From the time the school opened in 1966 until 2019, South Allegheny had spent virtually its entire existence as one of the WPIAL’s perennial bottom-feeders when it came to boys basketball.
With only one section title and just seven playoff appearances in that 53-year span, some likely wondered if it was a fluke when the Gladiators finished 12-0 in section play and 24-3 overall in the 2019-20 season. The following year, South Allegheny won a share of another section title while finishing 10-1 in section and 17-5 overall, and this time, the Gladiators advanced to the WPIAL championship for the first time. But a gut-wrenching 53-50 loss to Ellwood City in the Class 3A final ended their season, and with so many key players graduating, many believed South Allegheny’s only chance at a WPIAL title had slipped away.
In reality, the Gladiators were just getting started.
With then-junior point guard Bryce Epps taking a new cast of characters under his wing while continuing to evolve as one of the WPIAL’s premier players, South Allegheny again captured a share of the Class 3A Section 3 title while advancing to the WPIAL and PIAA semifinals. Again the Gladiators season ended in heartbreak, coming just one basket shy of a trip to a state championship appearance after a 57-55 loss to Aliquippa. But they had proven they were no one- or two-year wonder, and that they were here to stay.
Look no further than this season’s first 15 games for proof.
“There seems to be an obstacle or question people are asking every year about how we will respond to it, and we keep answering it year after year,” South Allegheny coach Tony DiCenzo said. “I think we can confidently say we have a program now. People are graduating, and we don’t take any steps back.”
Despite getting bumped up from Class 3A to Class 4A for the current two-year cycle, the Gladiators appear more poised than ever to make a deep run into the playoffs and finish what they started three years ago. After earning a monumental 59-55 win Monday against Class 5A powerhouse Mars, South Allegheny’s record stands at 14-1 overall and 5-0 in section. The Gladiators won their first 13 games this season before a dramatic 61-56 double-overtime defeat Saturday to New Castle. The games against New Castle and Mars were played at “The Challenge at Chatham University,” and South Allegheny certainly held its own against two of the WPIAL’s blue bloods.
Now, the Gladiators are gearing toward a fourth consecutive section title to add to what was once a lonely banner on the gymnasium wall — and that’s not all they’re looking to add.
“There is a common denominator there, and that’s Bryce [Epps],” DiCenzo said. “He’s been a starter for four years. The type of player he is, there’s no surprise why we’ve had the success we’ve had. We’ve had really good players around him, but we’ve been really close, man. And we talk about it a lot.”
A four-year starter and two-time all-section pick who has steered South Allegheny to a 75-17 record since arriving as a freshman in 2019, Epps is averaging 23.1 points per game this season and now is over 1,700 points for his career. The 5-10 senior recently surpassed Mike Kurka with a 31-point game on Jan. 13 against Quaker Valley to become the Gladiators’ all-time leading scorer.
“That was definitely the biggest moment of my life from a basketball standpoint, and maybe just in general,” Epps said. “The game before that was against West Mifflin, and I had like 12 points and just played awful. It was really bad. I was like, ‘I have to bounce back somehow.’ “
Since emerging on the scene as a skinny 5-9 freshman, Epps has played with the poise and skill of a seasoned veteran while elevating South Allegheny from the depths of Class 3A into a perennial title contender. He is equally adept as a slasher, shooter and facilitator, with several memorable shots and clutch game-winners already on his resume. And above all else, Epps is a winner. But despite his gaudy numbers and the highlights he delivers night in and night out, he is still searching for a place to call home for the next four years.
DiCenzo believes Epps’ lack of prototypical size is partly to blame for his lack of recruitment relative to other WPIAL stars, but the rest of the blame falls on the college coaches and scouts for failing to look past his measurables.
“I have the utmost confidence in myself,” Epps said. “To be honest, the only reason I’m under-recruited is because of my height. I can do everything anyone else can do. … I think the biggest thing, no matter what sport it is — going into the collegiate level, coaches love winners. And I know how to win.”
Regardless of where Epps ends up, he is doing all he can for now to prove that any school who doesn’t land him is going to be missing out on a big-time player. And if he plays with a little extra chip on his shoulder because of it, well, DiCenzo won’t complain about that.
“Every night, he’s on a mission to prove himself, to prove to everybody that he’s a high-caliber player here in the WPIAL,” DiCenzo said. “I know that motivates him. A lot of things do. Our failure the last two or three years to fully reach our potential and accomplish what we thought we were capable of, and individually, the fact that he feels that he deserves more attention [from colleges]. And he does.
“Any program he walks into next year is going to get a tremendous basketball player, but an even better kid and leader. He’s going to be an asset to whatever school he lands at next year. It’s all going to work out for him in the end.”
Alongside Epps, the Gladiators are receiving key contributions from 6-3 junior forward Mike Michalski, 6-3 senior forward Dashawn Carter, 6-0 junior guard Jeston Beatty and 5-7 sophomore guard Cameron Epps — Bryce’s younger brother and the next in a line of Epps brothers to come through the program. Bryce played his first two seasons alongside his older brother, Antonio, who now plays football at Duquesne.
With a capable supporting cast surrounding Epps and more built-in motivation than most teams ever could hope to conjure up, South Allegheny has all the pieces to make a run at history. Of course, the Gladiators still will face an uphill battle in the playoffs with teams such as Lincoln Park and Laurel Highlands in their way. Then again, winning their first WPIAL title wouldn’t feel so special if it were easy — and DiCenzo and his players are fully prepared to do it the hard way.
“All the odds are against us,” Epps said. “I think the most dangerous thing is doubting a team that has nothing to lose. When you’re an underdog — we’ve been an underdog even in [Class] 3A. I think when a team has nothing to lose and they’re an underdog, that’s when they’re the most dangerous.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
