Monday, January 27, 2025, 7:29PM |  36°
MENU
Advertisement
As a senior at Mt. Lebanon, Vee Hightower was a star in baseball, basketball and soccer.
2
MORE

Legacy Series: Hightower was a star in three sports at Mt. Lebanon

Post-Gazette file

Legacy Series: Hightower was a star in three sports at Mt. Lebanon

As a dazzling athlete who dominated the high school sports scene in the late ‘80s, Vee Hightower still thirsts for competition.

That explains why he can be seen these days tossing bean bags around his backyard or at a gin mill near his home in Mt. Lebanon.

“Love cornhole,” Hightower said, letting out a hearty laugh. “It’s fun. Keeps me active. We hold an annual tournament in the neighborhood. I even won one recently at the Spoonwood (Brewing Co.) in Bethel Park. I still totally subscribe to the idea that if you’re going to play, then play to win.”

Advertisement

That is precisely how Hightower, now 44 and a real estate developer, approached his athletic career at Mt. Lebanon High School.

Washington High School's Brian Davis celebrates after winning the 1984 PIAA championship
Mike White
Legacy Series: Brian Davis was once the best player in the country

Indisputably one of the top three-sport performers in WPIAL history, Hightower was named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year in soccer; played in the preliminary game of the Dapper Dan Roundball Classic; and was rated one of the top 25 baseball players in the nation by Baseball America in 1990.

In essence, he was Pittsburgh’s version of Bo Jackson, who starred in the wildly popular “Bo Knows” commercials during Hightower’s senior year of high school.

“I enjoyed doing it all,” Hightower said. “And I’d do it all over again if I could.”

Advertisement

Vee knew soccer. ... He scored 93 career goals, including 40 as a senior for a Mt. Lebanon team that went 25-1, won the WPIAL championship and advanced to the PIAA final.

Vee knew basketball. ... As a 6-foot-5 forward, he averaged 20.7 points and led the Blue Devils to the Class AAAA title game his senior season.

Vee knew baseball. ... A switch-hitter, he hit .444 as a junior and stole 24 bases. And despite missing much of his senior season with a foot injury, he went on to an All-American career as a center fielder at Vanderbilt University.

The Chicago Cubs selected Hightower in the third round of the 1994 Major League Baseball draft.

Brian Baschnagel played for the Chicago Bears after starring at North Allegheny.
Joe Bendel
Legacy Series: Brian Baschnagel achieved highest level of success in football

“I always strived to be the best in whatever I did,” Hightower said. “You don’t always get there, but you work as hard as you can.”

A husband (to wife Keira) and father of two, Hightower regularly emphasizes these points to his daughters Claire, 10, and Lucy, 13, while coaching them in soccer and tennis, respectively.

“I want them to understand that perfect practices makes perfect, not practice makes perfect,” Hightower said. “I learned that from my dad. Learned a lot from him.”

It was Joe Hightower, who passed away five years ago, who steered his son to baseball after high school. He believed that, of the three sports, baseball afforded Vee the best opportunity to play professionally.

The decision proved to be prudent, given Hightower was a high-round draft pick, but injuries short-circuited his once-promising career. Hightower never made it past Class AA because of two major shoulder surgeries. He eventually retired from the sport after 5½ years.

“In the end, it was a business,” said Hightower, who opened up a baseball school in Castle Shannon called “Hitter’s World” before selling it off several years ago. “People were probably wondering why I gave it up, but it was a business and it was time for me to move on.”

Hightower said he does not regret choosing baseball over basketball and soccer. Still, it’s hard not to think back to the time when the UNLV basketball program, led by the legendary Jerry Tarkanian, inquired about him.

Mt. Lebanon coach Dick Black received a phone call from a UNLV assistant to gauge Hightower’s interest. Back then, this was big news. The Runnin’ Rebels featured stars such as Larry Johnson, Greg Anthony and Stacey Augmon and would go on to win the 1990 national title.

But Hightower never wavered on his commitment to baseball. His response was, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“I’ll never forget coach Black calling me into his office,” said Hightower, who did not receive a scholarship offer from Tarkanian. “He told me all about UNLV. It was really interesting. But I said baseball is my thing. Not that it wasn’t a big honor to know that a program of that stature had inquired, but I was set on being a baseball player.”

Had he been taller, Hightower said he would have followed his hoop dreams.

“I enjoyed that sport more than any other,” Hightower said. “I like the atmosphere of the gym, of people right on top of you while you’re playing. I liked hearing what they had to say; it brought out the competitive nature in me. But I also had to be realistic. I remember meeting Anfernee Hardaway at the Roundball Classic. He was 6-8 at the time and he was running the point. Now, here I was at Mt. Lebanon standing 6-5 and playing the four [forward] and five [center]. That wouldn’t have worked at the next level.”

In this day and age of young athletes focusing solely on one sport, Hightower believes it is better to diversify like he did. This is another lesson gleaned from his father, a respected principal in the Pittsburgh public schools who earned his doctorate at age 50. Joe Hightower and wife Audrey — also an educator who now lives with Vee and his family — preached academics, hard work and keeping life in perspective to sons Vee and Etienne. The latter Hightower, also a star athlete at Mt. Lebanon, now lives in Raleigh, N.C.

“My dad exposed me to a lot of things,” Vee Hightower said. “I remember him taking me to the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1989 and 1990. Some of the best athletes in the country were there. And he would tell me, ‘You might be good, but there are millions of guys trying to get to the next level, too.’ He had great insight. To this day, I find myself teaching my daughters the things he taught me. He helped me to become a great athlete, but more importantly, he helped me to become the man I am today.”

First Published: October 28, 2016, 4:00 a.m.

RELATED
Leigh Curl was a two-sport standout at North Hills, where she excelled in softball and basketball.
Mike White
Legacy Series: Leigh Curl went from North Hills, to UConn, to the NFL
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on as the Baltimore Ravens huddle during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on December 21, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland.
1
sports
Brian Batko's Steelers chat transcript: 01.27.25
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, center, calls timeout during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023. The Steelers won 16-10.
2
sports
Jason Mackey: Steelers' offseason has been tough to predict and understand
Visitors to the Three Rivers Arts Festival check out the Artist Market last year.
3
a&e
Three Rivers Arts Festival will move this year to the Strip District
U.S. Steel's Clairton Mill Works. An investment firm from Cleveland is seeking to dismantle the current leadership of U.S. Steel in favor of nine new board members and a new chief executive.
4
business
Activist investor Ancora moves to replace U.S. Steel board, CEO, and cancel merger with Nippon
Pedestrians walk past the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, where the governor's office is located. Republicans are planning their 2026 bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro..
5
news
Pa. Republicans planning 'unified and strategic' approach to unseating Josh Shapiro in 2026
As a senior at Mt. Lebanon, Vee Hightower was a star in baseball, basketball and soccer.  (Post-Gazette file)
Vee Hightower
Post-Gazette file
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story