From Steelers to Phantoms?

When the Pittsburgh Phantoms of the Global Professional Basketball League hold their first tryout at noon Sunday at the Court Time Sports Center in Elizabeth, a former Pittsburgh Steeler will probably be taking part.

His name is Russell Stuvaints.

A safety and special teams player, the 28-year-old Stuvaints spent three seasons with the Steelers after making the club as a free agent.

Stuvaints starred at Youngstown State University after doubling as a gridder and basketball player at McKeesport High.

He was a member of the Steelers' Super Bowl XL champs, but was sidelined with a knee injury and released following the 2005 season.

Stuvaints was an 11th round draft pick of Team Arkansas in the All-American Football League in 2008.

The draft, however, was voided when the league canceled its season. It plans to begin its first campaign in the spring of 2010 with different teams.

Speaking of the Phantoms, former South Allegheny High and Texas A&M Corpus Christi star Kevin Menifee's status with the team remains a question mark.

Due to a flat tire, Menifee missed last week's press conference when he and Brian Urso were scheduled to be the team's first signees.

This week Menifee is in Las Vegas working out with other NBA hopefuls.

Menifee, incidentally, is the brother of Swin Cash, who's now playing for the WNBA's Seattle Storm.

The cost for players over 18 interested in trying out for the Phantoms is $100.

The Phantoms will make their debut in January.

n Aly Lee is this year's winner of the Scott Smith Memorial Scholarship, which goes to the top Charleroi High senior scholar-athlete.

Lee, who joined the school's 1,000-point basketball club and played volleyball, had a 4.30 grade point average.

Lee is headed to Washington and Jefferson College.

n The Mon Valley Track Club is well represented in the USATF Region 2 Junior Olympic championships now going on in Jamestown, N.Y.

Heading the list is Belle Vernon Area's Matt Green, who won the WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA long jump titles as a sophomore this past season.

Besides jumping, Green will be running on the 400-meter relay team with Ian Dobbins, Mario Tarver and R.J. Small. Ta'nesha Anderson and Shaniqua Hall are also competing.,

The top three finishers advance to the national championship July 28 at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

n And thanks to Bill Kubin, of Rostraver Township, who says you can always tell a well-informed man -- his ideas are the same as yours!