Neil Walker is one of the best three-sport athletes in the WPIAL. but he feels like he needs to come up for air.

Walker, a senior at Pine-Richland, has been a star in football, basketball and baseball, but he is asking for a "T-O." He has decided to not play basketball this season.

Walker, the Post-Gazette's co-Male Athlete of the Year for the 2002-03 school year, has two reasons for his decision. First, he feels beat up and tired from football. Secondly, he wants to get ready for baseball. Walker has been rated the No. 1 catcher in the country by one scouting service and is being projected as a possible first- or second-round selection in June's baseball draft. He has a baseball scholarship to Clemson.

"I've played basketball probably longer than any other sport," Walker said. "It was a very tough decision. I had to look at what my goals were and what the basketball team's goals were. The fact is I need to be healthy for baseball. But it's tough because I've played with those basketball guys since seventh grade. They're all my good friends. But they understood."

Walker, a 6-foot-3 forward-guard, was an all-Class AAAA Section 3 pick in basketball last year after averaging 16 points a game. He was a standout receiver and defensive back in football and helped the Pine-Richland football team to the PIAA Class AAA championship game. The Rams' season didn't end until Dec. 5. Pine-Richland's first basketball game was Nov. 28.

Teams that make it to the PIAA football final play 15 games and two scrimmages.

"I think football season is too long," Walker said. "They should somehow shorten the playoffs a couple weeks."

Walker also has a problem with a bursa sac in his left elbow. His options are to rest it, take a shot in it to reduce the swelling or have surgery. He hopes rest will heal it.

"We'll figure out in the next week what we should do," Walker said.

Sewickley players eligible

On Monday, the WPIAL ruled sophomores Ryann Bradford and Amir Johnson eligible to play for Sewickley Academy's basketball team. The two had transferred from Allderdice, and the WPIAL had a hearing with the school and players to determine if the move was for athletic intent. Bradford scored 10 points for Sewickley Academy in a game Tuesday against Rochestern.

4th-quarter stuff

Talk about extremes. The Norwin and Greensburg Salem boys combined for 73 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday as Norwin outscored the Lions, 40-33. In a girls' game the same night, Peabody and Oliver did not score a point in the fourth quarter. Peabody won the game, 40-30.

Cowher to Princeton

Fox Chapel girls' basketball player Meagan Cowher will play next season at Princeton. Cowher, one of the top seniors in the WPIAL and the daughter of Steelers coach Bill Cowher, received her acceptance letter from Princeton Monday.

O'Rourke out

Oakland Catholic's Brianna O'Rourke, one of the top junior guards in WPIAL girls' basketball, is done for the season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee. The injury occurred Dec. 8 against Penn Hills, and she will have surgery in early January.

"We were trying to create an identity with this team," said Oakland Catholic coach Rich Irr. "Now we have to recreate an identity that wasn't created in the first place."

Irr said colleges will continue to recruit O'Rourke.

"She had played so well at the AAU level the past few years," Irr said. "The coaches who found out about her injury said they still want her or are still interested in her."

Football changes

On Monday, the PIAA will release enrollment and classification information for all schools in the state. It's already known, however, that five WPIAL Class AAAA teams will be dropping to Class AAA. They are Canon-McMillan, Franklin Regional, Albert Gallatin, Indiana and Ringgold.

Also, Pine-Richland's enrollment is small enough for the Rams to drop from Class AAAA to AAA in basketball. But Pine-Richland athletic director Clair Altemus said the school might elect to stay in AAAA.

Pine-Richland will continue to be Class AAA in football.