Hall of Fame
When it comes to scoring points and pulling down rebounds on the basketball court, Justin Walther proved to be one of the very best in Pitt-Johnstown history. Mr. Walther is the only Mountain Cat to eclipse 2,000 career points. In addition, his 875 career rebounds put him in second-place on the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Rebounding List for more than a decade.
Mr. Walther, who graduated from Pitt-Johnstown in 2000 with bachelor degrees in both business finance and marketing management, made an impact from the very beginning of his career. Mr. Walther helped lead the Mountain Cats to back-to-back NCAA Division II Tournament berths as a freshman and a sophomore, before wrapping-up his stellar career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,073 points. He also guided Pitt-Johnstown to an 87-23 overall record in his four seasons, including a 23-4 mark in 1999-00 to help the Mountain Cats climb as high as fourth in the national polls.
A two-time First-Team Daktronics All-East Region selection, Mr. Walther, a graduate of Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh where he is still the school’s second all-time leading scorer, led the region in scoring in both his junior and senior seasons, and led the country in free-throws made and attempted in those seasons. He also holds the Mountain Cat record for career field goals (735), career free-throws made (517), and free-throws made in a season (164).
Entering the 1999-00 season, Mr. Walther, a preseason Blue Ribbon Yearbook First-Team All-American, needed just 10 points to tie fellow Pitt-Johnstown Hall of Famer Quinn Harris atop the Mountain Cat scoring list. It wouldn’t take him long to claim the top spot for himself. In the 1999-00 opener, Mr. Walther poured in 25 points against Virginia State University in the First Round of the Laurel Bank Classic in the Sports Center. He finished his senior year ranked 16th in the country in scoring (22.0 ppg.), 11th in three-point field goal percentage (49.2%), and 19th in 3-point field goals per game (3.3)…and above all, first on the scoring list with 2.073 points.
Mr. Walther, the Division II Bulletin National Player of the Month in February 1999 and a two-time Most Valuable Player Award recipient at the Gannon University Gary Miller Classic, also ended his career in second-place behind Pitt-Johnstown Hall of Fame inductee Don Elzer on the Pitt-Johnstown rebounding list with 875 rebounds, a spot he held until Patrick Grubbs eclipsed everyone with 996 rebounds two seasons ago. He averaged nearly 19 points and eight rebounds per game for his career.
After graduating in 2000, Mr. Walther, who spent one season at Division I Robert Morris College before transferring to Pitt-Johnstown, has had success in several career fields. Since high school, he has been involved with Expert Lawn Care/Landscaping, a family-run business in the Pittsburgh area. He has also spent time as a loan officer with Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corporation and worked for the United States Postal Service. In 2008-09, Mr. Walther served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Director of Media Relations for the American Basketball Association’s Pennsylvania Pit Bulls.
A native of Munhall, Pa., Mr. Walther and his girlfriend, Lisa Graziano, still reside in Munhall.
“I am very fortunate to cap-off a wonderful playing career in this manner,” Mr. Walther. I was blessed to play with some awesome teammates!”
