Note: This is the second story in a series highlighting the Ellwood City Area Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2022 leading up to the induction of the 2023 Hall of Fame class that will be announced at the October 6th Homecoming Game.
Bob Knight (also known as “The General”) once told him he was a good basketball player.
He was a three-year starter for Ellwood City from 1985 to 1987.
He had a career scoring mark of 1,937 points and had his basketball numbers 40 and 41 retired by the Ellwood City School District’s Board of Directors.
He is none other than Dan Aloi.
Aloi, Lincoln Class of 1987, and Ellwood City Hall of Fame Class of 2022, is no stranger to Hall of Fame classes. He was also inducted into the Lawrence County Historical Society Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and his memories of Ellwood City are fond.
“I loved that it was a right-sized town to grow up in and we were fortunate to have good teams ranked in the state. We always got amazing support from the community, citizens, business, and coaching staffs. Ellwood City has a great atmosphere with great people. It was certainly a nice environment to grow up in.”
He had a very successful basketball career beginning in Ellwood City where his team compiled a 68-18 record and were WPIAL finalists in 1985 and 1986 and PIAA Western Regional finalists in 1986 and 1987. His accolades include Section 11 (AAA) first team for three years; Section 11 (AAA) most valuable player in his junior and senior years; Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s 1987 most valuable player in Class AAA and member of its WPIAL ‘Fabulous Five’ team; Pittsburgh Press 1987 most valuable player in WPIAL class AAA, member of its WPIAL ‘Finest Five’ team, and the WPIAL ‘Player of the Year’; Selected to play on the US East Team in the prestigious Dapper Dan Roundball Classic; and selected as honorable mention all-American in 1987 by USA Today and Street and Smith’s magazine.
The shining basketball star continued to prove himself in his college years. He played two seasons at St. Bonaventure University (1988-1989) before transferring for his final two seasons at Ohio University (1990-1992). He was a two-year starter and team co-captain at Ohio University, scoring 854 points in his college career and was selected First Team Academic All-Conference by the Mid-American Conference for his classroom and athletic achievements at Ohio University during the 1991-1992 men’s basketball season.
Dan Aloi, Lincoln Class of 1987
According to Aloi, he wouldn’t have been as successful in sports or where he is today if it weren’t for the guidance and love of his parents or his coaches.
“My dad was a high school basketball coach. We lived that lifestyle. So, he got us interested. My Uncle was also a coach and got us all involved as a family.”
And of all the accolades, Aloi has worked hard to achieve over the years he is most proud of the words from his high school coach Larry Hunter.
“He said I was the hardest working player and reached my full potential.”
And although he lives in Burmingham, MI now, his Ellwood City education has helped make Aloi a successful professor and family man. He has been married to Dr. Mariam Awada for seven years and the couple has a little Italian Greyhound named Bella.
Aloi takes what he learned from his teachers, mentors, and coaches in Ellwood City and beyond and applies them to his job at Oakland University in Rochester Michigan. Aloi has served for 21 years as a faculty member at a research institution where 40% of his time is spent teaching and 40% of time is spent on research. He is also an associate dean, a role that finds him spending a lot of time talking with students, serving on boards of professional organizations, and doing even more research.
Aloi credits his success and discipline in life to his involvement in sports.
“Involvement in sports definitely takes dedication and patience. You are forced to navigate through periods where you go through injuries, losses, and a lot of swing in emotions. Team sports are extremely applicable in life if you work in a company.”
Aloi has some advice for budding young athletes.
“When you are in high school you might find that you have a lot of success and that you are the star. But in college, it takes some time to get there. You must rely on work ethic. Appreciate the coaching staff. They are all inspiration to me.”
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