Kennedy Catholic graduate Rozenblad finds home at Thiel

By JOHN KOVACH

kovach@vindy.com

GREENVILLE, Pa.

Blair Rozenblad of Youngstown has made all of the right moves off and on the basketball court to become the leader of the Thiel College team and one of the top players in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.

Rozenblad, who attended Volney Rogers Junior High but played at Kennedy Catholic High in Hermitage, Pa., led Thiel in 11 statistical categories this season as a freshman guard and was selected to the All-PAC first team.

He also was named the Division III Great Lakes Region rookie of the tear, and made the All-Great Lakes Region third team.

The Tomcats finished 14-12 for fourth-year coach Tim Loomis, their most wins since 16 in 2002-03.

Thiel had a school-record tying eight-game winning streak before it was snapped by Thomas More, 103-94, on Feb. 17 in the regular-season finale.

Rozenblad (6-foot-4, 215 pounds), a transfer from Youngstown State, finished the season as the team leader in scoring (544 points, 21.8 average), rebounds (192, 7.7) and steals (42, 1.7), and twice was named PAC player of the week.

He led the PAC in scoring average and ranked third in rebounding (7.7).

“I lived on the West Side [of Youngstown] but instead of going to Chaney my mom [Denetta Rozenblad] wanted me to go to a different school,” said Rozenblad. His local coaches led him to Kennedy Catholic, which then was coached by Loomis before he shifted to the Thiel job.

Rozenblad’s high school career was interrupted when he tore an ACL in his junior season, but he still proved to be attractive to big-time colleges.

“I had offers from Penn State, Michigan State and West Virginia. I had some big-time offers before and after I tore my ACL, but some of them wanted me to go to prep school,” said Rozenblad, who didn’t want to go that route. “I just thought that I put in a lot of work and I worked so hard and that I deserved a scholarship somewhere, and so I took the first one [Youngstown State] that was available.”

But he only stayed two years at YSU.

“I was at YSU for my freshman and sophomore years. My first year I was redshirted so I could get my leg some rest, and in my second year I got into some games but kept getting injured. I didn’t want to mess up my knee again and so I looked to transfer.”

In the meantime, Loomis had taken the Thiel job, and when he heard Rozenblad was available, he reeled him in.

“I didn’t have any problems with my knee [at Thiel], and the two years [of rest] really helped to get my knee back in shape,” said Rozenblad, who is majoring in management and information systems with a 3.0 GPA.

He attributes his first-year success to “a combination of rest and playing under Loomis. He knows my style of play.”

Rozenblad said he likes playing guard even though he is tall.

“That’s the main reason I came to Thiel because of Loomis said I will play guard,” said Rozenblad.

Rozenblad is looking forward to more success at Thiel, which had eight freshmen on the team.

“I am a junior academically and completed my freshman season playing [this season]. I will have three more years to play,” he said.

Rozenblad is one of four Valley players on the Tomcats’ roster, joined by Aundra Jones, a 6-7, 215 forward-center from Youngstown and Kennedy Catholic; Lance Randall, 6-3 junior from Ursuline High and Canfield, and Olonzo Johnson, a 6-2 freshman guard from Youngstown Christian and Boardman.

Jones started 12 games and averaged 7.9 points and 4.0 rebounds with 18 blocks, while making 51-for-79 from the field for 64.6 percent.

Randall, who scored 11 points against Thomas More, averaged 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds and has made 16-for-20 at the foul line for 80 percent.

Johnson has played in only two games.

Rozenblad knew all three players growing up in Youngstown.

“Jones came to Kennedy Catholic the year after I graduated,” said Rozenblad.

Jones came to Youngstown from Georgia and he had played basketball for only one season before Kennedy Catholic and only has had two years under his belt.

Randall is also a transfer to Thiel.

“Randall transferred from Walsh in the middle of this season and only played the second half of the season but helped us out a lot,” said Rozenblad.