Red Raider trio goes out on high note
Submitted photo
Rob Kezmarsky had one last chance to coach a basketball game with Uniontown seniors Notorious Grooms, Calvin Winfrey III and Kelan Milsom.
The trio made the most of the opportunity.
The three Red Raiders were the three leading scorers for the Class 5A South team in its high-flying 141-101 victory over the District 10 team at the Roundball Classic on Saturday at North Allegheny High School.
Winfrey poured in 20 points including a 3-pointer, Grooms made a pair of 3-pointers in ringing up 19 points and Milsom tallied 18 points. Eight of the Class 5A South players hit double digits in the game.
Grooms and Winfrey were both four-year starters under Kezmarsky for the Red Raiders. Grooms wound up as the program’s second-leading career scorer with 1,684 points and Winfrey finished third at 1,460.
“It was the last time they’ll put that uniform on and it was a nice experience for them to end that way,” Kezmarsky said. “All three of them had great games. Any of them very easily could’ve been the team MVP but they showed what kind of kids they are by supporting and being excited for Gateway’s Paul Nnacho who got it. He was spectacular with some of his dunks and blocks.”
Nnacho wound up with 16 points.
“But Cal, Tori and Kelan all had great seasons and great careers and they got a chance to show off what they could do in a game like this and it wasn’t just scoring,” Kezmarsky said. “They all shared the ball, they made the extra pass and played unselfishly. They got along well with all their teammates, the Penn-Trafford kids, Nnacho and everyone.”
Kezmarsky’s team had 15 players on its roster but five couldn’t make the game.
“I was so worried about how to work everyone in but when we wound up with 10 that made it easy as a coach,” Kezmarsky said. “We ended up with 10 and everyone pretty much got equal playing time.”
Kezmarsky reflected on the trio’s time at Uniontown.
“They won a lot of basketball games at Uniontown,” Kezmarsky said. “Tori and Cal have been with me for years, since they were my ball boys. To see them grown up and have the kind of careers they’ve had was rewarding to me. When they look back they’ll see not only all the success they had but their great commitment and positive impact they had on the program.
“Kelan had a huge impact, too. He was a key player last year and a starter this year who was a great all-around player for us.”
Kezmarsky laughed when asked if he ran any specific plays as coach of the team.
“We practiced the night before and we said if you want to screen and roll a little bit, that’s fine, but it was up and down,” Kezmarsky said. “Calvin had a real nice dunk. Kelan did, too. Tori had a great game.
“Just seeing them smiling, having fun and enjoying playing the game, it was great to watch. It was nice to get the chance to coach in that game and I appreciated the offer. It was well worth it.”
Uniontown fans are known to travel well and Saturday was no different even for an all-star game.
“We had a nice crowd and a lot of the families of the players and a lot of other Uniontown fans came to support the team, too,” Kezmarsky said.
The game forced the players to take apart one of the mementos they received at their senior banquet, Kezmarsky pointed out.
“We had their home jerseys framed and presented to them, but then they had to take them out of the frame to wear them one last time for this game,” Kezmarsky said with a chuckle.
Kezmarsky wished all three well in the future.
“That’s what it’s all about really, the next step. I’m excited for all three of them,” Kezmarsky said. “Calvin is playing basketball at Cal U and I’m so excited for the opportunity he’ll have there. Kelan could very easily play basketball in college but he’s going to Grove City to play football and I’m sure he’ll succeed there. Tori is still undecided on what he’s going to do, but there were a few coaches talking to him at the game Saturday.”
Kezmarsky believes their careers will have a positive impact on Uniontown’s underclassmen.
“We had an open gym recently and I talked to them about the three of them and the careers they had and all they accomplished along with getting to play in the Roundball,” Kezmarsky said. “That’s something for them to strive for. I talked about the commitment they made to the program, never missing open gyms or summer league games and also how they handled themselves in the community, especially with the younger kids.
“They’ve been a big part of our program and they’ll be remembered fondly and will be with us forever.”