WPIAL scoring champ Vinnie Cugini settling into role as freshman at Pitt-Johnstown

The WPIAL’s all-time scoring leader is making his point in other ways as a freshman at Pitt-Johnstown.

Former Aquinas Academy star guard Vinnie Cugini is off to an encouraging debut season at the Division II PSAC school.

Cugini, who scored a WPIAL-record 3,189 points at the tiny Catholic school in Hampton, is averaging 7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds and playing inspired defense for the Mountain Cats.

“I think he’s worried that people are going to think he scored all these points and he’s selfish,” longtime UPJ coach Bob Rukavina said. “He’s completely the opposite. We’ve got to yell at him sometimes to shoot the ball.”

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Cugini has played in all 23 games and moved into the starting lineup in early February for UPJ (6-17, 4-13 in PSAC), averaging about 19 minutes.

Cugini, the 2023 PIAA Class A Player of the Year, scored a team-high 18 points, his season best, on 7-of-10 shooting in his second career start, an 88-73 loss to Mercyhurst on Feb. 3.

He also scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in a 91-60 victory over Bloomsburg on Dec. 18. He posted a double-double with 11 points and a season-high 10 rebounds in an 84-63 win over Kutztown, and scored 13 points, going 7 for 7 from the free-throw line, with nine rebounds in an 86-81 overtime victory against Frostburg State on Nov. 25.

“It’s been a little difficult, just changing my playing style a little bit,” Cugini said. “Last year I had the ball in my hands a lot. But I feel I’ve gotten a lot better off the ball, which really helps, and defense has been a huge part of my playing time this year.”

When Cugini arrived at UPJ after averaging 43.7 points as a senior for fast-paced Aquinas Acadeny, he was determined to prove his game included more than record-breaking offensive numbers. He was at times reluctant to shoot the ball in practice and games, often turning down clean looks to find a more open teammate.

“After scoring a lot in high school, I really wanted to come here and show that I can do more than just score,” Cugini said. “I’ve really tried to work on my passing and my defense, especially. I’m trying to learn every role and be good at everything.”

Rukavina said Cugini was conscious of what his new teammates could be thinking when a 44-point-per-game all-time WPIAL scoring champ who dominated ball possession in high school arrived on campus. But those assumptions were quickly put to rest.

“He’s very aware that he doesn’t want to come off that way,” Rukavina said. “He’s trying to be very unselfish. I said, ‘You can’t worry about any of that and what you did in high school. You had a great career, but this is a different thing. Just go play.’”

Rukavina, who entered his 35th season with a 548-373 record, said Cugini is contributing in many ways. He said the four-time WPIAL scoring champion is “probably our best on-ball defender.” Cugini also is shooting a team-high 88.6% (39 of 44) from the free-throw line.

Rukavina said Cugini is becoming more relaxed and self-assured as the winter progresses. In early season practices, Cugini’s teammates and coaches would have to urge him to be more aggressive with the ball.

“He’s been kind of tentative, just trying to fit in and not trying to do too much,” Rukavina said. “He’s really tried to adapt. We got to tell him, ‘Vinnie, look to score more.’ He’s been loosening up the last couple of weeks and playing how he’s capable. I think he’s finally feeling more confident.”

The Mountain Cats have endured some growing pains with one of the youngest rosters in Rukavina’s tenure. They have no seniors or redshirt juniors, and three freshmen are playing a lot. Off the court, Cugini said he earned a 3.8 GPA in the first semester as a business finance major.

“We have a ton of good, young talent,” Cugini said. “It’s been a huge learning year for all of us. Yeah, we wish we’d won a couple of more games, but I think we’re having a pretty good year — our record might say otherwise — for how young we are. We’re definitely going to get there.”