Scholarship will honor Anselmino
Canon-McMillan boys basketball coach Rick Bell coached with Brian Anselmino for six years.
Brian Anselmino
The first seat on the home sideline in the Canon-McMillan High School gymnasium has rarely been used during boys basketball games in Rick Bell’s tenure as head coach.
That’s Bell’s preference. He often stands or crouches, animatedly yelling play calls from one end of the court to the other.
The chair nearest the scorer’s table will remain empty in memory of former assistant coach Brian Anselmino, who died in a car accident in February, 2014. He was 45.
To remember the former Big Macs’ assistant coach, the school purchased a customized chair with the cushioned back reading “Coach Anselmino” with Canon-McMillan’s logo.
Anselmino, who worked as an assistant under Bell for six seasons, graduated from Ringgold High School in 1986 before playing basketball at Duquesne University for four years. Anselmino was not around the Canon-McMillan for long, but his impact will be felt for years to come.
“When the accident occurred, a group of us didn’t want Brian to be forgotten,” Bell said. “He’s just an unbelievable person. As I said at his funeral, ‘If you had a problem with Brian Anselmino, there’s something wrong with you.'”
The two crossed paths one morning in 2006 when both stopped for coffee at a BP Gas Station on Racetrack Road in Washington. Bell recalls Anselmino walking up to him and saying, “I’m going to be coaching with you one day.”
It did not take long for the two to become close friends. Anselmino worked as a volunteer assistant under Bell before earning a paid position. He stayed with the program until 2012 when his responsibilities at a new job prevented him from attending every practice and every game.
In his spare time, he coached his son, Anthony, in the Canonsburg youth basketball and baseball leagues. Anselmino was killed and his son was injured in a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 70 in South Strabane Township.
Those who knew Anselmino quickly rallied to create the Brian Aselmino Memorial Golf Outing at Lindenwood Golf Club. The first event occurred last October with 144 golfers raising more than $30,000 for a foundation in Anselmino’s name.
Now, a senior from both Canon-McMillan and Ringgold will get a $5,000 scholarship in his name. Bell’s students in his leadership development class also raised roughly $3,500 for the foundation during the school’s spirit week last week.
“We thought maybe something good could come out of something tragic,” Bell said. “Let’s try to make something positive of it and make a positive impact on people’s lives. Hopefully, Brian’s legacy will live on.”
Finding a way to remember Anselmino at Canon-McMillan was only natural. His infectious personality and passion for basketball were missed by the program the past three years.
Days after Anselmino’s death, Bell received a call from a mutual friend – former Community College of Allegheny men’s basketball coach Bill Shay.
Shay suggested a chair and plans were immediately put into motion. Canon-McMillan will begin the 2015-16 basketball season with the newly-named Brian Anselmino Memorial Tip-off Tournament, where a dedication ceremony will be held.
Anselmino is gone, but Canon-McMillan is ensuring he will not be forgotten.
“Brian was unbelievably loyal and very positive. He was always upbeat and always had a smile on his face,” Bell said. “He was one of those guys that when you walked away from him, you felt better. He had the ability to do that. He was very encouraging.”
Eagles choose schools
Avella’s senior football players helped orchestrate the program’s return to relevance the past two seasons – breaking a 36-year playoff drought in 2013 and returning to the WPIAL playoffs in 2014.
Three of the Eagles’ top players will take their talents to the next level.
Quarterback Santino Paris, who threw for 3,786 yards and scored 56 total career touchdowns; and tight end/defensive back C.J. Norman will play football next fall at Washington & Jefferson. Norman had 231 receiving yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions on defense for Avella as a senior.
Running back Nick Kusich chose Waynesburg University after finishing his high school career with more than 3,000 total yards. As a senior in 2014, he was the first Avella tailback to eclipse 1,000 yards since 1987.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Avella head coach Ryan Cecchini said. “I can’t remember the last time we had this many kids go on to play college football. (The seniors) were an amazing group. They are the main reason we got over the hump and the main reason we were able to win so many games.”
PIAA meeting
The PIAA Board of Directors discussed eight separate proposals at a meeting May 20 regarding a possible move to six classifications in high school football and approved them all on a first-read basis.
The proposals included calculating enrollment figures that include 10 percent of cyber or charter school students within a district, as well as a possible “super class” that includes enrollments over 700 students. The WPIAL only has three such schools: North Allegheny, Seneca Valley and Butler.
The Strategic Planning Committee scheduled a follow-up meeting for Tues., July 21, where the plans will undergo a second read after each district discusses the issue with its schools.
The proposal will require being passed three times to become PIAA rule, and must be passed before October to take effect for the 2016-17 academic year.
The PIAA board also rejected a return to true east-west brackets in the state basketball tournament with an 18-11 vote.
RMU offers Hayes
South Fayette junior running back/defensive back Hunter Hayes received his second Division I football scholarship offer from Robert Morris University Saturday.
Hayes finished second in the WPIAL with 2,103 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns, including 1,168 yards and 12 touchdowns in seven playoff games.