Slagus Sisters: Belle Vernon’s Dynamic Duo
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Belle Vernon graduate Kaitlyn Slagus (50) is shown during her playing days at Bucknell University.
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Belle Vernon graduate Jessica Slagus throws the javelin during track & field season at Seton Hill University.
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Kaitlyn Slagus scored 1,360 points in her basketball career at Belle Vernon.
Submitted photo
Jessica Slagus scored 1,133 points in her basketball career at Belle Vernon.
Belle Vernon girls basketball spawned a dynamic duo in the Slagus sisters, Jessica and younger sister Kaitlyn, who were 1,000-point scorers during their playing days with the Leopards.
“My dad called us a dynamic duo,” Jessica Slagus laughed.
Both sisters got an early start in athletics.
“My parents did a great job of trying to diversify us,” Jessica said, “trying to let us pick what we really loved from track to basketball, softball, everything. I kind of honed in on basketball. I started playing basketball in The Rec League in third grade when my dad coached me, and then in middle school I did track as well, but I just did track and basketball.”
“We played since we were very young,” Kaitlyn explained. “We did everything!”
Jessica starred on Belle Vernon teams that posted records of 14-9 in 2009-10 with a loss to Mars 47-46 in the WPIAL playoffs and 10-11 in 2010-11. Joined by sister Kaitlyn in 2011-12 the Leopards finished 13-12 and lost to Hopewell in the playoffs, 60-24. In Jessica’s senior season the Leopards went 17-13 and notched a playoff win over Greensburg Salem, 60-41, and then lost to Blackhawk, 71-46.
“My last two years of high school were my favorite,” Jessica offered. “My sister definitely had an impact on that.
“I feel like we had a great connection on the court, but also off the court. She’s my best friend to this day, and I felt like playing basketball together we’d go to practice together and we were always together.”
“It was a lot of fun,” Kaitlyn said. “Jessica was two years older than me. To play with her those two years were two of the highlights of my basketball career.”
Jessica played her first two seasons at BVA under Tim Keller and then played under coach Lisa Fairman.
“The coaching change for me personally went well,” Jessica stated. “It was a breath of fresh air and I feel like the whole team kind of needed that, and it was the same year my sister came in. So between my freshman year and my junior year it was like a completely different team.”
When Belle Vernon lost to Blackhawk it was traumatic because one sister, Jessica, was moving on to college.
“You don’t realize how bittersweet it’s going to be in the moment,” Kaitlyn recalled. “It’s one of those things you never want to end.”
The 6-foot Jessica finished her Belle Vernon hoops career with 1,133 points which is No. 3 on the all-time list at BVA. She also grabbed 865 career rebounds. She was Class AAA All-State third team and named to the Tribune-Review Terrific 10.
Jessica also excelled in track and field throwing the javelin which would be a big plus for her in college. She holds the Belle Vernon school record in the javelin at 119 feet, 1 inch.
“I did enjoy track and field,” Jessica said. “I threw the javelin and I feel it was a good offset from basketball because my family is basketball driven. My dad coached in the AAU and I credit my parents with all of our success.
“They drove us thousands of miles to all these games and tournaments and they spent god only knows how much money, but they wouldn’t have had it any other way. Track gave me a kind of break both mentally and physically from basketball. It was a good change of pace.”
Jessica reflected on the recruiting process after she graduated from Belle Vernon in 2013.
“The recruiting process was interesting,” Jessica explained. “I think being the oldest my parents didn’t know what to expect. I remember visiting a lot of schools. It was a long process and I knew in my heart I wanted to stay close to home because I have two younger sisters. I was fortunate enough to get a good offer from Seton Hill.”
Jessica didn’t have the career she wanted in basketball at Seton Hill.
“The coach that I played basketball for was not the one that recruited me,” Jessica lamented. “I feel like in high school basketball was my No. 1 sport and then in college I was very fortunate to be on the track team as well because that was my saving grace from the basketball situation.
“I was recruited by Ferne Labati and signed with her,” Jessica added. “Mark Katarski took over about a week before I started my freshman year. That was not an ideal situation, but we made the best of it.”
Jessica played three seasons for Seton Hill, scoring 41 points and grabbing 62 rebounds on teams that went 13-14 in 2013-14, 12-17 in 2014-15 and 14-15 in 2015-16.
“The basketball career wasn’t what I hoped it would be,” Jessica said. “There were five other girls in my class. Basketball was tough. Track & field was my saving grace.”
