Reunited Bilinksy brothers at Pitt-Johnstown headline Westmoreland County players in college basketball

Adam Bilinsky wants to gain traction in his slow-going college basketball career, and the former Norwin standout believes he has found a comfort zone with his new team.

Bilinsky transferred from Mercyhurst to Pitt-Johnstown, bringing familiarity of PSAC basketball while also reuniting with his brother, Ty, another Norwin alum and reserve guard at UPJ.

“Definitely a little of both,” Adam Bilinsky said when asked if he is looking forward to getting his college venture off the ground while wearing the same uniform as his brother again. “Playing with Ty is a very important thing to me, for sure. At the same time, though, it’s exciting playing with some new guys. I knew a lot of guys already, so I am excited playing with some familiar faces, too.”

Bilinsky, a former TribLive Westmoreland Player of the Year, played in nine games at Mercyhurst as a freshman, averaging 7.6 points in 21.3 minutes off as a backcourt reserve.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard wanted to be closer to family, and connecting with Ty made a significant difference in his transfer destination.

Ty Bilinsky, a 5-11 redshirt junior guard, played in 15 games last season but is looking to increase his minutes this season.

“It means a lot to be able to play with each other again,” he said. “Hopefully, we have a good bounce-back year and make a playoff run. I’m hoping me and ‘Bomber’ just get to play a lot together and maybe I can throw him a couple alley-oops.”

Other local storylines to follow this season:

• Latrobe alum Landon Butler jumped into the transfer portal after one season at Montevallo (Ala.) and will have a new Division II college home.

Butler, a 6-4 guard, is now at Coker (S.C.), where he is seeking more playing time.

Last season, he averaged 19.2 minutes in 28 games and averaged 3.8 points. He was second on the team with 33 steals.

• Junior forward Bailey Kuhns, a Greensburg Central Catholic product, will be a key frontcourt presence for Mercyhurst, which will play its first season at the NCAA Division I level.

Kuhns averaged 14.3 points and 5.1 rebounds last season for the Lakers (18-11), who start the season tied for eighth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll.

• Anna Rafferty, another former Latrobe standout, also has a new team, albeit one that plays closer to home.

The 6-foot-1 forward changed PSAC West programs, leaving IUP for Seton Hill. Rafferty saw limited time in 27 games at Indiana.

• Chatham junior Alyssa Laukus (Norwin) is back after earning MVP at the PAC Tournament, where she averaged 14 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks.

She set a program record with six blocks in a game.

For the season, she averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds.

Chatham went 24-4 and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament.

• After being named to the All-AMCC second team, sophomore Matthew Marinchak (Ligonier Valley) returns to the backcourt at Pitt-Greensburg.

Marinchak made a team-high 77 3-pointers and led the Bobcats in scoring with a 17.7-point average.

• Another Pitt-Greensburg standout is senior guard Melina Maietta (Greensburg Central Catholic), who has been one of the top scorers in the AMCC. Last year, she was a first-team all-conference selection after scoring 18.6 points a game.

Two of her top teammates are junior Tiana Moracco (Derry) and sophomore Sarah Penrod (Franklin Regional).

• Norwin alum Jayla Wehner will embark on her first coaching venture. The former Marian guard is a graduate assistant at Hiram, a Division III program in Ohio.

• Former Latrobe, West Liberty and College of Charleston standout Bryce Butler also is entering into coaching. He is an assistant at West Liberty.

Players to watch

Men

Division I (club)

Isaiah Mallich, Fr., G, Robert Morris (Jeannette)

Division II

Adam Bilinsky, So., G, Pitt-Johnstown (Norwin)

Ty Bilinsky, R-Jr., G, Pitt-Johnstown (Norwin)

Landon Butler, So.,G, Coker (Latrobe)

Kadyn Hannah, Sr., F, Cal (Pa.) (Franklin Regional)

Fin Hutchison, Fr., G, Seton Hill (Franklin Regional)

Division III

Tyler Campbell, Sr., F, La Roche (Penn-Trafford)

Cade Cavanaugh, Sr., G, Penn College (Greensburg Salem)

Riley Comforti, Sr., G, Carlow (Southmoreland)

Terek Crosby, Fr., G, Saint Vincent (Yough)

