Ken Holden:  

LIFE A LOT HAPPENED AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. I was playing basketball at CCAC, our team was ranked No.1 in defense for 2 yrs. No.1 for 2 months and in the top ten for the rest of the year in '81 among all junior colleges. We also won the first state of PA juco title for CCAC, as well as winning the Skyline Conference during the regular season, we were undefeated in conference play. Back then there wasn't all these divisions like 1,2,3,all the jucos were lumped together in the whole country, all 50 states, there was only 1 division for all jucos. Whether your school had 1,000 or 100,000 students. Especially for the state championship game and the game against kent st.- east liverpool who had a guy from the Mexican Olympic team named jorge flores,why he ever came to e.liverpool ???I don't know. His son played for Pitt in the early 2000's. We beat Delaware Valley from Philly for the state title. But we had a devasting loss to baltimore ccc in the regionals, a team we should have beat but lost in overtime on a half court hook shot at the buzzer. Then we lost the chance to go to the national tournament starting in south carolina, then going to kansas for the rest of the nationals. Some of the biggest names I played against are. Lamont who played at St. Francis,Larry Harris from Pitt and now coaches at N.C. State,Dwight Clay- Notre Dame ,And a lot of other pros,semi-pros,and big time college players like some of my teammates who went onto Duquesne,Indiana State.Also in the offseason used to play with all Pitt and Duquesne players at their gyms. After CCAC I was offered to play and walkon at Ohio State. Coach Miller scouted us and said I was a good player too. Also from Div. 2 on down to NAIA.At CCAC Herb Sendek's dad was a asst. coach Eldon Miller from Ohio st. Scouted us and told Shay *I could walk on there and be on the roster. Herbie was the ball boy now he'sn a big time coach at Nc State,now Arizona St.John Calipari from Moon High was head coach at Umass, Nba NJ Nets,and Memphis U,Kentucky,and then Jim Kelly from East Brady,just some of the big names I played against in high school and college.Also at other places played against.,Lavar Arrington, Dan Fortson, and a lot of Steelers and Pirates in their offseasons.. I ended up after high school one of the best Mounties ever. I proved it 9n the court . Especially against some of the best talent in the tri state area. After high school I improved over 500 percent. And ended up better than most of the mounties and South Hills, South too in my era. Finally, I beat one on one the best Mount guard ever from the 50s 60s and 70s. Though he won more than me in the competition. Also I beat one on one the 1980 Connie Hawkins Champ one on 9ne People couldn't never accept how much I improved 2 years after high school. I became a Division one prospect. I ended up better than most of the ones from 1970 to 1982. Especially 1977 players who thought they were so tough . But after high school they weren't so tough. For reasons unknown they never liked me. Even though we were teammates in 3 sports. But there were some like Parker,, O'Conner and Kunz who did. Most people from the Mount have become a$$$$$$ very mean and vindictive. I played basketball in some of the biggest venues in Pittsburgh against many play...Expand for more