New Castle’s Kai Cox has shined on the basketball court this winter, as he leads all WPIAL freshmen in scoring.
Cox may eventually get lots of college interest in that sport, but he already owns a Division I offer in a sport he didn’t even play his freshman year.
Go figure.
Cox received a football offer from Akron last Friday. Akron assistant coach Anthony Leonard, a standout at McKeesport and West Virginia in his playing days, visited New Castle to offer Cox in person.
Cox’s reaction to getting the offer?
“My mouth opened wide and my eyes got bigger,” said Cox, who called the offer “surprising.”
The offer was a bit of a surprise considering Cox did not play football this past season. He said he took the year off to focus on basketball but will be playing football his sophomore season. Up through eighth grade, Cox was a star youth player, according to football coach Fred Mozzocio.
“It is and isn’t [a surprise] in this day and age,” Mozzocio said. “They start watching these young men early. Anthony Leonard is a guy who’s been in the area recruiting for a number of years, and he keeps tabs on them. He said Kai is someone he wanted to get in front of right away. He feels that when he does play, the offers are going to come. He wanted to be first to the party.”
Cox said that Akron likes his size (6 feet 1, 180 pounds) and athletic ability. Cox played quarterback and defensive back in his youth days, and Mozzocio said that he will likely play those same positions next season. As a starting guard in basketball, Cox is averaging a team-best 19 points per game. New Castle basketball coach Ralph Blundo, who is in his 15th season, said Cox is only the second player he has had who started the very first game of his freshman season.
“I think the sky’s the limit for him,” Mozzocio said. “He’s a freshman, and you see what he’s doing against 17- and 18-year-old kids on Tuesday and Friday nights in basketball. He played football in eighth grade and dominated at that level.”
Cox plays AAU basketball for New York Lightning and said he plans on competing in track and field at New Castle in the spring as a sprinter and jumper. His family tree consists of a slew of former standout athletes at New Castle. Older brothers Sheldon and Drew both won multiple WPIAL titles in basketball. His oldest brother, Julian, was a standout football player at Albany. He’s also cousins with Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker.
Freshman QB picks up first offer
No WPIAL freshman quarterback had a more productive 2024 season than Southmoreland’s Anthony Smith. Smith visited Syracuse over the weekend and came home with his first offer.
Smith (6-1, 185) received an offer from the Orange while on a visit to the school Saturday. He watched the Syracuse basketball team take on Pitt in an ACC clash.
“It means a lot,” Smith said. “Being my first one and having a school believe in me, and with it being such a big school, it was special.”
Syracuse has been recruiting Smith since he attended a camp there last summer. The Orange boasted a big-time passer in coach Fran Brown’s first season this past fall, as Kyle McCord led the country in passing yardage.
“Coach said their offense will set you up to get to the NFL,” Smith said.
Smith ranked among the WPIAL’s passing leaders his freshman season when he completed 129-of-144 passes for 2,110 yards, 22 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while helping Southmoreland reach the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Smith also ran for four touchdowns.
Another WPIAL player also picked up an offer while visiting Syracuse on Saturday. That would be Central Catholic sophomore defensive back Zach Gleason, who also has offers from Pitt, California and Akron.
Smith was also one of two Southmoreland freshmen to receive their first offers in the past week. Jackson Mickens, who played tight end and defensive end as a freshman, was offered by Akron. Like Smith, Mickens had a very productive rookie season. He led the Scotties with 11 sacks and three forced fumbles and was second in receiving with 35 catches for 485 yards.
Notable offers
Central Catholic sophomore offensive lineman Jimmy Kalis (6-6, 280) was offered by Penn State. A PUP All-Star pick last season, Kalis was the starting left tackle on Central Catholic’s WPIAL Class 6A championship squad. … Pitt became the first Power Four school to offer Peters Township junior wide receiver-defensive end Lucas Shanafelt (6-4, 235). He was a key member of an Indians team that reached the WPIAL Class 5A final. … Bethel Park senior running back JaVaughn Moore (5-11, 185) received his first Division I offer from Robert Morris. Moore was a PUP All-Star selection who ran for 2,084 yards and scored 32 touchdowns for the Black Hawks last season. … Aliquippa freshman running back Nasir Wade (5-8, 160) picked up his second offer from Akron. Wade was offered by Buffalo last June.
Basketball commitments
Elizabeth Forward’s Chloe Zombek (Saint Vincent); Shaler’s Noelle Roth (Mount Union).
Football commitments
Beaver Falls’ Qualan Cain (California); Central Catholic’s Da’Ron Goodwine (Slippery Rock); Deer Lakes’ Zach Grant (Edinboro); Elizabeth Forward’s Charlie Nigut (California); Imani Christian’s Stephen Vandiver (West Virginia State); Kiski Area’s Cameron Murphy (IUP); Lincoln Park’s Chris Kirkland (Slippery Rock); Montour’s Michael Carr (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy); Montour’s Nino DiMichele (Millersville); Neshannock’s Tony Perrotta (Slippery Rock); New Castle’s Kyrell Harris (Slippery Rock); New Castle’s Nate McKnight (Slippery Rock); Penn Hills’ Jay’mere Ellis (Edinboro); Penn-Trafford’s Tasso Whipple (IUP); Serra Catholic’s De’reon Washington (Kutztown); Southmoreland’s Elliot Premus (Slippery Rock).
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.