Rick Mancino
Rick Mancino is a Kennedy Catholic High School basketball legend, both as a player and a coach.
As a senior on the then-Kennedy Christian team in 1985-86, he was the leading scorer (402 points) and powered the squad to a 29-1 record and the school’s first state championship. In the state title tilt, he was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points as KC beat Bristol, 55-44.
Years later, he returned to coach basketball at his alma mater and in 2016 became only the second person in Mercer County history to win state titles as a player and coach at the same school (Bud Laycock at Sharon was first in 1930/1957).
He coached Kennedy for 11 seasons from 2009-10 through 2019-20 and posted a phenomenal 217-68 overall mark against a schedule that included many top-rated opponents during that tenure. That 2016 crown was the first of four straight state titles for Mancino and the Golden Eagles, including the 2018-19 team which competed in the state’s high class 6A. Overall, his teams during that span of 11 seasons included 6 region championships, 6 District 10 titles, 7 appearances in the state playoffs and 5 semifinals appearances to go with the 4 PIAA crowns.
He also served as head coach at Slippery Rock High for two years, was assistant coach at Farrell for 4 years and a junior high coach at Sharpsville and Hermitage.
He also returned for a year in 2022 to run the Kennedy program and help the school after the COVID pandemic.
He began his athletic career as an outstanding Little League and Senior Division player in Farrell.