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Thursday, December 12, 2002

By Mike White, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

SCHOOL: Baldwin

	Gavin Prosser: Averages 16.2 points a game. (Jason Cohn/Special to the Post-Gazette)

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-1, 155-pound senior for the Highlanders' basketball team and one of the top guards in WPIAL basketball.

THE PAST WEEK: Prosser had 18 points in a 60-57 overtime victory against Montour Monday.

SEASON: Prosser, a point guard, is averaging 16.2 points and six assists a game. He has helped Baldwin to a 4-2 record overall and a 1-0 mark in WPIAL Class AAAA Section 5.

A DIFFERENT PLAYER: Prosser has started since his freshman year and averaged 18 points a game last season. Kyle DeGregorio is in his first season as Baldwin's coach but knows of Prosser's past. DeGregorio believes Prosser is different than in past seasons.

"He's no longer just a scorer. He's a player," DeGregorio said. "I think he understands now that for us to be successful, he has to do a lot of things, and he's doing them. He knows he has to rebound, defend and distribute the ball."

PLAYOFF DRIVE: Baldwin has not made the WPIAL playoffs since 1996, and it irks Prosser. The Highlanders haven't been above .500 since the 1995-96 season.

"We've been close to the playoffs, but we're always missing something," Prosser said. "I don't know, but I think maybe we have it all together this year. Basically, we all have new attitudes. This is our last year, and we just want to get it done."

SON OF A PLAYER: Prosser's father, Craig, played at Canisius. Craig Prosser has coached his son in elementary school and in AAU play. Gavin plays for the Pittsburgh J.O.T.S. in the offseason.

THE FUTURE: Division I colleges Colgate, Cornell, Bucknell and Canisius have expressed interest in Prosser, as well as Division II and III schools. "You always want to go and play at the highest level you can," Prosser said. "This season, I just have to try and show what I have."

SCHOOL: Ringgold

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-8 senior guard who has Ringgold off to a fast start in WPIAL girls' basketball.

THE PAST WEEK: Warren scored 36 points in a 68-53 victory against Washington Saturday. She had 11 points in a 54-38 victory against Connellsville Monday.

SEASON: Warren is one of the leading scorers in the WPIAL with a 25.0 average. She had 38 points in an early December game against Baldwin and is the main reason Ringgold is 5-0 overall and 1-0 in WPIAL Class AAAA Section 2.

FOR THE RECORD: A starter since her freshman year, Warren has scored 1,252 points. She has a good shot at breaking the school record of 1,443, set by 2000 graduate Kristen Lancas.

CHANGE IS GOOD: Warren is playing for her third coach at Ringgold. Skip Koskoski, a Ringgold graduate and former Robert Morris player, is in his first season with the Rams. Warren believes she is playing better because of Koskoski.

"It's so much better. He just has more knowledge and experience," Warren said. "He knows what he's doing."

AAU HELPS: Warren believes playing AAU basketball in the summer and spring has helped to make her a better player. She played for the Pittsburgh Rockers, and some of her teammates were Clairton's Kamela Gissendanner, Ambridge's Kelly Calderone and Chartiers-Houston's Emily Briggs.

"The competition you face in AAU is just so good," Warren said. "Plus, it gets you exposed to a lot of college coaches."

BIG LITTLE SISTER: Warren warns about a possible future star at Ringgold. It's her sister, Bethany, a sixth-grader. "She's already taller than me," said Brittany. The Warrens' parents are former players. Bill Warren played at South Park and his wife, Diane, at Westinghouse.

THE FUTURE: Warren will play next season at Robert Morris. She signed a letter of intent with the Colonials during the NCAA's week-long early signing period last month.