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Thursday, January 09, 2003

By Mike White and Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writers

SCHOOL: Hopewell

	Greg Rosatelli: Fourth-leading scorer in the WPIAL. (Lake Fong, Post-Gazette)

WHO IS HE? A 5-foot-10, 160-pound senior guard and one of the leading scorers in WPIAL boys' basketball.

PAST WEEK: Rosatelli scored 32 points in a 76-71 victory Tuesday against Summit Academy. He had 15 in a 52-46 victory Friday against Moon.

SEASON: Rosatelli is the fourth-leading scorer in the WPIAL at 23.8 points a game. He has scored more than 30 points three times and helped Hopewell to an 8-4 overall record and a 5-1 mark in WPIAL Class AAA Section 2.

CAREER: Rosatelli has been a starter since his sophomore season and has a good chance to surpass 1,000 points in a few weeks. He has 873.

BUILDING UP: When Rosatelli was a sophomore, he weighed 135 pounds. He has added 25 pounds in two seasons. "The other day, the coaches were looking at a picture of him from last year. He looked like a boy," said Hopewell Coach Joe Falletta. "Now he looks more like a man. The strength has really helped him, too. He's able to finish plays now and get to the foul line."

ONE OR TWO: Rosatelli played the '1' position ( point guard) as a sophomore and junior. This season, he plays more of the '2' (shooting guard). "I got moved to the '2' this year, just to help the team score more," Rosatelli said. "Now, my main job is to score and get other people involved."

"It's interesting how he's evolved as a player," Falletta said. "When he was a sophomore, we just asked him to handle the ball, recognize defenses and get the ball to our main guys. The great thing about him now is he really mixes up his game. He can shoot the perimeter shot, but he doesn't just rely on that. He can go to the goal. In addition, he has the ability to shoot off the dribble, which is rare for high school players."

AMONG THE BEST? Some small colleges are starting to recruit Rosatelli, and Falletta believes his star senior is among the best guards in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

"I think there are three really nice point guards in the area," Falletta said. "There's the gentleman at Plum [Bobby Franklin] and the gentleman from Peabody [Justin Mullen]. I think Greg is right there with those guys."

-- By Mike White

SCHOOL: Ambridge

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-7 senior guard and one of the top girls' basketball players in Western Pennsylvania.

PAST WEEK: Calderone scored 30 points in the Bridgers' 56-50 win Monday against Center. She has scored 84 points in the team's past three games and has helped Ambridge (6-6, 4-2 Class AAA Section 2) surge back in the playoff race with two consecutive section wins.

SEASON: Calderone is averaging 26.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game. She is the seventh-leading scorer in the area (includes WPIAL and City League) and the sixth-leading scorer in WPIAL Class AAA.

CAREER: A four-year starter, Calderone has scored 1,444 points. She has been named to the all-section team in each of the past two seasons. Last year, she was named to the Post-Gazette's West all-star team after averaging 18 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals a game. The team is 77-19 with Calderone in the starting lineup and has won two section titles.

A SEASON OF CHANGE: The Bridgers competed in Class AAAA the past two years but this season dropped down to Class AAA. The team also has a new coach as Lisa Fox took over for Tom Cvitkovic. Those developments, coupled with Ambridge's heavy graduation losses, have forced Calderone to make adjustments. "It is a lot different this year because I'm not used to playing these teams and I've had to try and fit into a new system," she said. "But I think everything is coming together for us. The biggest adjustment for me is that I have to score more for us to win."

FUTURE: Calderone has already signed a letter of intent with Division I SUNY-Buffalo. She had a number of scholarship offers but chose Buffalo because of its nursing program. "My mother is a nurse, and she is one of the few people I know that truly loves her job and really enjoys going to work each day," Calderone said. "I really look up to her, so I've always wanted to be a nurse. Plus, I love to help people."

A BIG LIFT: Calderone has played in a number of big games with the Bridgers. But she said she would not have landed a Division I scholarship had it not been for her involvement with the Allegheny-Pittsburgh Rockers AAU team. "Last year alone we played in tournaments in Las Vegas, North Carolina, Oregon, New York and Washington, D.C.," she said. "You can't beat that exposure. Plus Coach [Joe] Costa made sure that we all not only improved in basketball, but matured as people as well."

ETC.: Calderone was a three-year starter for the Ambridge girls' soccer team, playing mostly stopper and sweeper. She also volunteers for the Special Olympics. Her older sister, Jodi, starred at Ambridge and plays for the Edinboro women's basketball team.

-- By Paul Zeise