Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: John Arnold
School: Charleroi
Year: Junior
Sport: Basketball
Arnold’s week: The 6-7 center led Charleroi to two key Section 4-AA wins over Frazier and Waynesburg. Against Frazier Jan. 20, Arnold scored 23 points to spark the Cougars to a 56-51 victory.
Facing Waynesburg Friday night, Arnold was dominant. He scored 19 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked two shots as Charleroi (9-1, 11-6) secured first place in the section with a 48-45 victory. He also made two free throws in the final seconds.
“It was exciting. When we first walked in there, we knew it was going to be a hard one,” Arnold said of the Waynesburg game. “There were times we were down, but we didn’t get down on ourselves.”
Size matters: Arnold was extremely effective as a sophomore when he led the Cougars to the WPIAL playoffs, but his post moves were raw and foul trouble was never far away. Things are different after an offseason spent developing a hook shot and discipline on the defensive end of the court.
Though he finished the Waynesburg game with four fouls, the fourth was called in the final quarter and the majority of the fouls were caused by his height advantage over his opponent.
The junior is averaging 13 points per game.
“Defense is where he’s the best,” Charleroi head coach Bill Wiltz said. “If anyone gets the ball, it’s 50-50 whether they are going to get it to the rim or not because he’s probably blocking five to seven shots a game. He’s really a force inside.”
Arnold has adopted an attention to detail as he pursues his goal to become Charleroi’s next 1,000-point scorer. He practices foul shots regularly, which showed against the Raiders. With the crowd roaring in excitement, Arnold made two attempts to force Waynesburg to take a desperation three-pointer int he closing seconds, which fell short.
“There are games where I just work on foul shots to get ready for the game,” Arnold said. “I feel like foul shots are the things that can decide a game between winning or losing.”
Tight end: Arnold had not played football since he was a 6-1 eighth-grader, but decided to go out for Charleroi’s team last summer. Opponents had a tough time guarding a 6-7 tight end, but Arnold was still learning the intricacies of the game and position.
Despite the learning process, Pitt, Penn State and Temple have shown interest in Arnold playing college football. Wiltz expects Arnold’s recruitment in basketball to have an upward trend after this season.
“I always thought I’d get more offers in basketball. Bt after football, I guess colleges think I played better in football than basketball,” Arnold said. “It’s fun though. During the season, I got comfortable with it. I’ll play whatever gets me a good education.”