.  Like many teams, Wilkinsburg has players with only a few weeks before going to play basketball for their AAU teams. The season doesn’t end there for Wilkinsburg, either; Wilkinsburg plays summer basketball in the Gateway League.

“It’s all what you do in the off season that prepares you for what you do n the regular season,” Coleman said. “Younger ones know and they’re inspired. As good as you are, it’s all in what you do.”