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Ferrari took over for Char-Houston

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Chartiers-Houston’s Alec Ferrari and McGuffey’s Sammie Weiss are the Observer-Reporter’s basketball players of the year for the 2014-2015 season.

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Alec Ferrari

An ability to leave a defender in his tracks with one swiping crossover dribble and regularly splitting double teams with on-court vision beyond his years, Alec Ferrari often made opponents look foolish this season.

Entering his senior season, Chartiers-Houston’s point guard certainly had the skill set – a picturesque jump shot, precise one-handed passes and ball-handling that made opponents dizzy.

Ferrari was a facilitator for the Bucs as a junior, distributing the basketball to his teammates while keeping defenders honest with his ability to knock down a mid-range jumper or drive through a stifling zone defense.

His senior season was nothing short of exceptional. Ferrari almost doubled his scoring output from a year ago – averaging 23.6 points per game – and shouldered the burden after Chartiers-Houston lost three dynamic players to graduation.

Opposing coaches tried everything to stop Ferrari – trapping, box-and-one and every double team imaginable. Nothing worked and the three-year starter enjoyed every ounce of the attention.

After scoring 543 points this winter, Ferrari finished with 1,099 for his career, became the school’s all-time assists leader, broke the school record for points in a single game and was voted by the coaches as co-MVP of Section 3-AA, which included Seton-La Salle, Bishop Canevin and Washington.

Add Observer-Reporter Boys Basketball Player of the Year to his list of accolades.

“The game opened up and I felt like I saw everything on the court,” Ferrari said. “A lot of it was mental. Not that I was ever a head case or anything, but I was calm. I realized I could do my thing and during the second half of the season, I felt in control. It started to come easy.”

No kidding.

Ferrari broke the single-game points record twice this season with 44 and 47 points in victories over the same section rival in Fort Cherry. During the Bucs’ last five section games, he averaged 26.8 points per game to lift C-H into the WPIAL Class AA playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Being the centerpiece of the offense did not always come natural for Ferrari. He admits his selfless nature caused him to think pass first, despite having the ability to take control of the game. There were times during the past season when opponents took away a shot, but with two defenders draped over him, Ferrari’s vision found an open teammate with a highlight-reel pass.

“He became confident in what he was able to do,” Chartiers-Houston head coach Eugene Briggs said. “If you saw him at the beginning of the season and compared it to how he finished, it wasn’t the same guy. It’s easy to get frustrated when all the attention is on you, but he showed poise.”

In June of 2013, basketball was far from Ferrari’s mind. While on vacation, his arm swelled and upon returning to Houston, Ferrari went to the doctors to have it examined. Doctors found a blood clot seven inches long stretching from his right bicep to his neck.

Ferrari feared the worst. After further tests, he was diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a mechanical issue caused from his throwing motion. A vein was being pinched by bones, stopping the blood flow to his heart and causing him to spend a week in the hospital.

Doctors removed a section of his top rib and placed a stent in the vein to keep it open. He missed his junior football season, but returned for basketball after physical therapy three times a week for 12 weeks.

“The scariest thing was when I heard blood clot,” Ferrari said. “That really hit me hard. I was scared about that, especially at first when I didn’t know what it was and wondering how a 17-year-old kid had a blood clot.”

It did not take long for him to make an impression upon his return. As a junior, Ferrari led an offense that averaged 58.4 points per game.

It was ideal preparation for his senior season. Though the Bucs lost to Avonworth in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs, Ferrari was arguably the best player on the floor, finishing with a team-high 20 points.

Since his high school career began, Ferrari joked with his uncle, Scott McIlvaine, a 1973 C-H grad who previously held the school’s assist record, that he was going to break the mark.

Despite being the center of attention, Ferrari lived up to his word and cemented his legacy as one of the best to wear Chartiers-Houston maroon and gold.

“I try not to look too much into personal accolades,” Ferrari said. “When I was a freshman, I wanted to be a 1,000-point scorer and joked with my uncle that I was going to break his record. It’s cool to see how I grew up and was able to accomplish those things. It’s an honor.”

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