Mike Mastroianni has been a head basketball coach in the WPIAL for 17 seasons, 10 of them at Quaker Valley High School.

Over the years his attitude on a number of things concerning the game has changed. He has done a "180" when it comes to summer league play.

"When I first started coaching, a lot of coaches said summer isn't that important. I initially thought that," said Mastroianni, who has also been the head man at Keystone Oaks and Bethel Park high schools. "Now, I've done a complete reversal. I think the summer is real important."

Which is why he was pleased with what his Quaker Valley team accomplished in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club's summer session this year and last.

The Quakers held on for a 51-48 victory against Rochester in the club's Class AA/A division championship game a week ago at the Ambridge High School Field House. It was the second consecutive year Quaker Valley won the division title.

The contest was the first of a championship doubleheader. In the second game, North Allegheny lost to Chartiers Valley, 53-47, in the Class AAAA/AAA division.

Now, winning a summer league crown doesn't guarantee a team success the following winter. But it is a step in the right direction.

"If you're a competitive guy and building a program, there isn't a time you don't want your team to walk out there and play the correct way," said Mastroianni when asked why he was into the contest as if it was for a WPIAL playoff spot. "To let [the players] go out there and play the way they want to play is sort of taking a step backward.

"There is something to be said for playing well in the summer. Our guys took a lot of pride [in playing well] because we won this title last year."

The big man, literally, for the Quakers in the championship game was 6-foot-4 Jon West, who will be a junior this fall. He scored 14 points and had two key field goals down the stretch. Guards Nigel Gibson and Casey Courneen, who are both going into their senior years, also played well and kept the ball away from Rochester in the final minutes.

For the Quakers, summer league play is important enough that three players -- Pat Conlan, Augie Luptak and Josh Hill -- went directly to the championship game from a conditioning workout for football.

"We've had most of the main pieces this summer," Mastroianni said. "We have a good group of kids."

What Mastroianni likes about summer league play is the games are a bit rougher with a lot of contact. He said it helps toughen his players.

"The one thing we talk about in the summer is no fights," he said. "You don't want to foul somebody just to foul them, but you want to get your competitive level as high as you can."

As for summer success leading to success in the WPIAL playoffs, Mastroianni said there is a connection.

"We won this [division] last year and we were a sneaky good team," he said. "It helps your confidence."