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