Home >  Sports >  High School Sports >  Athlete of The Week

Thursday, February 21, 2002

By Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

SCHOOL: Hampton

WHO IS HE? For someone whose No. 1 sport is baseball, Obermeier is a pretty good basketball player. A 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior guard, he has helped Hampton to the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals.

	Dan Obermeier: Two-sport star for Hampton. (Lake Fong, Post-Gazette)

THIS WEEK: Obermeier scored 22 points as Hampton beat Elizabeth Forward, 57-40, in the first round of the playoffs Monday.

SEASON: One of the best shooters in Class AAA, Obermeier averages 16.8 points a game for the Talbots (20-5).

CAREER: Obermeier has been on Hampton's varsity since his freshman year and is one of only a handful of Hampton players to score 1,000 career points. He has 1,073. Obermeier will graduate with four letters in baseball and four in basketball.

CATCHING ON: Although he is a talented basketball player, Obermaier has signed to play baseball at Davidson, an NCAA Division I college. He chose Davidson over Lafayette. Obermeier, who has a 4.02 grade point average and 1,290 score on the SAT, is a catcher and was an all-WPIAL Class AAA Section 3 pick as a junior after hitting .509 with 25 RBIs.

"I kind of looked at things realistically," he said. "I've always liked basketball, but I knew I wanted to play at a high level in college and playing Division I basketball would be a stretch. In baseball, I knew I had a shot."

You can tell Obermeier's fondness for baseball by looking at his back yard. There is a batting cage in it. "I've had that since third grade," he said.

PICKING HIS SPOTS: Hampton's offense is designed to run Obermeier off a number of picks to get open. He appreciates his teammates' unselfishness, too.

"Ryan Hauck [16.4 ppg] and I have done the majority of scoring for us," Obermeier said. "But it's nice to have guys on your team who are looking to set a lot of screens for us."

JUST LEARN HOW TO PLAY GUITAR: After games, one of Obermeier's favorite things to do is play some music on his guitar.

"I don't play in a band or anything. I just enjoy playing, and I enjoy it after games because it helps me relax."

SCHOOL: Schenley

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-10 small forward for the Schenley girls' basketball team. The Spartans are ranked No. 1 in the City League.

LAST WEEK: Scored 23 points in 63-20 win Feb. 5 against Oliver to become only the second City League girl to score at least 2,000 career points. Scored 16, 22 and 19 points in Schenley's three wins since then, including a 65-14 victory against South in the first round of the playoffs Monday. Illinois sophomore Cindy Dallas is the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,564 points.

THIS SEASON: Is averaging 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals per game while leading the Spartans to a 20-5 record and a spot in the City League semifinals today against Allderdice.

CAREER: She has scored 2,069 points in four years as a starter. In each season, she has averaged at least nine rebounds per game. She has led the Spartans to two City League titles and a second-place finish.

ON THE TRACK: Bruce is also a standout in the shot put and discus. She won the PIAA Class AAA shot put title as a sophomore and finished second last year. She also finished eighth in the PIAA in the discus last year, has won three consecutive City League titles in both events and holds the City League record in both.

SISTER, SISTER: One of Carmen's favorite things about playing for Schenley has been the opportunity to play basketball on the same team with her sisters. Her older sister, Chelsea, was a senior on the Spartans when Carmen was a sophomore, and her younger sister, Courtney, is a sophomore and a member of the Spartans' varsity team this year. "Family has always been the most important thing to me," said Carmen, whose father, Kirk, played at Pitt and coached the Panthers' women's team for 13 seasons. "It is neat to have the chance to play with my sisters because we've played together our whole life. But I love all of my teammates."

ONE LAST GOAL: Bruce has done almost everything she set out to accomplish except for one thing. She hasn't led Schenley to a win in the PIAA playoffs. Her team is 0-3 in first-round games, losing by a total of eight points. "It has been a little frustrating because we have been so close in those games but haven't been able to survive them," she said. "This year, that's our focus. I believe that if we can win that first-round game, it will give us confidence and momentum to make a run far into the state playoffs."

FUTURE: Bruce has signed a letter of intent to play at Georgetown, making her only the second Schenley player (along with Dallas) to get a Division I scholarship. She will major in business administration. She will also participate in track and field for the Hoyas. "I think the thing that sold me on Georgetown was how I fit in with the other players when I visited," said Bruce. "The coaching staff was great, but what put it over the top was the relationships I formed with my future teammates. That's very important to me."