Coach’s Corner
Scott Freund, a 1980s Era Standout
Mark Gentile
Jim Render
Many times, a good story is changed or altered by an actual eyewitness’ account of the facts. I’ve been told that we have living in Upper St. Clair, soccer moms, tennis moms, swimming moms, softball moms, basketball moms, and football moms who get tired of driving kids to practice, personal trainers, and games. There are even rumors of a mom who wore out two SUVs and a mini-van. It is no wonder that pickup trucks are now being designed with women in mind. For those of you who sympathize with the hectic kid schedule, including time spent on your cell phone or iPad organizing car pools or caravans,
Left to right, the Freund family: Morgan, Emily, Hanna, Cameron, Cade, Scott
I have a story for you. My featured former player is a USC Hall of Fame multi-sport athlete by the name of Scott Freund. Don and Fran Freund moved their family to Upper St. Clair from Cleveland when Scott was in first grade. In descending order, the Freund siblings include Mike, Craig, Chris, Scott, and Katie. All were active in sports and other activities, and all five were middle school-age or younger when they first arrived to USC. They participated in many USC recreation programs, as well as various USCAA and School District sports teams. In the summer months, Scott recalls that he went to soccer, basketball, and baseball practices, followed by his mom taking all five kids to the tennis courts where she would hit a bucket of balls to each of them. After tennis, she would drive them to the old YMCA outdoor swimming 18
UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY
pool for a few hours of swim and playtime, followed by getting snow cones for the ride home. When they start a Hall of Fame for supportive moms of active USC athletes, Fran will be a charter member! It should be noted that Mike (USC Class of 1981) was voted the outstanding senior athlete. Chris (USC Class of 1985) set numerous softball records that were broken by Katie (USC Class of 1989). Katie was the outstanding senior female athlete in her class, having competed in basketball, tennis, and softball. As for Scott (USC Class of 1987), he is probably the most versatile multi-sport athlete in the history of USCHS. He received 11 varsity letters in his four years of high school, including four in tennis, three in soccer, two in basketball, and two in football, earning four letters each in his junior and senior years. I recruited Scott to play football his junior and senior years because of a punting and kicking exhibition he put on in one of my physical education classes. His soccer coach, the late great Joe DePalma, gave his permission for Scott to play both sports during the fall season. We only used Scott in kicking situations, so it was a win-win for everybody. In fact, on one day, Scott kicked the winning goal in a soccer game and that night he kicked the game’s winning points in a football playoff game versus Connellsville. The kick was one
Scott jumps to the hoop during a USC basketball game. Fall 2019
Woodrow Wilson Bridge Scott Freund
of four game-winning kicks during that football season, including victories over Pittsburgh Central Catholic and Butler. Maybe I should have spent more time recruiting boys (and girls) to participate in varsity competition who excelled at other sports. Scott was not just a team member; he was a starter for three years in soccer, two years in basketball, and all four years in tennis, being named captain of the basketball and tennis teams his senior year. His tennis coach, Rich Saccani, recalls that Scott was “an intense competitor who always exhibited pride in being a Panther. He never wanted to let his team, school, or family down.” Including team accomplishments, Scott played on the first USC basketball team to win a playoff game, and was part of three WPIAL individual and team championships, three WPIAL runner ups, one PIAA runner up, and one PIAA third place. Not only was Scott a superior athlete, he excelled academically. He was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated with a 3.86 GPA, ranking 24th in a class of 373. One last interesting fact from his school days in Upper St. Clair is that from Kindergarten through 12th grade, Scott had perfect attendance! Regarding quality and quantity, this record is, most likely, unmatched. Following high school graduation, Scott enrolled at Virginia Tech. While at Tech, he played on the football team in various special teams situations all four years. He earned his letter and was a member of the school’s “Winners Circle” his senior year. One of his teammates at both Upper St. Clair and Virginia Tech is another USC athlete Hall of Fame member, Nick Cullen. Together they were named cowinners of the USCHS Athlete of the Year Award in 1987. Nick had this say about his friend and teammate. “I can’t think of a more deserving USC athlete who embodied the spirit of USC than Scott. With such a tremendous desire
