SCHOOL: Penn Hills.

WHO IS HE? A 5-foot-8, 150-pound senior point guard, Knight was the smallest player on Penn Hills' basketball team. But he was gigantic in the Indians' run to the PIAA Class AAAA championship.

LAST WEEK: Knight scored 22 points in Penn Hills' 60-55 semifinal victory against defending PIAA champion State College. He had only six points in a 57-48 victory against Parkland in the title game but excelled defensively.

SEASON: Knight was Penn Hills' third-leading scorer, averaging 13 points a game. He scored 15 points or more in four of seven postseason games.

CHEMISTRY LESSON: Penn Hills was an inconsistent team during the season. The Indians had talent but sometimes struggled against mediocre teams. They lost in the WPIAL quarterfinals but became only the second WPIAL team to win the PIAA Class AAAA title. Knight said much of the team's success had to do with chemistry.

"During the season, everyone just wanted to score," he said. "Then everyone started playing their role in the playoffs. We knew our talent level was better than everybody's, but sometimes we just didn't play together."

HE GOT HOPS: Although Knight is small, he is an excellent leaper and said he can dunk.

"I've been dunking since 10th grade. I dunked in a game last year."

Some people have called Knight "Spud Webb," a former diminutive NBA player who could dunk.

"I know who he is," Knight said. "I've watched him on those highlights of dunk contests."

BASKETBALL FAMILY: Knight's brother, Byron, played on Penn Hills' WPIAL championship team a year ago. He signed with Robert Morris but quit the team and hopes to play elsewhere next season. Their father, Byron Knight Sr., also played at Penn Hills.

One of Devon's uncles is Billy Knight, a former Pitt All-American who had a long NBA career. Another uncle, Terry Knight, also played at Pitt.

FUTURE: Knight is undecided on a college, but said some Division II schools are showing interest.

-- By Mike White

SCHOOL: Monessen.

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-6 junior guard-forward on the girls' basketball team. She helped the Greyhounds (29-2) win their final 17 games en route to WPIAL and PIAA Class A championships

THE PAST WEEK: Stein scored a game-high 26 points Saturday as Monessen routed Pottsville Nativity BVM, 70-48, in the PIAA final. She was 6 of 11 on 3-point attempts at Hershey's Giant Center.

SEASON: Stein averaged 10.3 points per game in the regular season. She scored in double figures only twice in eight playoff games, but Greyhounds coach Major Corley said, "A lot of teams knew she was our outside shooter, so they stayed out on her a little more."

ZONE BUSTER: Charel Allen, a Notre Dame recruit, was a marquee player for the Greyhounds. She scored 3,080 points, second best in WPIAL history. So she got a lot of attention from opponents.

That was the case with Pottsville Nativity. "Their coach said we're a one-dimensional team," Corley said. "They were so worried about Charel, they left [Nychole] Whitlock and Stein open."

Stein missed her first two 3-point attempts. "Then they went to a zone and Alicia started hitting," Corley said. "And they let her shoot. They were four or five steps away from her."

Stein relished that. "After you hit that first 3, you get into that zone. I felt it, so I kept shooting. And they never came out of their zone."

CLUTCH PLAYER: Stein became a starter just before the PIAA playoffs last season. She plays some up front, but when the Greyhounds are in a man-to-man defense, Stein usually guards the opposing point guard. "She can move her feet and stop the girl from penetrating most of the time," Corley said.

SWEET SORROW: Winning a PIAA title was a zenith for Stein, Monessen's only non-senior starter. "But at the same time, I was sad," she said. "I was crying before the game because this was going to be the last time I'd take the floor with the four seniors."

FUTURE: An honor student, Stein also plays soccer. She was on the Monessen softball team last spring but hasn't decided whether she'll play. "I'm pretty worn out right now," she said.

Stein and two frequently used reserves, Perriel Pearson and Charrisse Bassett, will form the foundation for the next season's basketball team.

-- By Rick Shrum