North Allegheny grad Piper Morningstar finds home at Washington & Jefferson

North Allegheny graduate and Division I transfer Piper Morningstar is hitting her stride in a new role as a sophomore on the Washington & Jefferson women’s basketball team.

“Piper is starting to play her best basketball in the last few weeks,” Washington & Jefferson coach Jina DeRubbo said. “Her confidence is growing, and when she is playing well, she makes our team hard to beat.

“There has been a period of adjustment learning a new system and a new team. She is a hard matchup in our conference with her size and ability to shoot the three.”

Morningstar, a 6-foot guard, is second on the team with 20 3-pointers. She is tied for second with 13 blocked shots. She is averaging 6.1 points and 20.8 minutes per game in 21 games played.

Morningstar, who led North Allegheny to WPIAL Class 6A titles in 2017 and 2018, transferred from Radford last season. She averaged 3.4 minutes per game across eight games for the Highlanders in 2018-19.

“In high school and at Radford, she was solely a perimeter player,” DeRubbo said. “We have been working to make her a player (who) can go inside out and score from anywhere on the floor.

“We are excited to have Piper here for the next two seasons (and) hopeful we can make a run at a PAC championship.”

The Presidents were 14-7 overall and 9-4 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference with four regular-season games remaining. The first round of the conference playoffs will be held Feb. 24.

Morningstar, whose father, Darren, is a former Pitt player who played one season in the NBA, said she transferred to be closer to family and because of the great education Washington & Jefferson offers.

She is studying business administration with an emphasis in finance.

“I felt a more school-basketball-social balance (at Washington & Jefferson), which I am happier about,” said Morningstar, whose sister, Meg, played volleyball for Notre Dame. “(I want) to keep doing whatever my team needs me to do to win games and to hopefully win the PAC tournament and go to the (NCAA Division III championship).”

DeRubbo believes the year in Division I helped Morningstar.

“The year-round training they receive at that level can only benefit any athlete,” DeRubbo said.