Nelson twins highlight A-K Valley Hall class

The Nelson twins are accustomed to doing things together.

In 1966 and '67, Garry and Barry Nelson put Fox Chapel on the high school basketball map with back-to-back section titles. In their three seasons in the Duquesne frontcourt, the Nelsons led the Dukes to two NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT berth.

Now, the twins will be inducted into the A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame as a unit. They are among eight inductees at the 42nd annual banquet, to be held May 14 at the Clarion Hotel in New Kensington.

In only the school's fifth season, Fox Chapel tied Springdale for the section title and defeated the Dynamos in a one-game playoff for section honors. After that game, Hall of Famers coach Chuck DeVenzio and son, Dick, left Springdale to make history at Ambridge. The Foxes repeated as section champs but were knocked off by Ambridge in the WPIAL semifinals.

Barry was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and later played professionally in France. Garry, who still has the Alle-Kiski Valley's third-highest single-game scoring mark with 53 in 1966, was drafted by the ABA's Dallas Chaparrals and the NBA's Buffalo Braves.

The oldest inductee this year will be 93-year-old Sam Elias of Hollywood, Fla. Elias starred at Arnold High School and led WPIAL basketball in scoring in 1936. He later played at Washington & Jefferson and with the Detroit Eagles in the National Basketball League, the forerunner of the NBA.

This year's inductees also include two football players who won WPIAL championships. Oakmont's Ron Cecil played on the 1965 WPIAL title team, and Steve Earley was a member of the 1971 Kiski Area team. Both went on to play at West Virginia for Peach Bowl-winning teams.

One of the area's all-time basketball scorers, Springdale's Greg Martucci, will be inducted. He finished his career with 1,820 points, playing from 1983-85. The total is still among the area's top five, and Martucci contributed heavily to Springdale's 47-game section winning streak.

Moses Guin grew up in Fairmont, W.Va., but made his mark locally in youth wrestling, handling the New Kensington YMCA's youth program for more than 35 years and churning out numerous athletes who went on to win scholastic and collegiate championships.

Kiski Area graduate Christine Troilo is another selectee best known for coaching. She guided the Cavaliers' swimmers for 10 seasons, founded the Cavalier Swim Club and later trained a number of swimmers who qualified for national meets.

This year's class will put the hall's membership at 308.

Additional Information:

A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame banquet

• When: 7 p.m. May 14

• Where: Clarion Hotel, New Kensington

• Tickets: Call Al Uskuraitis at 724-727-7259

• Cost: $20.00; no tickets sold at the door