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 无毛视频 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, 无毛视频淚 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?无毛视频�
Bryant drew praise from former teammates after his passing in 2012.
无毛视频淲illie was a quality human being and an inspiring young athlete who always worked to be the best,无毛视频� said the late Wilfred Minor. 无毛视频淗e was a team player who didn无毛视频檛 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.无毛视频�
无毛视频淲hen I think about Willie, I think about a person with lots of drive that wanted to be a perfectionist,无毛视频� Ray Parson said. 无毛视频淗e always gave 110 percent on the floor.无毛视频�
Parson spoke about Bryant again recently in an interview with Von Benko.
无毛视频淢y first thought of Willie was that he had broad shoulders and he shot a real nice shot,无毛视频� Parson said. 无毛视频淗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无毛视频檛 get all the credit that he deserved.无毛视频�
Parson and Bryant played for the Red Raiders in the PIAA Western Final against Schenley in 1966 at Pitt无毛视频檚 Fitzgerald Field House, which Uniontown lost, 71-67, in double overtime.
无毛视频淲hen I was playing with Ray Parson and the 1966 team, that was probably my biggest memory from those days,无毛视频� Bryant said. 无毛视频淚 remember the Schenley playoff game. It was one of the greatest games of all time.无毛视频�
Bryant went into the game with a leg injury and several other Red Raiders weren无毛视频檛 at full health.
无毛视频淗e was injured, my brother was injured and Wilfred had to wear a space helmet after he had a terrible concussion,无毛视频� Parson recalled. 无毛视频淭hat was a great game but I still believe to this day if we无毛视频檇 have had a healthy team it would无毛视频檝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.无毛视频�
Schenley would go on to rout Chester in the state final.
无毛视频淗ad we won that game 无毛视频� we had a very good chance of winning a third state title in the 1960s,无毛视频� 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.
无毛视频淚f you came from Uniontown, you usually went through our playground system and you definitely had to have an introduction to East End Playground,无毛视频� Parson said. 无毛视频淭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.无毛视频�
When Bryant returned to Uniontown as an assistant coach he served under head coach Lash Nesser and was part of the Red Raiders无毛视频� 1981 state championship team.
无毛视频淚t would have to be,无毛视频� Bryant said. 无毛视频淭he state championship I never got because of Schenley 无毛视频� 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.无毛视频�
Parson is pleased that Bryant has been chosen for induction to the Hall of Fame.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 very happy and elated about that,无毛视频� Parson said. 无毛视频淗e was a nice person and a fun person.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 really happy that he无毛视频檚 getting in.无毛视频�
The Fayette County 无毛视频 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.