Greetings from the Bryce Jordan Center
STATE COLLEGE -- Good morning from Penn State and a mostly empty for now (as you can see from my amateurish iPhone photo) Bryce Jordan Center, site of the PIAA Basketball Championships. We're obviously here for the opening act of the two-day, eight-game extravaganza -- the girls' Class AA title game featuring York Catholic (29-3) and District 7 champion Seton-La Salle (29-0).
The unbeaten Rebels seem to be the consensus favorite in this game. They have that gaudy record, but they also have tons of size and at least two Division I-caliber players (including junior guard Angela Heintz, who has already signed with Duquesne). But the Irish, as we all know, are no strangers to this game.
York Catholic's players were just on the court posing for a few pictures, looking quite relaxed. Irish head coach Kevin Bankos even walked over to chide my colleague Steve Navaroli for having not covered the team yet this season (jokingly, of course). Bankos went all out for this game, going with a tan suit. Quite sharp, I must say.
In any event, keep it locked to The Varsity Beat throughout the day, as we'll be posting pictures, videos and all sorts of good stuff both during and after the game. (Sorry, no live chat today. The PIAA groups chats with other live broadcasts like radio and TV, all of which they charge a hefty fee for.) You can also follow Steve and myself on Twitter, where we'll have updates throughout the game.
Here are a few links to get you ready before tipoff:
"Blue Collar" seniors have York Catholic back in title game
Unbeaten Seton-La Salle poses big threat for Irish
York Catholic steamrolls Montrose, advances to PIAA Class championship