After another spectacular season of high school basketball, there were several sensational players who left their indelible mark on the 2022-23 season, with a handful of all-stars worthy of consideration for the highest honor the Pittsburgh Union Progress has to bestow.
When it was all said and done, though, one high-flying superstar soared above the rest.
With an average of 36.2 points per game, Steel Valley senior Makhai Valentine put together one of the most prolific individual seasons in WPIAL history while leading the Ironmen to a 16-win season and a section title — despite missing the team’s first three games while helping Steel Valley win a WPIAL championship in football. A bouncy 6-3 guard with unlimited range and an undeniable flair for the dramatic, “Sky High Makhai” authored more than his fair share of signature moments and unforgettable highlights over the past four months.
For starters, his 63-point outburst in a 100-79 win Jan. 27 at Brentwood was good for the third-highest total in WPIAL history, and his 12 3-pointers made in that game fell one short of tying the WPIAL record. Valentine finished with a school-record 1,780 career points after tallying a pair of 50-point games this year and several games of 40-plus, but perhaps the defining moment of his remarkable high school career came in a game when he finished with “only” 37.
With the top-seeded Ironmen locked in a back-and-forth battle with Seton LaSalle in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals on Feb. 23, Valentine found himself dueling with Rebels guard Connor Spratt as the two talented seniors tried to will their teams to victory. Valentine sat on 34 points as Steel Valley held onto a 53-52 lead inside the final minute, then he flew into the air to emphatically reject a go-ahead shot attempt by Spratt. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Spratt knocked down a jumper to give Seton LaSalle a 54-53 lead with only six seconds left on the clock.
What happened next will be talked about for as long as people talk about WPIAL basketball.
Valentine received an inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the court, splitting two Rebels defenders as he crossed midcourt before nearly losing his handle. He then gathered the ball just before time expired, bringing the entire crowd to its feet as he rose up for an off-balance 3-point shot that hit nothing but net.
Game over.
That 56-54 win sent the Ironmen to the WPIAL semifinals, and although they lost a heartbreaker there to eventual WPIAL champion and PIAA finalist Deer Lakes, Valentine had already cemented his legacy as one of the most exciting and awe-inspiring players to come through Western Pennsylvania in quite some time. For that, he is our 2022-23 boys basketball Player of the Year, as voted on by the PUP sports staff. All players in the WPIAL and City League were considered for the inaugural award.
The PUP recently caught up with Valentine to look back on all he accomplished this year and find out what he has in store for the future — including an update on his upcoming college commitment.
Q: What was your favorite memory from this past season?
A: The buzzer-beater 3 [against Seton LaSalle]. It’s got to be the buzzer-beater 3. And probably my senior night.
Q: Did you ever dream you would one day score 63 points in a game?
A: No, not even. I guess I just had a good game. I never really even expected to score 40 when I was a junior. I kind of was put in that situation and stuff happens. The 63-point game, it was given to me.
Q: Did you feel kind of like Kobe Bryant in his 81-point game that night?
A: Kind of. Definitely kind of. I definitely felt a little bit like Kobe.
Q: Did you get to catch the tail end of Kobe’s career or were you too young?
A: Oh yeah, of course. I used to watch No. 8 Kobe. I used to watch him and Russell Westbrook.
Q: What was your best dunk this season?
A: I did a couple. I did a couple windmills. I did some reverse windmills, too. I did some 360s. I like the 360 windmill. The reverse windmill I did against Knoch, and then I did it again at home against Neshannock. I think I did it at home twice. I did 360s like they were regular.
Q: Who would win in a dunk contest between you, Meleek Thomas and Brandin Cummings from Lincoln Park?
A: Oh, me. They know that. They both know that.
Q: Who is your favorite player in the NBA?
A: Right now, my favorite player is Ja Morant. But all time, it’s Russell Westbrook.
Q: Do you see a little bit of yourself in Morant and Westbrook’s game?
A: Yeah, I definitely think that I play like both of them a little bit. I probably shoot better. [Laughs]
Q: You had a good battle with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart for the section title this season. Did you enjoy playing against those guys?
A: Yeah, I definitely had a good rivalry with them all three of my years. It’s always fun playing them. Those guys are definitely ballers, especially Dante Spadafora. He’s a great basketball player.
Q: Although you didn’t reach the ultimate goal of winning a WPIAL or state title, how important was it to you to help lead Steel Valley to the Class 3A Section 2 title?
A: It was definitely very important, because we hadn’t won one in seven years. It felt good to bring my team a section title.
Q: What will you miss the most about playing for Steel Valley?
A: I don’t know, to be honest. We had a lot of fun in the locker room. That’s normally where we have our fun. Even after bad games, good games, the locker room is always a place where we have fun. I would definitely say locker room moments.
Q: What can we expect to see from you in the future?
A: I’m definitely going to school. I’m definitely going to play basketball in college. I’ll be committing pretty soon. Probably in about two to three weeks. I’m going to school for sports broadcasting. I’ll be playing in the Roundball Classic [at Geneva College], and the Sportsmanship All-Star Game at Keystone High School in Knox, Pa. I guess I get to put on that Steel Valley jersey one more time.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
