DEJUAN BLAIR

SCHOOL: Schenley

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-7, 240-pound sophomore standout on the Schenley boys' basketball team.

THE PAST WEEK: Blair tied for team-high scoring honors when he had 9 in a 40-25 City League semifinal victory Friday against Allderdice, which tried slowdown tactics in its unsuccessful attempt to upset Schenley. In the quarterfinals, Blair scored 21 in a 72-42 victory against Westinghouse. Schenley (22-4) plays Oliver for the City League championship tonight.

SEASON: Blair leads Schenley in scoring with an average of 17 points a game. He also averages 10 rebounds a game.

BRIGHT FUTURE: Blair is considered one of the best sophomores in the state, and Division I colleges already are showing interest. "We keep pushing him to stay in his back yard and go to Pitt," said Schenley coach Fred Skrocki. "They like him. Duquesne would love to have him. North Carolina State sends something every week. Boston College is interested."

BABY SHAQ: Blair was 6 feet 1 in 6th grade with a wide body. That's when people started calling him "Baby Shaq." "Now, everyone just calls me Big Fella," Blair said.

OH, BROTHER: Blair's brother, Greg, is a 6-foot-1 freshman and reserve forward on the basketball team. Greg started in football as a freshman. "I used to play football [in midget leagues] when I was younger," DeJuan said. "But I quit because I couldn't make the weight limit. I was too big."

-- By Mike White

HALEY GAIDOSH

SCHOOL:Montour.

WHO IS SHE? A 6-foot forward and leading scorer and rebounder for the girls' basketball team. The Spartans (18-6) will play for the WPIAL Class AAA title at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Palumbo Center against the survivor of the Hopewell-Moon game last night.

PAST WEEK: In the WPIAL quarterfinals Saturday, Gaidosh scored 18 points, including the winning basket with 35 seconds remaining as Montour upended top-seeded North Catholic, 37-36. Gaidosh had eight points Tuesday in a 38-35 semifinal win against Blackhawk.

SEASON: A four-year starter, Gaidosh is averaging 13.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.

SPIRIT OF '71: The Montour girls have won one WPIAL title, and though it occurred nearly a generation before her birth, Gaidosh is acutely aware of when it occurred. "It was 1971. Oh-five will look pretty good up there with it."

WOUNDED KNEE: A hyperextended knee against Moon Jan. 6 is about the only thing that has stifled Gaidosh this season. She missed two games and, according to Hopper, "it took her a month to get back to where she was."

FUTURE: An outstanding student with a 4.15 grade-point average who plans a career in pharmacy, Gaidosh will play basketball at the Naval Academy.

-- By Rick Shrum