Jessica earned second-team All-American honors in track and field and also was named an Academic All-American as a sophomore, She finished 10th in the javelin at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships as a sophomore.
“Basketball wasn’t what I thought it was going to be when I signed.” Jessica said. “But track was great and I was able to come out of there with virtually no debt and a great education. I went on to grad school at Shenandoah University and got a Masters in Occupational Therapy.”
Meanwhile younger sister Kaitlyn was doing great things at Belle Vernon. The Leopards were 10-12 her junior year in 2013-14 and 16-7 in 2014-15, losing to Peters Township in the playoffs, 46-45.
The 6-foot-1 Kaitlyn ended her Belle Vernon career with 1,360 points and 1,020 rebounds. She was named Post-Gazette Fabulous Five, Tribune-Review Terrific 10 and to the Ăĺ±±˝űµŘ All-Area First Team. She also lettered in track and field for three years.
“I look back on high school with a great deal of pride,” Kaitlyn stated. “It’s kind of funny my mom would always joke that every time I’d get the ball she would always close her eyes because (she thought) I was either going to walk or turn it over. She told me after I graduated. It’s funny knowing how I started and then my career and where it went and what I was able to accomplish.”
Sister Jessica remembers the gangly Kaitlyn as a young player.
“Her freshman year in high school she couldn’t walk and chew gum,” Jessica laughed. “But she went on to Bucknell and played in Ireland and is back where it all started. I’m really proud of her.”
When Kaitlyn graduated from Belle Vernon she was a highly sought after college recruit.
“I was indecisive in recruiting,” Kaitlyn said. “I went to a lot of schools for visits. I went to Bucknell and my parents thought it would be a good fit. I took a leap of faith, my parents were going to guide me no matter what. My parents had a lot of influence with me choosing Bucknell and I’m glad the way it all worked out.”
Kaitlyn flourished at Bucknell on teams that posted records of 25-8 in 2015-16, 27-6 in 2016-17, 22-10 in 2017-18 and 28-6 in 2018-19.
“It was a lot of fun,” Kaitlyn explained. “We weren’t picked to do much of anything my freshman year. I had pneumonia in the preseason and we were young. We had a lot of injuries and our freshman class got to play and that propelled us to a great four-year period. I had awesome teammates.
“A lot of hard work. I was fortunate to make it through with no injuries. I think I missed one half of a game my whole career.”
The numbers and accomplishments speak for themselves.
Kaitlyn tallied 1,487 points, seventh place on Bucknell’s all-time scoring list, and snatched 949 rebounds, which is No. 1 in school history. She had 150 career blocks for the Bison and that is No. 2 in school history. She was a three-time All Patriot League selection, first team as a senior and second team as a junior and a sophomore. She was named 2016 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and MVP in the 2019 Patriot League Tournament.
Kaitlyn was a 10-time Patriot League Player of the Week and five-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week. She had 30 career double-doubles and received the Christy Mathewson Award as Bucknell’s top senior female athlete .
She had a great relationship with the Bucknell coaching staff.
“I do have a great relationship with coach Aaron Roussell and some of his assistants,” Kaitlyn stated. “We still talk to this day. All of my coaches are now at the University of Richmond. It’s been fun following them.”
Jessica is now a Occupational Therapist at Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital Greenwood, South Carolina.
Kaitlyn is in her third season coaching Belle Vernon girls basketball and so far this season has guided the Leopards to a 12-6 overall record and an 8-1 mark in section play.
“Honestly I didn’t think about coaching when I was done at Bucknell,” Kaitlyn offered. “I played overseas in Ireland. I want to stay involved a little. I actually had an assistant coaching job lined up. Then the Belle Vernon job opened up. I was 22 at the time and I’m fortunate the way things worked out.”
Kaitlyn has come full circle back to her roots.
“I mention that all the time, it’s like I started here,” Kaitlyn stated. “Then I kind of went on with my career and now I’m back here on the sidelines. I’m really fortunate to be in the position I am in. Getting to coach the girls at Belle Vernon, they are an awesome group and it’s funny because as a player going into my senior year I would come back over the summer and play pick up with these girls, but I was just another alumni at college and I wasn’t really their coach. Now I’m fortunate to be able be on the sidelines here at my alma mater and lead the program that started me out on my career.”
The Slagus sisters along with other 1,000-point scorers from Belle Vernon basketball history will be honored Feb. 10 at halftime of the Belle Vernon boys basketball game against Elizabeth Forward.
George Von Benko’s “Memory Lane” column appears in the Sunday editions of the Ăĺ±±˝űµŘ. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.