OLSH's top player from last season will be staying nearby to continue his basketball career.
Vince Scappe, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound forward for the Chargers will be headed to Greensburg this fall, after committing to attend and play basketball for Seton Hill University starting in the 2008-09 school year. The senior signed at a short ceremony held with family in attendance at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School.
For Scappe, the decision wasn't about staying close to home, but rather going to a place that made him feel at home.
"When I first went up there, the coaches were real nice and I liked the campus," Scappe said. "Going from one Catholic school to another Catholic school makes it easier."
"I watched a game and it looked like I'd fit real well. They play the same kind of game we did at OLSH."
The Chargers' senior is the first commitment this spring for the Seton Hill program, which competes at the NCAA Division II level in the West Virginia Interscholastic Athletic Conference. A post player in high school, he projects to play as a shooting guard for the Griffins and head coach Tony Morocco.
"I'm very pleased that Vince is going to be a part of our program," Morocco said in a statement released last week.
"He is a young man of great character and he is an outstanding student. He'll be a nice asset to the basketball program because of his shooting ability and his high basketball IQ. His best basketball is ahead of him."
Scappe scored a team-high 18.6 points per game last year for OLSH, along with averages of 6.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists while leading the Chargers. But while he hopes he can have that sort of success at college, he knows it probably won't come immediately.
"I think I can step in right away and play, but I have to get physically stronger and quicker to succeed at that level," Scappe said. "I think as a freshman, I'll be more of a role player."
Off the court, Scappe says he would like to pursue a degree in the areas of business and marketing, also mentioning education as a potential minor or other course of study.