Ryan Edwards, So., G, Geneva (Norwin)

Tyler Freas, Fr., G, Pitt-Greensburg (Penn-Trafford)

Ty Keffer, Fr., G/F, Pitt-Greensburg (Southmoreland)

Kody Kuhns, Jr., F, Carlow (Monessen)

Brandon Learn, Jr., G, Washington & Jefferson (Hempfield)

Matt Marinchak, Jr., G, Pitt-Greensburg (Ligonier Valley)

Austin Matthews, Fr., F, Geneva (Yough)

Dylan McCullough, Fr., G/F, Mt. Aloysius (Norwin)

Cooper Rankin, Fr., G, La Roche (Franklin Regional)

Cam Rowell, Fr., G/F, Washington & Jefferson (Franklin Regional)

Harrison Sowers, So., G, Washington & Jefferson (Hempfield)

Tyree Turner, Fr., G, John Carroll (Greensburg Central Catholic)

NJCAA

Jaisean Blackman, Fr., F, Westmoreland County Community College (Monessen)

Ryan Burkhart, Fr., G, Westmoreland County Community College (Greensburg Salem)

Lorenzo Gardner, Fr., G, Westmoreland County Community College (Monessen)

Colin Masten, Fr., G-F, Westmoreland County Community College (Franklin Regional)

Marvel McGowan, So., G, Westmoreland County Community College (Greensburg Salem)

Nate Papuga, Fr., G, Westmoreland County Community College (Derry)

Connor Pavlocak, Fr., G, Westmoreland County Community College (Mt. Pleasant)

Ty Travillion, So., G, Westmoreland County Community College (Yough)

Women

Division I

Emma Blair, R-Fr., F, USC Upstate (Latrobe)

Bailey Kuhns, Jr., F, Mercyhurst (Greensburg Central Catholic)

Elle Snyder, Fr., G, Evansville (Latrobe)

Division II

Olivia Cernuto, So., G, Gannon (Southmoreland)

Avery Davis, Fr., G, Wheeling (Greensburg Central Catholic)

Camille Dominick, So., F, Pitt-Johnstown (Latrobe)

Sarah Libratore, Sr., G, Florida Tech (Hempfield)

Abby Mankins, Jr., G/F, Seton Hill (Greensburg Salem)

Kaitlyn Mankins, Fr., F, D’Youville (Greensburg Salem)

Mya Morgan, Fr., G, Cal (Pa.) (Greensburg Central Catholic)

Lauren Palangio, Fr., F-C, Holy Family (Norwin)

Olivia Pepple, Fr., G, Gannon (Penn-Trafford)

Anna Rafferty, Fr., F, Seton Hill (Latrobe)

Maura Suman, Jr., G, Edinboro (Penn-Trafford)

Bri Zajicek, Jr., Cedarville (Norwin)

Division III

Jordan Bass, So., G, Pitt-Greensburg (Jeannette)

Katie Botti, So., F, Bethany (Norwin)

Angelina Brush, Fr., G, Westminster (Franklin Regional)

Cara Dupilka, Fr., G-F, Saint Vincent (Greensburg Central Catholic)

Jayme Flock, So., F, Geneva (Hempfield)

Ava Kobus, Fr., G/F, Allegheny (Norwin)

Alyssa Laukus, Jr., F, Chatham (Norwin)

Melina Maietta, Sr., G, Pitt-Greensburg (Greensburg Central Catholic)

Autumn Matthews, Fr., G, Pitt-Greensburg (Yough)

Brooke McCoy, So., F, Grove City (Hempfield)

Tiana Moracco, Jr., G, Pitt-Greensburg (Derry)

Sarah Penrod, So., G, Pitt-Greensburg (Franklin Regional)

Sarah Podkul, Fr., G, Marietta (Hempfield)

Mara Polczynski, Sr., G, Grove City (Norwin)

Mackenzie Powell, Sr., G, Westminster (Penn-Trafford)

Ashlan Price, Fr., G, Allegheny (Greensburg Salem)

Gia Rosensteel, Fr., G, Carlow (Greensburg Salem)

Mackenzie Span, Fr., F, Pitt-Greensburg (Greensburg Salem)

Venicia Vignoli, Fr., F, Carlow (Jeannette)