PRINTER'S NO. 1558
No. 279 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY WHEATLEY, MARKOSEK, GERGELY, RAMALEY, PALLONE,
BAKER, BELFANTI, BISHOP, BOYD, BRENNAN, BUXTON, CONKLIN,
ELLIS, FLECK, FRANKEL, GALLOWAY, GEORGE, GIBBONS, HENNESSEY,
JAMES, MANTZ, McCALL, MILLARD, PAYNE, PETRONE, SAINATO,
SAYLOR, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, GRUCELA, KORTZ, YOUNGBLOOD, COSTA,
PRESTON, LEVDANSKY, WALKO, J. WHITE, M. SMITH, PHILLIPS,
DERMODY, MURT, SHIMKUS, CURRY, READSHAW, WOJNAROSKI, DeLUCA,
DALEY AND WAGNER, MAY 18, 2007
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MAY 18, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing the phenomenal efforts of the Schenley High School
2 Boys Basketball Team and congratulating them on their 2007
3 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA)
4 Class AAAA Boys Basketball Championship.
5 WHEREAS, The Schenley High School Boys Basketball Team
6 finished the 2005-2006 season as the PIAA Class AAAA Runners-up,
7 finishing second to Lower Merion, by two points, in a
8 heartbreaker at Hershey; and
9 WHEREAS, After this defeat, which many sports writers termed
10 one of the most controversial endings in high school sports, the
11 players banded together to support each other, vowing to work
12 harder and make themselves stronger for the 2006-2007 season;
13 and
14 WHEREAS, Through their hard work and dedication these fine
15 young men have come to symbolize the word "resilient"; and
1 WHEREAS, In the throes of the 2005-2006 PIAA defeat, Spartan
2 forward DeJuan Blair made a pledge to a reporter for the
3 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, stating "We'll be back next year. I
4 guarantee it," after the game; and
5 WHEREAS, The team, composed of 12 fine young men, Greg Blair,
6 Deandre Kane, Raymar McClain, Jeremy Hawkins, Jamaal "Onion"
7 Bryant, D.J. Kennedy, Jessee Granberry, Miles Porter, Michael
8 Hickman, Embry Williams, DeJuan Blair and Robert Kelley,
9 together with Coach Fred Skrocki, have played an arduous 2006-
10 2007 schedule taking them as far away as Fort Myers, Florida, to
11 compete among the best teams in the United States; and
12 WHEREAS, The Spartans, considered a national powerhouse, were
13 listed in USA Today's Super 25 Boys Basketball Ranking, starting
14 the season at number 25 and ending it at number 11; and
15 WHEREAS, Some team members have attained status as honor
16 students, notwithstanding their outstanding abilities on the
17 court and their pursuit of the International Baccalaureate, one
18 of the most demanding of all curricula; and
19 WHEREAS, The young men on this team are so proud to be
20 members of their communities that each of them engages in
21 numerous volunteer and community activities; and
22 WHEREAS, A Pittsburgh City League team has not won the PIAA
23 title in the largest classification since Schenley won in 1978,
24 nearly 30 years ago; and
25 WHEREAS, On their way to the PIAA AAAA Championship, the
26 Spartans met perennial favorites such as Harrisburg before
27 meeting a tenacious Chester in the final game; and
28 WHEREAS, On March 24, 2007, at 8 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan
29 Center at The Pennsylvania State University, DeJuan Blair made
30 good on the pledge he made almost exactly one year earlier: the
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1 Spartans were back in the championship; and
2 WHEREAS, This time Schenley came away with the gold ball,
3 winning the PIAA title which had eluded a Pittsburgh City School
4 for so long; therefore be it
5 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives congratulate the
6 fine young men of the Schenley High School Boys Basketball Team
7 and their coach in recognition of their accomplishments as
8 championship student athletes and as productive members of their
9 community; and be it further
10 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
11 Schenley High School, 4101 Bigelow Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA
12 15213.
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