Although Brian Graytok came up just shy of capturing a WPIAL basketball championship during his time at Greensburg Central Catholic, Graytok was an integral piece of the Centurions’ incredible run. While team success was more elusive in his college career at Washington & Jefferson College, Graytok continued to be a reliable contributor, on and off the court. After his four years of college basketball concluded, though, Graytok spent four more years in school in preparation for his current career. Consequently, Graytok is the focus of this installment of Westmoreland Where Are They Now?

Before he joined the powerhouse program at Greensburg Central Catholic, Graytok began his high school career as a freshman at Greater Latrobe in 2010-11. Playing in a reserve role, Graytok helped the Wildcats achieve a mark of 12-10 overall, including 8-6 in section play. Greater Latrobe qualified for the WPIAL Class Quad-A playoffs, but fell to Plum in a preliminary-round tilt to conclude the campaign.

The next year, Graytok transferred to GCC. The Centurions posted a mark of 21-7, including 11-1 in section action. In the WPIAL Class AA postseason, GCC ousted Shenango and Northgate, but came up short against Monessen in the semifinals. In the PIAA bracket, Greensburg Central Catholic bested North East and rival Jeannette, but lost to Beaver Falls in the quarterfinals.

In Graytok’s junior season of 2012-13, Greensburg Central Catholic achieved a mark of 23-3, including a perfect 12-0 in the section. GCC knocked off Northgate in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs, but was upset by Burrell in the quarterfinals. The Centurions still qualified for the state postseason, defeating Penn Cambria, but they fell to Lakeview in the second round.

Graytok’s senior season was a special one, as GCC compiled a record of 25-4, including another perfect section mark at 12-0. In the postseason, the Centurions defeated Laurel, Quaker Valley, and Aliquippa to reach the WPIAL Class AA Championship game. Competing against Seton-LaSalle at the AJ Palumbo Center, the Centurions were denied the first title in program history, as they lost to the Rebels 52-51.

“Obviously, making the WPIAL Championship was a big deal,” Graytok noted. “Honestly, it’s not a great memory for me because we lost by one point. I thought we should’ve won.

“Looking back on it now as the years have passed, I realize it was pretty cool to make a run to get there,” he continued.

Determined to make another surge in the PIAA field, the Centurions defeated Bald Eagle Area, West Middlesex, and Beaver Falls, earning another shot at Seton-LaSalle. The rematch in the state semifinals had a similar outcome, however, as the Rebels prevailed 46-44.

“I would say the state playoff game burns me a little bit more because that felt like a second chance. I missed two or three shots down the stretch that still hang with me here or there,” Graytok lamented.

While Graytok was unable to write the ending he wanted with GCC, he achieved plenty of personal and team success. Between Greater Latrobe and GCC, Graytok amassed 1,408 points, while also setting a GCC boys record of 44 points in a game – despite not hitting a 3-pointer. He was also selected Second-Team All-State as a senior. In his three years with GCC, he notched 69 wins, including a mark of 35-1 in section play.

“I played with a lot of good players and played in a lot of big games. Those were great memories for me,” Graytok said, also highlighting the rivalry showdowns with Jeannette. “We won a lot.”

After his graduation, Graytok matriculated to Juniata College, but played just one season there. He was limited to nine contests, including one start, and averaged 1.9 points per game with the Eagles.

“It just didn’t work out, so I ended up transferring to W&J,” Graytok explained. “It was a school decision for me. They have a really good science program – that’s what stood out mostly.

“I (also) really liked their new coach, Ethan Stewart-Smith,” he continued.

The move to Washington & Jefferson provided Graytok with ample playing time, but he endured three challenging seasons with the Presidents.

As a sophomore in 2015-16, Graytok appeared in 26 games, all starts, as the team had just six players available at times. The guard averaged 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds, dished out 83 assists, and added 36 steals. Collectively, however, the Presidents went just 1-25 overall, including 1-17 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC).

“At GCC, we never really lost. When I went to W&J, we pretty much never really won,” he noted. “It was frustrating.”

While Graytok’s statistical contributions dipped slightly over his final two seasons with W&J, he started in every game and continued to make an impact in a myriad of ways. A multi-year captain, Graytok was tasked with helping guide a roster comprised almost entirely of underclassmen.

“It was pretty much me and a lot of freshmen. It was definitely an experience,” Graytok revealed.

While the Presidents continued to struggle, they did improve to 4-21 and 5-20 in Graytok’s junior and senior campaigns, respectively.

Among his college highlights was Graytok’s performance in his final home game, as he netted 16 points and snagged six rebounds in leading the Presidents to a victory against Waynesburg University in front of his family and friends.

After scoring just 17 points at Juniata, Graytok totaled 859 points in his three years at W&J. His inability to reach the same scoring milestone he achieved in high school was one of Graytok’s regrets.

“I wish I could’ve got to 1,000 points,” he intimated. “I kind of burned out at the end with trying to get into school – that kind of took over instead of basketball.”

After graduating from W&J in biology, Graytok continued his education at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Philadelphia. In doing so, he followed in the same path as his father, Mark, a career that he decided upon as a high school senior.

“I was pretty set; I never really wavered,” Graytok said of his decision to pursue optometry.

Living on the other side of the state during his four years of schooling presented a new perspective for Graytok. While residing in a major city that operated at a faster pace required some adjustment, it was a transition Graytok embraced.

“With everything you hear around here about Philly, I was a little bit nervous. I gotta say, I really liked it,” he revealed. “It was definitely a lot different than out here.”

He graduated last May, and started with Graytok Family Vision Care the following month. With offices in Greensburg, Harrison City, and Ligonier, Graytok, who lives in Unity Township, regularly shifts between the locations.

“It’s going good,” he said. “I had a lot to learn and still have a lot to learn, but just over one year, I feel a lot more comfortable than I did.”

While he was still cutting his teeth at the family practice, Graytok added another role over the winter, as he joined the boys basketball coaching staff at Greensburg Central Catholic. Former teammate Christian Hyland is at the helm of the program, and Graytok saw Hyland’s potential as a coach dating back to their playing days.

“I always was encouraging Christian to get into coaching when he stopped playing. I always knew he had the coaching gene in him,” explained Graytok. “When you’re the point guard, you’re pretty much like a player-coach.”

Similar to Graytok’s playing days, the Centurions enjoyed another terrific campaign in 2022-23, as they went 18-7, including reaching the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals and the state playoffs. For Graytok, another highlight this season was the 72-70 home win against Serra Catholic in which the Centurions produced a defensive stand on the final possession.

With his time constraints relating to work, however, Graytok’s future in coaching is up in the air.

“I liked it a lot,” he stated. “I just have to decide what’s most important to me going forward.”

Whether or not he’ll be on the sidelines, Graytok is likely to pay close attention to the box scores for GCC next season, as he believes his single-game scoring record could be in peril.

“I have a bad feeling Tyree (Turner) is going to break it this year. I would not be surprised. Every game, I gotta sweat it out a little bit,” Graytok joked.

Graytok’s days of playing competitively have passed, as shooting by himself in the gym is the extent of his game now. His biggest regret in the sport, however, was not playing alongside his younger brother, Sean, who spent his high school career at Greater Latrobe.

“I wish we could’ve played together at least one year. It just didn’t work out,” Brian said, noting that their careers overlapped for two seasons.

Watching basketball, especially the Los Angeles Lakers, has remained a passion for Graytok. He’s also hoping to learn to play golf this summer.