Zoscin makes 1,000 points a family thing

It was a little over two years ago that Scotty Zoscin watched as his sister Emily joined a prestigious group of players at Weatherly.

Scotty joined the club – and his sister – on Tuesday.

The junior became the latest Wrecker to reach 1,000 career points against Marian, hitting the mark with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter.

“It’s awesome,” said Scotty. “I’m so lucky to have her as a sister. We both played for outstanding teams; she had great teammates and so do I. It’s just an honor to say that two Zoscins are 1,000-point scorers at Weatherly.”

Like his sister, who also hit the mark in her junior year, it seemed only a matter of if – not when – Scotty would reach the milestone.

But it was never something Scotty allowed himself to think about, even as he entered Weatherly’s contest against Marian with 999 career points.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect coming into my high school career,” said Scotty, who finished with 29 points in the 68-51 loss to the Colts. “I just knew I loved the game of basketball. I worked so hard. And I want to thank all my coaches – (Head) Coach Corey (Gerhart), my parents, they’ve always been helping me throughout everything.

“And we have such a great community, too. They are always so supportive, congratulating me already, even if they couldn’t be here to watch it.

“This one friend of mine, he owns a park pavilion, and it has a small little biddy basketball court I used to play on when I was a young kid, like 8 years old. And he lets me come in a lot during the summer, and I get to practice my game there. It’s just great, coming into high school and getting such a great accomplishment. I’m just so happy it could happen to me.”

Scotty became the 18th player to score his 1,000th-point as a member of the Wreckers.

While he’s averaging 16.83 points per game – good for sixth among area boys and connecting on .853 (64-for-75) of his free throw attempts. But Scotty is much more focused on a few other key numbers.

“Now, the only thing I’m really looking forward to is winning a district championship as a team; that’s the biggest thing right now,” said Scotty, who watched his sister accomplish the feat in each of the past two seasons. “I love this team. I love our coaches. I love the environment. Everyone is rooting for us, and I just can’t wait for the rest of this year, and then to get ready for next year, too.”

Gerhart has watched Scotty grow during his tenure, both on and off the court.

“I’m just proud of him,” the coach said. “I came in four years ago as the head coach, and Scotty was my little freshman. But the determination that this kid has ... 1,000 points don’t show the hours that this kid puts in, and the weight that he carries on his shoulders for our team in general. He’s just phenomenal.

“I couldn’t ask for a better player. I couldn’t be prouder as a coach. I look at these guys as my kids, they’re all my kids. Just the drive that he has, feeds to the other guys, and I hope they can learn from him and keep plugging away.”

Currently 8-12 and fourth in the District 11 Class A standings heading into their final two games of the regular season, Zoscin is still focused on what the group can accomplish this year.

“I’m glad it’s off my shoulders now, and I can just focus on the rest of the season,” he said. “Playoffs are coming around, and this team looks hungry for a playoff run now. I’m just really excited for that, and whatever happens, happens. I’m just excited to get back to work.”