A look at Santa鈥檚 college sports list
As Santa went on his 24-hour jaunt around the world bringing presents to kids everywhere, what would he bring college sports programs, players, coaches and fans?
For the three major football programs in the area, Pitt, West Virginia and Penn State, bowl wins and a solid close to recruiting for the Class of 2019 in February.
All three programs want to finish their respective seasons on a positive note.
Aside from the seniors that will graduate, how many underclassmen will each program lose?
It is important for the future of each to pick up more recruits to bolster depth.
For basketball fans who have not seen him play yet, watch Zion Williamson from Duke.
A one-and-done player, Williamson plays the game with zest and a rare joy hardly seen.
A raw shooter from the outside, Williamson has plenty of room to improve but when a player has been compared to LeBron James and Charles Barkley, that is saying something.
One of the most refreshing attributes that Williamson has is that he gets as excited seeing a teammate make a play as he would if he made it himself.
A freak athlete, Williamson will become the second heaviest player in the NBA when he is drafted in June, but he is chiseled from granite and could be the top pick in the draft.
Two weeks ago, Williamson hit his head off of the backboard when he blocked a shot and has been eye level with the rim on several dunks.
While there is room for improvement in his game, if you are a basketball fan, do yourself a favor and watch him on TV.
And if you have the time, standing room tickets will be made available when Duke comes to Pitt on Jan. 22.
For Bucknell senior Kaitlyn Slagus, the chance to return to the NCAA tournament.
A Belle Vernon Area grad, Slagus will solidify herself as one of the top players in program history as she continues her assault up the program record book.
For Penn State Fayette women鈥檚 basketball coach Scott Hillen, a healthy roster.
His team has battled the injury bug all season and that only makes matters worse for a team that has seven freshmen out of the 11 players on its roster.
Two starters went down in the season opener and with other injuries, Hillen has hardly been able to utilize his full rotation to its fullest.
For Monessen grad Dana Vatakis and BVA grad Bailey Parshall, the starting pitcher jobs for Robert Morris and Penn State, respectively, and for Yough grad Hannah Bach, a spot in Pitt鈥檚 starting lineup.
All three are true freshmen and had amazing success during their scholastic careers with a combined six section titles, three WPIAL crowns and a PIAA championship.
For all college sports fans, a successful season for your programs to give you that extra pep in your step!
It is well known that most sports fans, with fans being short for fanatics, are in a better mood when their teams do well.
So whichever team you follow in whatever sport, the wish is for your team to put a smile on your face.
For local coaches looking to take the next step and build their respective programs, the dedication of their current players and a solid group of recruits to get things going in the right direction!
Crazy stat of the week
Last week on his SiriusXM show, Off Campus, Mark Packer was talking about different topics and he brought up Stanford winning the NCAA women鈥檚 volleyball title.
That, in itself isn鈥檛 rare as Stanford is one of the top volleyball programs annually.
But then Packer shared a stat that had to make a few heads spin.
With the win, Stanford has now won an NCAA championship in at least one sport for 43 straight years.
Looks like Chris Dountas, a Cal U. of Pa. grad who is the Assistant Athletic Director and Equipment Manager at Stanford, will have even more championship hardware to look at on campus!
Share college sports news and names
If you know someone currently playing a sport in college, coaching, or holding another role, email or tweet suggestions/questions/comments to powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to @BillHughes_III.