PITTSBURGH — Peter Sauer, one of Western Pennsylvania’s top high school basketball players of the 1990s, died during a pickup game Sunday night in White Plains, N.Y. He was 35.
A 1995 Shady Side Academy graduate who was a captain on Stanford’s 1998 Final Four team, Sauer collapsed during the game, hit his head and could not be revived.
“It’s unbelievable,” said former Shady Side boys coach Terence Parham, a ’94 grad who played two seasons with Sauer. “He was a guy that did decathlons and Ironman races. He stayed in shape.”
In the hours following his death, Sauer was remembered as a first-rate teammate and a better person.
“He was a quality guy,” said Shady Side athletic director Gene Deal, who held the same post when Sauer was at the school. “A very mature teenager, mature beyond his years. I would find it hard to believe anybody would have a negative thing to say about him.”
Sauer grew up in St. Louis but moved to Fox Chapel after his father, Mark, was hired as president of the Pirates in 1991. The 6-foot-7 forward graduated as Shady Side’s all-time leading scorer and led the Indians to the 1995 PIAA Class AA title.
“Pete could do it all,” Parham said. “He could post you, he take you off the dribble and he could hit the 3.”
Even after moving on to Stanford — he averaged 7.9 points and 4.2 rebounds from 1995-99 — and later a career in finance, he kept ties with his former home
“He was obviously a very busy guy, but he would find a way to send you an email or a text at the right time,” Parham said. “He was unique and special in that way.”
Sauer is survived by his wife, Amanda, and three daughters.
“It’s a sad day here,” Deal said. “He had so many good things to accomplish in his lifetime.”
This article was written by Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE.