Here are your 2022-23 Centre Daily Times boys and girls basketball All-Centre teams
The Centre Daily Times has put together All-Centre boys and girls’ basketball teams for the first time. Coaches’ nominations and the weight of statistics were considered in the selection process.
We asked coaches from each Centre Daily County school district (Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, Penns Valley, Philipsburg-Osceola, State College) and private school (Saint Joseph’s Catholic) to assist in developing the list by nominating players.
From there, we created the full teams by using the nominations and statistics.
Five players regardless of position were selected to the first team with one player being named the Player of the Year and another being named Defensive Player of the Year. Defensive Player of the Year was additionally eligible for First Team. There are five Second Team selections, in addition to honorable mention candidates.
Coach of the year was decided by the CDT and was determined by the number of wins a coach had and a team’s improvement from year-to-year.
Without further ado, here are the CDT’s All-Centre Boys and Girls Basketball teams for the 2022-23 season.
Boys Co-Players of the Year
Braeden Shrewsberry, State College senior, guard and Cole Crissman, Bellefonte senior, forward
From the beginning to the end of the season, Shrewsberry sent State College’s crowd into a frenzy. The senior guard drained deep 3-point field goals and scored 17.4 points per game to go with 4.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals.
Crissman succeeded Blair Eckley-Jones as the team’s star player. The 6-foot-8 senior forward averaged 17.5 points per game with five games where he scored over 20 points. He pulled down 10.4 rebounds per game, along with 3.4 assists from the post and was named as a first-team Mountain League selection.
Boys Defensive Player of the Year
Jacob McConnell, State College junior, forward
The junior stepped up as a key defender with 2.1 steals and 7.9 rebounds per game in 2022-23 for the Red Raiders. He would step up to guard players on the wing, players in the post and would cause problems for ball-handlers at the point of attack.
Coach of the Year
Brian Scholly, State College
State College went 9-15 in 2021-22 with a young, inexperienced team that had to scratch and claw its way to compete. The adversity the team faced was channeled into offseason gym runs with head coach Brian Scholly viewing them, but not intervening. He allowed his team to gel on their own and he gave advice when asked specifically by his players.
State College went on to go 25-3 in 2022-23 and saw a vast improvement from multiple players. The Little Lions made it to the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class 6A Playoffs, falling to Spring-Ford with a hobbled Shrewsberry gutting his way through an ankle injury. Ultimately, Scholly led his team by allowing them to be themselves and continued to be an active leader in their success this season.
First Team
Jackson Romig, Penns Valley junior, guard
He was the team’s leader in scoring, rebounding and steals in 2022-23. Romig averaged 12 points and four rebounds per game, while shooting 47% from the field and knocking down 43% of his 3-point field goals. The junior made his voice loud and clear, quarterbacking the basketball team just as he does on the football field.
Michael Lower, Saint Joseph’s Catholic sophomore, guard
Lower was a sharpshooter in every sense of the word, knocking down 67.6% of his 3-point attempts and averaging 17 points per game. He led the Tri Valley Athletic Association with 34 made 3-point shots in 2022-23.
Issac Dye, State College junior, guard/forward
Dye was second on the team behind Shrewsberry with 14.6 points per game and second on the team with five rebounds per game. The junior finished with two assists and 0.9 steals per game.
Jacob McConnell, Bellefonte junior, forward
McConnell flashed as one of the top slashers in the county, scoring 14.1 points per game despite dealing with an illness and missing six games. He was additionally a capable passer, dishing 4.2 assists per game.
Charlie Yartz, Saint Joseph’s Catholic sophomore, forward
Yartz was sixth in the Tri Valley Athletic Association with 14.38 points per game in 2022-23 and made the top-10 in total rebounds (80) and free throw percentage (68.97%).
Second Team
Ryan Perks, State College senior, guard
Jacob DeSimone, Philipsburg-Osceola senior, guard
Cam Watkins, Bald Eagle junior, forward
Blaze Angellotti, Bald Eagle senior, forward
Nick Johnson, Philipsburg-Osceola junior, forward/center
Honorable Mention
Tyler Serb, Bald Eagle senior, guard/forward
Chase Thompson, Bald Eagle senior, guard
Oliver Harpster, Philipsburg-Osceola senior, guard
Ben Eby, Saint Joseph’s Catholic senior, guard
Spencer Gigante, Saint Joseph’s Catholic senior, guard
Girls Player of the Year
Ann-Marie McMurtrie, Penns Valley senior, forward
McMurtrie was selected as the 2022-23 All-Centre Girls Player of the Year for her contributions to this year’s Lady Rams club. The senior forward averaged 14.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, three steals and 0.8 blocks per game in 23 contests, leading her team to a 12-11 record.
The selection was simple for Penns Valley head coach Terrance Green.
“She by far had the most outstanding basketball season out of the majority in our county,” Green wrote in an email.
Coach of the Year
Terrance Green, Penns Valley
Green led his Penns Valley team to a 12-11 record this season and watched on as McMutrie, Julia Emel and Avery Dinges provided senior leadership to his squad. The coach consistently made adjustments and went 7-4 at home on the year. His team outscored opponents 1,033-975 on the season.
Defensive Player of the Year
Khendyl Sharrer, Philipsburg-Osceola junior, forward
Sharrer was the defensive backbone for the Lady Mounties. Her averages of 6.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists and six steals per game put her at the top among all defenders in Centre County. A versatile defender, Sharrer took up guarding the opposing team’s best player, even when returning from a knee injury. The junior sported a bulky knee brace through the season and played as if she had nothing impeding her wrath on the defensive end of the floor.
First Team
Jordyn Steindl, State College sophomore, guard
Steindl was the best scorer in the county, averaging 18.5 points per game. She was dangerous as a 3-point shooter, knocking down the deep ball at 37.5%, was a +36 while on the court and had 44 steals on the year.
Jess Hawbaker, State College sophomore, guard
Hawbaker was +38 on the season and one of Steindl’s co-pilots on the court for State College. She averaged 6.6 points per game with 137 total rebounds and 74 assists.
Lily Warlow, Philipsburg-Osceola sophomore, guard/forward
At 5-foot-11, Warlow is the tallest primary ball-handler in Centre County. She also averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assist and 3.4 steals per game. Her defense is what landed her among the top players in the county.
Khendyl Sharrer, Philipsburg-Osceola junior, forward
Sharrer’s ability to find her shot in the post, along with mid-range jumpers, proved deadly for opposing defenders. The junior may only get better as she recovers from an injury over the summer.
Aubrey Yartz, Saint Joseph’s Catholic first-year, forward
Yartz finished the season second in the Tri Valley Athletic Association with 13 points per game, third in total rebounds with 128 and third in blocks with 42. She still has three more seasons to grow under head coach Bethany Irwin’s tutelage.
Second Team
Diana Tsarnakova, State College junior, guard
Carley Donnell, State College junior, guard
Julia Emel, Penns Valley senior, forward
Avery Dinges, Penns Valley senior, forward
Taylor Brown, Bellefonte sophomore, forward
Honorable Mention
Maria Cotter, Bellefonte junior, guard
Abby Hoover, Bald Eagle Area forward, senior
Emily Gustkey, Philipsburg-Osceola first-year, guard
