Feb 6, 2018 2 min read

Belle Vernon will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1978 WPIAL Class AAA championship boys basketball team Friday night.

“We are excited to honor the 1978 team on the 40th anniversary of their championship,” said Belle Vernon director of athletics Matt Humbert. “With the recent success of our program this year and last, we thought it would be a great opportunity for current players and past players to come together.”

The team will be honored on the same night the current Leopards look to clinch their second straight Section 3-4A title against neighboring rival Elizabeth Forward.

Don Asmonga was the head coach of that Belle Vernon team that went 21-4 during the regular season and 5-1 in the postseason.

Asmonga was assisted by Ed Miller and George Estok, and the Section 3 champions broke 14 school records.

Leading the way was Tom Parks, who set school records with 568 points in a single season, 45 points in a single game and 1,193 points in a career.

All three records stood for several years.

Randy Giannini was the point guard and controlled the pace of games, including when the Leopards beat Wilkinsburg.

Bill Contz, who would go on to play in the NFL, and Gregg Grimm dominated the boards with Doug Indof, Mark McManus, Joe Tordy and Dan Wassilchalk making major contributions.

Marvin “Guy” Bizzelle, Mike Breza, Walt Diethornn, Dave Hoffman and Richard Zuraw also did their part to make sure the team was successful.

Kyle DeGregorio, the current boys head basketball coach, is excited to see the 1978 team honored.

“Our basketball team is excited to welcome them back,” he said. “Their advice will serve us well as we enter our own championship journey.

“We understand the difficulty, commitment and dedication required to win a WPIAL championship and have a high level of respect for their accomplishment.”