By Lynn Saternow
Herald Sports Editor
I WAS SADDENED to hear about the passing of former Sharonite Chuck Diven, who died of pneumonia in Oakmont at the age of 91 recently.
While he was known to a lot of area people after working 38 years at Sharon Steel and serving as general manager of sales, it was in the world of sports where he first made his mark.
I remember hearing a story years ago about how Diven invented the “jump shot” in basketball while at Sharon High School. He supposedly first tried the shot in 1934 at Sharon High, when the only way of shooting was the set shot.
His coaches reportedly made him stop because they thought he was showboating.
In 1995, a “Scoreboard” segment of Sports Illustrated titled “Chucking the J” credited him as a candidate for originating the shot. The article also said that Stanford star Hank Luisetti in 1936 and Kenny Sailors of Wyoming used the early versions of the jumper.
Chuck played basketball and baseball at the University of Pennsylvania and was inducted into the Mercer County Hall of Fame in 1984.
At Sharon he played hoops for 3 years and was captain of the baseball and track teams in 1935. In 1935 he played on Bill Hoyle’s first basketball team.
His wife Jan, who died in 2003, served on the F.H. Buhl Club board of directors for many years and was the first ever female president of the board.
Our sympathies go out to their children Don, Gary, Bruce and Holly. All have moved away from the Shenango Valley area.
ä It’s a strange coincidence, but the subject of the jump shot was a recent topic of conversation at the ceremony for the late Farrell High standout Julius McCoy.
Tony Knott, former Julius teammate, and I were talking and he related how Julius was shooting the jump shot at practice in the 1950-51 season, but Coach Ed McCluskey made him quit.
When Farrell made it to the state finals in 1951 against Allentown, every kid from Allentown was shooting the jumper and they beat the Steelers, 66-55.
After that, McCluskey had the Steelers shooting jump shots. Proof that even the greatest coaches learn from experience!
McCluskey, who led Farrell to 7 state championships in the big school division, will be inducted in the WPIAL Hall of Fame in Moon Township this Friday.
Former players, athletic directors and friends planning to attend include: Frank Sincek, Jim Raykie, Chuck Branca, Lou Paris, Vince Cardamone, Jim Tamber, Don Jones, Gene Sarazen and Jim Kollar.
This is the second induction class for the WPIAL, but how could McCluskey not have been included in the initial group of inductees last year.
They are even putting in very young people ahead of some former greats.
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SPORTVIEW: Ex-Sharon star Chuck Diven, inventor of jump shot, dies at 91
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Petty an all-around great athlete in track and gymnastics
When Mercer County’s contingent convenes at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships this weekend, it will be well represented
Clay Allen, Matt Bell, John Yohman, Johnathan Jacoway, Jeremy Jansco, Nico Zahniser, DeShawn Coleman, Dan Jaskowak, et all, should haul home some hardware. But with all due respect, the aforementioned young men may or may not be best athletes in the area’s aggregation that will assemble this weekend at Shippensburg University. -
Lubarski, Richards, Petty, Allen shine at D-10 Track Championships; Hickory girls, WM boys team champs
Hickory High’s high-jump state champion Lauren Lubarski suffered a severe blow to open her competion at the annual District 10 Class AA Track & Field Championships Saturday at Hickory HIgh Stadium.
She failed to qualify for state in the event she had won the previous year. -
Baseball, softball D-10 playoff pairings
The District 10 pairings for the baseball and softball playoffs have been released. Five area baseball teams and four (possibly 5) softball squads have qualified.
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Notebook: Cianci shines at St. Francis; locals at GCC
Katie Cianci, former Kennedy Catholic High multi-sport standout, recently concluded her collegiate career in fine fashion for St. Francis University.
St. Francis finished 4th at the recent Northeast Conference Track & Field Championships. Cianci secured a 5th-place finish in the1500-meter run (4:43.26), Cianci’s season best and just 3 seconds off her personal best. -
Hickory eyes dual repeat at D-10 track meet
After last spring’s success, duplicating its District 10 domination will be difficult for Mercer County’s Class AA contingent.
Difficult, but not impossible.
Defending D-10 Championships twin titlists Hickory girls and boys will look to defend their double-A dual distinction. The seeds would suggest that’s doable. -
Hickory's Dzuricsko does double duty as coach, meet director
Approximately a quarter-century ago, Barb Dzuricsko and Mark Slezak — just commencing their coaching careers — enviously eyed track and field teams from McDowell meander from their locker rooms prior to an invitational at Gus Anderson Field.
“It was so impressive,” Dzuricsko recently recalled. “We saw McDowell coming out in their matching sweatsuits. We were just growing our program at that time, and we said, ‘We would like to be as good as that ... some day.”
Inexorably, some day arrived for Dzuricsko, Slezak and their Hickory High program, which swept last spring’s District 10 Class AA championships. -
GC to be well represented in Shippensburg
A total of 13 Grove City HIgh standouts and one from George Junior Republic advanced to the PIAA Championships after their performances on Wednesday at the District 10 Class AAA Championships at Harbor Creek High.
Grove City was led by triple-event winners Lauren Decker and Eliza Lowe. -
Roundup: Sharpsville, WM baseball teams wrap up region crowns
ä Sharpsville 5, Wilmington 3 — At South Py, the host Blue Devils (9-1 region, 16-1 overall) secured the Region 2-AA title in their regular-season finale.
Starter Kevin Yarabinec, in 5 frames, yielded just 1 hit, struck out a half-dozen hitters, and walked 4. Yarabinec yielded 2 unearned runs. Taylor Lenzi lent 2 innings of 2-hit, 1 run relief, walking 1. -
District 10 AAA meet today
There will be no guarantees Grove City High athletes will advance to the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships. But based on seeds for Wednesday’s District 10 Class AAA Championships at Harbor Creek High, Mercer County could conceivably be well represented.
Led by senior standout Daniel Jaskowak, Grove City boys and girls stockpile the seeds.
Jaskowak journeys north as the man to beat in the 800- (1:55.29), 1600- (4:17.77) and 3200-meter (9:33.31) runs, and is part of the Eagles’ 2nd-seeded distance-relay quartet. Jaskowak will be joined by teammate Mason DePeal (high jump) as top seeds for the Eagles.
Grove City girls gobbled up numerous No. 1 seeds, led by hurdler Eliza Lowe (highs, intermediates), middle-distance aces Lauren Decker (400) and Abby Casalnova (800), distance standout Mary Jaskowak (1600) and pole-vaulter Kelly Baglia. In addition, all 3 Lady Eagles’ relays are top-seeded, with some combination of Lowe, Casalnova, Decker, Courtney Corbin and Jaskowak lending legs. -
Hickory's Richards eyes strong finish to great career
What you and I might reference as pressure serves only to motivate Morgan Richards. And a motivated Morgan means medals.
“By far, the most decorated distance athlete in Hickory history; maybe the county and district, as well,” related Hickory coach Mark Slezak.
Richards’ remarkable scholastic career is quickly concluding. The senior’s swan song on her home Hornet Stadium synthetic surface track will take place Saturday at the annual District 10 Class AA Championships. - More Sports Headlines
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