University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics

        Scoring 1,000 points in a four-year career is an accomplishment, but for Josué Nieves, it took just two seasons to score 1,023 points at Pitt-Johnstown.  Mr. Nieves, a 1998-99 Preseason All-American candidate, proved to be one of the nation’s top scorers and graduated from Pitt-Johnstown as one of the best shooting guards in the program’s history.
        After scoring more than 1,100 points in two years at Penn State-New Kensington, Mr. Nieves joined Head Coach Bob Rukavina’s Mountain Cats for the 1997-98 season and immediately made a name for himself, both regionally and nationally.  The Rio Grande, Puerto Rico native scored 520 points and averaged 17.9 points per game.  He scored in double figures 23 times, including 20 or more points 11 times and 30 or more points three times.  His 70 3-point field goals broke a Pitt-Johnstown single-season record, while his 46.4% shooting from behind the 3-point line ranked 12^th in NCAA Division II.  Mr. Nieves was also 12^th nationally in free-throw percentage at 85.8%.  His efforts helped the Mountain Cats to a 25-4 record and a second consecutive berth in the NCAA Regional Tournament.  That same year, Mr. Nieves earned Most Valuable Player honors at the Clarion University Pizza Hut Classic and All-Tournament Team honors at both the Pitt-Johnstown Laurel Bank Classic and the Gannon University Gary Miller Classic.
        Mr. Nieves entered 1999-2000 as a preseason All-American candidate, but an early season-ending injury forced him to take a red-shirt and miss the entire year.
        The injury didn’t slow Mr. Nieves down.  As a senior in 1999-2000, Nieves, the Laurel Bank Classic and Clarion Pizza Hut Classic Most Valuable Player, scored 503 more points, including 18 against Point Park University on February 22 to become Pitt-Johnstown’s 12^th 1,000-point scorer.  He averaged 18.6 points per game and shattered his own single-season 3-point field goals made mark with 89.  His eight 3-pointers against West Chester University on February 16 broke the Mountain Cats’ single-game record.  Nationally, his 48.1% 3-point field goal percentage ranked 11^th and 3.3 3-point field goals per game ranked 19^th.
        Along with setting the single-game 3-point field goals made record and scoring 1,023 points in less than two seasons, Mr. Nieves finished his career as Pitt-Johnstown’s leader in 3-point field goals per game (2.8) and free-throw percentage (85.6%).  Mr. Nieves also finished second on the all-time 3-point field goals made list with 159, six shy of Matt Lushko’s 165.
        After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management in 2000, Mr. Nieves played professionally for 13 seasons in the Superior Basketball League in Puerto Rico for the Caguas Criollos, Mayaguez Indians, Arecibo Captains, and Bayamon Cowboys.  While playing for Arecibo, he won his first league championship and the team’s first title in 53 years.  He still holds the 3-point field goal percentage record in the history of the league at 48.0%.
        Mr. Nieves retired from professional basketball in 2007 and began refereeing high school basketball games in Florida.  The immediate success provided him the opportunity to work at NCAA Division I games in 2012, as well as NBA D-League games for three years. 
        Mr. Nieves currently referees in eight NCAA Division I conferences, including the Southeastern Conference (SEC).  He also works for DexYP as a Major Accounts Representative selling digital advertising and software solutions for small and medium businesses.
        Mr. Nieves and his wife, Sureily Font, and their children Fernando and Diego Nieves, reside in Winter Garden, Fla.
        “It is a great honor to be part of such an elite group of athletes that represented Pitt-Johnstown in their respective sports,” Mr. Nieves said.  “This induction is a testament of all the years of hard work, dedication, and commitment playing the sport of basketball.  This is the most valuable award I’ve ever received in my life representing my individual achievements.”