Into the Hall: Willie Bryant
Willie Bryant was a two-year starter for Uniontown in basketball who went on to play at Penn State before returning to give more or his time to his old school district.
Bryant, who died on Feb. 10, 2012, had a lasting impact at Uniontown and is part of the Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Bryant played for Uniontown from 1965 to 1967 and scored 737 career points. The Red Raiders went a combined 42-7 with Bryant in the starting lineup and played in what is considered one of the classic games in Uniontown basketball history.
Bryant went on to be a team captain with the Nittany Lions and scored 577 points in his collegiate career. He would return to the Uniontown school district to be a longtime teacher while also serving as an assistant coach for the boys basketball team for 11 years and as head coach for three years.
Bryant said in a 2007 interview with George Von Benko, 鈥淚 never planned on being here this long or coming back after college. But circumstances just dictated that I stick around and it all worked out alright. A lot of things are involved in teaching and coaching and even playing, but overall, looking back, what else could I have done that would have been better than that?鈥�
Bryant drew praise from former teammates after his passing in 2012.
鈥淲illie was a quality human being and an inspiring young athlete who always worked to be the best,鈥� said the late Wilfred Minor. 鈥淗e was a team player who didn鈥檛 worry about his individual stats. He was one of the greatest pure shooters that I ever played with and he was quiet but powerful in his action on the court.鈥�
鈥淲hen I think about Willie, I think about a person with lots of drive that wanted to be a perfectionist,鈥� Ray Parson said. 鈥淗e always gave 110 percent on the floor.鈥�
Parson spoke about Bryant again recently in an interview with Von Benko.
鈥淢y first thought of Willie was that he had broad shoulders and he shot a real nice shot,鈥� Parson said. 鈥淗e had a real nice corner jump shot. He could rebound the ball but he was like a trailer-type player. Willie was like the second option on all plays. He covered mistakes for people, cleaned rebounds up for people. He was a very talented guy. He didn鈥檛 get all the credit that he deserved.鈥�
Parson and Bryant played for the Red Raiders in the PIAA Western Final against Schenley in 1966 at Pitt鈥檚 Fitzgerald Field House, which Uniontown lost, 71-67, in double overtime.
鈥淲hen I was playing with Ray Parson and the 1966 team, that was probably my biggest memory from those days,鈥� Bryant said. 鈥淚 remember the Schenley playoff game. It was one of the greatest games of all time.鈥�
Bryant went into the game with a leg injury and several other Red Raiders weren鈥檛 at full health.
鈥淗e was injured, my brother was injured and Wilfred had to wear a space helmet after he had a terrible concussion,鈥� Parson recalled. 鈥淭hat was a great game but I still believe to this day if we鈥檇 have had a healthy team it would鈥檝e been a different outcome. Willie and my brother and myself, we kind of hung in there as much as possible but they wore us down because they ran a defensive press similar to ours.鈥�
Schenley would go on to rout Chester in the state final.
鈥淗ad we won that game 鈥� we had a very good chance of winning a third state title in the 1960s,鈥� Bryant said.
Bryant was named to the AP (third team) and UPI (fifth team) All-State teams his senior year at Uniontown. He also played in the Dapper Dan Roundball Classic, scoring seven points for the West Penn All-Stars in a win over the City Catholic All-Stars.
Parson pointed out that he and Bryant were both products of the famous Uniontown playground system.
鈥淚f you came from Uniontown, you usually went through our playground system and you definitely had to have an introduction to East End Playground,鈥� Parson said. 鈥淭hat was the incubator for great athletes to come through, not only high school athletes, we had pro athletes come through there. We had Connie Hawkins and we had Archie (Clark) and Lou Hudson, Don Yates, and Jerry West.鈥�
When Bryant returned to Uniontown as an assistant coach he served under head coach Lash Nesser and was part of the Red Raiders鈥� 1981 state championship team.
鈥淚t would have to be,鈥� Bryant said. 鈥淭he state championship I never got because of Schenley 鈥� I finally got a little redemption. They were a great group of kids, their passing was spectacular and the way they played as a team was just great. What they lacked in other areas they made up with their teamwork.鈥�
Parson is pleased that Bryant has been chosen for induction to the Hall of Fame.
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy and elated about that,鈥� Parson said. 鈥淗e was a nice person and a fun person.
鈥淚鈥檓 really happy that he鈥檚 getting in.鈥�
The Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be enshrined at the Hall of Fame Golf Outing/Luncheon/Social, starting with golf at 9 a.m., on June 21 at Pleasant Valley Golf Club in Connellsville. Luncheon tickets are sold out and all spots in the golf outing have been filled.