Always a winner: Hogan scored 1,000 points for Geibel, SVC during stellar run of success
Submitted photo
Erica Hogan drives to the basket during her playing days at Geibel Catholic.
Submitted photo
Erica Hogan attempts a jump shot while playing for Geibel Catholic.
Submitted photo
Geibel Catholic graduate Erica Hogan (right) is shown during her playing days at Saint Vincent College.
Former Geibel Catholic basketball standout Erica Hogan was a 1,000-point scorer in high school and college.
She got an early start in the sport.
鈥淢y mom tells the story that I didn鈥檛 really like my Aunt Donna until she bought me a Doctor J adjustable basketball hoop when I was 3 or 4 years old,鈥� Hogan recalled. 鈥淔rom that point forward she was my favorite. I used the gift long enough to where I remember using it, from 3 or 4 to probably 7 or 8 years old. I don鈥檛 really know what made her buy it for me because at that age I don鈥檛 know if kids show an interest in a sport at that young of an age.
鈥淭hat was the beginning, and I always seemed to gravitate towards sports and when I was in probably third grade I played a little bit more. I had a lot of cousins that were around the same age as me. I lived on Loch Lomand Street (in Uniontown), and I would go to St. John蘑菇视频 Byzantine parking lot to play kickball in the summer and when we were at my Grandma Hogan蘑菇视频 house on Lincoln Street she had a basketball hoop in her driveway.鈥�
Her development as a player continued into grade school and junior high.
鈥淢y first actual team I was in fourth grade at Saint Mary蘑菇视频,鈥� Hogan said. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 have a girls basketball team back then. So they told me that I could tryout for the boys team and we played out at Penn State Fayette. I was always a pretty shy kid and not confident in my ability. My mother said just go and tryout and if you don鈥檛 like it you don鈥檛 have to go back. I always wonder if she regretted saying that all those years later, that was the first team I was on and I played from fourth grade on.鈥�
Hogan eventually became part of a great girls basketball program at Geibel Catholic High School.
鈥淚 left Saint Mary蘑菇视频 in sixth grade and went to Laurel Highlands middle school,鈥� Hogan offered. 鈥淭hat was LH junior high at the time and I played for my uncle Bob Hogan and I wanted to go to Laurel Highlands High School. I played on two undefeated teams in junior high. I was more of a small school type of personality and the high school was a little overwhelming for me. I started out at LH in ninth grade and nine days in I transferred to Geibel.鈥�
At Geibel she was a three-year starter and played on some great teams. Coming off the bench in 1995-96 she was on a team that went 25-3 and beat Greensburg Central Catholic for the third year in a row to win their fourth straight WPIAL title.
In 1996-97 the Lady Gators posted a record of 26-2 and lost to rival Greensburg Central Catholic in the WPIAL Class AA Championship game 57-51.
During the 1997-98 campaign Geibel made it to the WPIAL championship game for the seventh consecutive year and captured their fourth WPIAL title in five years, beating Steel Valley 59-47. They finished 29-2 that season.
In Hogan蘑菇视频 senior season in 1998-99 the Lady Gators dropped down to Class A and fashioned another outstanding season and were ranked the No. 1 team in the state. They were beaten in the WPIAL Championship game 57-54. They finished the season with a record of 25-3.
鈥淲e were a powerhouse,鈥� Hogan said. 鈥淎 lot of people bring up recruitment and I always tell them Coach George Bortz, when I decided to go to Laurel Highlands 鈥� because my mother was going to force me to go to Geibel so I was playing with Geibel during the summer 鈥� when I went to LH to start out he wished me well and never tried to sway my decision one way or the other. I can鈥檛 speak for anybody else as to how they were persuaded to go to Geibel. But it was a natural progression for me to continue on to Geibel.鈥�
Hogan has great respect for Bortz.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 say that I had a bad relationship with any of my coaches,鈥� Hogan explained. 鈥淢y parents raised me to be respectful of anybody that was in authority or an adult. Coach Bortz coached us well and I still remember some of his offenses and defenses, and Lauren, his daughter, texted me a little while back and wanted me to help her coach the middle school girls and wanted me to help. She asked if I remembered her dads plays and I said I remember his offenses and defenses. I said I would help her out. I had a good relationship with him, he was tough, but fair.
鈥淚 had great people to watch and play with and learned from Alison Watts, Tara Cochran, Jen Surlas and Robin Guerriere. Looking back in the PIAA playoffs I don鈥檛 think we could make it past the second round. I think that was our problem. I don鈥檛 know if it was a mental block or if we didn鈥檛 prepare enough for the teams. I think it became a little bit of a mental block for some of us.
鈥淚 have great memories of the high school basketball days. We had a lot of good teams and we had a lot of fun times.鈥�
Hogan ended her Geibel career with over 1,200 points.
鈥淭hat was never on my goals list,鈥� Hogan stated. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 something that I set out to do because I would never be that focused on how many points I had in a game. I focused on run the offense. Scoring 1,000 points was something I never expected to happen and doing it at both levels in high school and college, it was a big accomplishment.鈥�
Hogan was voted Geibel team MVP her senior season. She also won a three-point shooting contest at the Girls Roundball Classic. AAU also played a big role in her development and she enjoyed playing for Chris Cluss.
After graduating from Geibel, Hogan wound up playing at Saint Vincent College.
鈥淚 got letters from W&J and I didn鈥檛 know if I was good enough to play in college,鈥� Hogan explained. 鈥淚 was originally looking at Wheeling Jesuit. I don鈥檛 know why I visited Saint Vincent, maybe because my dad went there. It was more about the school and about the possibility of me playing basketball.鈥�
Hogan was part of some very competitive teams at Saint Vincent playing for Coach Kristen Zawacki. In 1999-2000 they went 26-7, in 2000-2001 there were 17-12, in 2001-2002 they were 18-11 and in Hogan蘑菇视频 senior season of 2002-2003 the team蘑菇视频 record was 22-12.
鈥淕oing to Saint Vincent absolutely was a good decision,鈥� Hogan offered. 鈥淚 have zero regrets about the choices I made for my schooling, about the decisions I made for basketball and the environment I was in. Those were some of the best years.鈥�
Hogan tallied 1,105 points in her career at Saint Vincent.
After college Hogan did some coaching at Albert Gallatin and Laurel Highlands and got into teaching. She was substitute teacher and she got a position in the Laurel Highlands School District in 2005. She has taken a sabbatical to complete educational credits. She still keeps her hand in hoops as the scorekeeper for Laurel Highlands boys basketball.
Hogan resides in Uniontown with her husband Chad Gaster. They have been married since 2007.
Looking back, Hogan is pleased with her athletic career.
鈥淢aybe the only regret I have about athletics is I didn鈥檛 play more sports,鈥� Hogan stated. 鈥淏ut I really don鈥檛 have a lot of regrets about my athletic endeavors.鈥�
George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.