Highlands’ Bradyn Foster is a big kid who made some equally big strides his junior season.
“He almost doubled his points per game for us,” Highlands coach Corey Dotchin said. “He’s kind of grown into his body and just focused on some areas where he wanted to get better.”
Last week, that focus paid off in the form of Foster’s first Division I offer.
Foster received some great news last Thursday when Toledo associate head coach Jeff Massey phoned Foster to extend him a scholarship offer.
“A lot,” Foster said of how much the Division I offer means to him. “It’s my dream.”
Foster is a 6-foot-8 forward coming off a breakout junior season in which he averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocked shots a game for a Highlands team that went 22-6 and reached the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. Foster showed off his versatility via a tighter handle and a nice stroke from the perimeter. He averaged 12 points a game his sophomore season.
“He was always more skilled than a back-to-the-basket type of guy,” Dotchin said. “He put more time into the weight room and got stronger. He just continued to improve his handle and become a tougher matchup.”
After averaging 12 points a game as a sophomore, Foster’s further development his junior season saw him earn a list of accolades that included all-section honors and being named third-team all-state in Class 4A.
“I think I’ve improved all around since I started high school. As a freshman, I didn’t think I’d play college basketball,” said Foster, whose father, Michael, played at Highlands before going on to play in college at Mount Union. Michael is 6 feet 6.
Lehigh and Kent State are also showing interest, Bradyn said. He also has an offer from Division II Colorado Mesa. Foster has been a standout on the AAU circuit this spring playing for a lengthy Caveman squad that also includes 6-6 Ryan Ceh and 6-7 Remi Black of Mars, and Hampton’s 6-9 Liam Mignogna.
The Toledo offer was Foster’s first from a Division I school, but Dotchin believes it won’t be the last.
“Now that Toledo has offered, I expect Robert Morris, Duquesne and some of the local DI schools to start to look at him,” Dotchin said. “If someone that size and skill set is in your backyard, it’s kind of hard not to.”
Sullivan to Michigan
Michigan has plucked some highly recruited players from Western Pennsylvania over the years. The latest hails from Central Catholic. Junior Cole Sullivan announced his commitment to Michigan this past Friday, choosing the Wolverines over Duke, Notre Dame, Stanford and Wisconsin. A 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker, Sullivan’s list of offers also included Pitt, Penn State and Oklahoma. As a junior, Sullivan was named Class 6A all-state when he finished as one of Central Catholic’s top tacklers while adding 13 catches for 241 yards and a touchdown as a tight end for the WPIAL Class 6A runner-up Vikings. Rivals ranks Sullivan a three-star recruit and the No. 17 player in the state. Sullivan is also a standout basketball player who helped Central Catholic win the Class 6A title last season.
Top 300 for 2025
Three WPIAL players made ESPN’s rankings of the top 300 players nationally in the class of 2025. North Catholic tight end-defensive end Brady O’Hara was the highest ranked of the local players as he came in at No. 174. Imani Christian linebacker Dayshaun Burnett is No. 209 and Aliquippa running back Tiqwai Hayes is No. 298. O’Hara and Burnett are listed as four-star recruits and Hayes is a three-star. Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia have offered all three.
DiMichele headed to Duquesne
After spending a season playing in Scotland — the city in PA, not the country — one of the top scorers in WPIAL basketball history is headed back to Western Pennsylvania. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart graduate Jake DiMichele will attend Duquesne after accepting a preferred walk-on position last week. DiMichele played this past season at First Love Scotland Campus, located near Chambersburg. DiMichele had a tremendous career at OLSH, helping the Chargers win four WPIAL and two PIAA titles. He scored 2,642 career points, which ranks No. 3 in WPIAL history.
Baseball commitments
Hempfield’s Gage Wheaton (Seton Hill); Serra Catholic’s Zach Karp (Penn State Greater Allegheny).
Basketball commitment
Gateway’s Kaleb Pryor (Penn State DuBois).
Football commitments
Central Catholic’s Tommy Kristian (Franciscan); Chartiers Valley’s Joseph Krug (IUP); Hopewell’s Cameron Fedorka (Washington & Jefferson).
Wrestling commitment
Canon-McMillan’s Andrew Binni (Navy).
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.