Dec 21, 2022 3 min read

Name: Ben Shields

School: Charleroi

Class: Senior

Sport: Basketball

Shields’ week: Flexing his muscles as the only senior in the starting lineup for Charleroi, Shields powered the Cougars to a pair of non-section victories on the road.

First, he overwhelmed California by coming off the bench to score 21 points and grab 17 rebounds in a 74-68 win. Later in the week, he scored 21 of his 31 points in the second half of a 67-59 section win over Waynesburg.

“He’s the reason we won those games,” Charleroi coach Bill Wiltz said. “He’s our biggest player. He’s big and strong. Pulling down all those rebounds is huge for us because we have really struggled shooting the basketball.”

Shields averages just under 20 points per game but is well into double digits with his rebound totals, playing with a grit the inexperienced Cougars desperately need. They have three juniors and a freshman in their starting lineup. None of whom started a season ago.

“He’s that guy other kids are looking to,” Wiltz said of Shields, a three-year starter. “We are inexperienced. When he talks, people listen. He leads by example. Last year you could see his growth. This year he has exploded.”

Putting in the work: Shields’ success on the court has mainly been generated from the hard work he’s done off it.

The 6-2 senior has made the weight room a second home, trying to get in workouts at least three times per week throughout the season.

“I would say between really trying to get stronger and working on my shooting, that’s where I’ve improved the most,” Shields said. “I expected to have a lot of rebounds, but a lot of my points have come from grabbing those rebounds.”

Taking on a leadership role isn’t a new experience for Shields. A member of the Charleroi baseball team, Shields has tried to take a similar position with a lack of seniority for the past two seasons. During his sophomore baseball season, Charleroi only had one senior. Last year, the Cougars didn’t have any.

He is hopeful leadership on the hardwood will translate to a better ending than a season ago.

Charleroi, which is 1-1 in Class 3A Section 4 and 3-4 overall this season, lost five of their final six regular-season games last year and missed the postseason.

“I think right now we just have to keep working on learning how to play in close games,” Shields said. “It’s just about making sure everybody is calm.”

Wiltz feels similarly, hoping that game experience will help his starting five to play a style that would best suit the Cougars.

“We aren’t big (outside of Ben),” Wiltz said. “We have decent quickness and are trying to emphasize a transition game. That hasn’t caught on yet. That will hopefully come with a little more experience.”

Compiled by Luke Campbell

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