Wharton Closes Out Summer League Season With 6th Straight

Wharton finished off the summer league season this past Thursday with their sixth consecutive win by up ending Middleton, 52-40.

Damian Dixon and AJ Astroth were hot from the perimeter and Xavier Owens got whatever he wanted inside. Tate Wheeler helped orchestrate the offensive sets and Jonathan Torres pulled in rebound after rebound showing his tremendous athletic ability on the glass.

Everyone who has played or watched the game knows how different the Junior Varsity and Varsity levels are from one another. Jonathan Torres is experience it first hand but adapting quite well.

"The speed of the game. And just knowing everyone at this level has the ability to score." Torres explained.

Wharton used a strong start to build a cushion that Middleton could never get any closer the 10 points throughout the rest of the contest. Wharton finishes with a 7-2 record heading into next weeks playoffs.

"I think were all going to have to do our part on the court and just come together like we've been doing the last few games and get it done," Xavier Owens commented when asked what it's going to take to bring the 'Cats back to the top of the summer league stage, a place they have been so familiar with in recent years.

Game photos can be found HERE.

Tommy Tonelli Basketball Camp Concludes First Session

Tommy Tonelli and the Wharton Wildcats concluded the first week of their annual youth camp Thursday.

Little ones from all over Tampa competed in drills, games, and competitions while developing the skills needed to play basketball. Coach Tonelli and the rest of the camp staff worked with the children all week long to instill more than just basketball skills but also focused on sportsmanship on and off the court.

The camp is open to young kids who want to have a great time learning basic skills and sportsmanship needed to be a successful basketball player. Coach Tonelli hold his camp annually every year and illuminates the little faces of each and every camper year in and year out.

Coach Tonelli will be holding one more week of camp starting July 6th through July 9th. The registration form for camp can be found HERE.

Summer League Update 6/24

Wharton swept both games last night, one by the way of an onslaught and the other in dramatic fashion.

Wharton blew out future district foe Plant High School and survived an overtime thriller via a Damian Dixon three pointer against Robinson High.

Dixon dropped the three with just a few seconds remaining and the ensuing Robinson half-court shot attempt fell short giving the 'Cats the "W."

Wharton now holds an impressive 5-game winning streak as they improve to 6-2. The 'Cats will conclude the summer league season June 25 before beginning the summer league playoffs next week.

Butler Team Camp Results, Synopsis

Wharton concluded their second team camp this past weekend as they competed in the Butler University's team camp. Wharton has attended the university's camp for the past couple of years due to the ties with Head Coach Dave Bastian and current Butler shooting guard Shawn Vanzant. Wharton's second all-time leading scorer, behind Vanzant, Jeff James also received a full athletic scholarship to play for the Bulldogs back in 2002 under Tommy Tonelli.

The results are as follows:

Day 1
Franklin Central 28 Wharton 20 (L)
Crawfordsville 37 Wharton 30 (L)
Park Tutor 35 Wharton 23 (L)
Fishers 37 Wharton 34 (L)

Day 2
Center Grove vs. Wharton (L)
Wharton 40 Oak Hills 39 (W)
Bloomingten Central Catholic 42 Wharton 34 (L)
Royal High 33 Wharton 23 (L)

After another weekend on the hardwood the TBC.net caught up with Assistant Coach Adam Noble for a question and answer session to further explain the ups and downs of this past weekend's camp. Coach Noble's responses are italicized and the interview questions are bolded.

Q: What's the biggest difference between the competition here in Florida and the competition up in Indiana?

A: The biggest difference between the two states is that the kids in Indiana are raised playing basketball competitively at a very young age. Their fundamentals and overall basketball IQ is much more advanced. The kids here just play a lot more basketball. Still our team did very well for how young they are and having to play 8 games in two days.

Q: Why do you think our boys had a rough time adapting to the Indiana way of basketball?

A: I felt our kids may have struggled a little with how hard the kids here play every play at first. Once they got used to how hard and tough these kids played our guys did very well. The record does not show how well and how hard our kids played. They had a great tournament.

Q: What positives do you see in your players through this stage in the year?

A: We our a very young team this year with only two or three seniors. They have shown that their committed to improving their skills as individuals and as a team. This team works very hard at practice and in the classroom. I think this team continues to improve and have a bright future.

Q: You were a great player back in the day and you were a member of Wharton's all-time most winning-est team. Does this team compare to your squad or will they succeed in their own way?

A: Its hard to compare the team I played for and this team because of the age difference. Both my team and this team had lots of offensive talent but the team I played for was much more advanced on the defensive end of the court. I was fortunate to play with very talented players. All six of our main players went on to play college. I would say that this team has three or so potential college players. I think its fair to say that this team was not as talented as my team but will be able to succeed in their own way.

Thank you to Coach Noble for the interview and the final scores. Wharton will resume it's summer league play this week.

Also, Tommy Tonelli and the Wharton Wildcats will be hosting the annual Wildcat Basketball Camp starting tomorrow.

Camp Results, 'Cats Defeat State Champs

Wharton concluded USF's team camp today after a very impressive showing. Wharton's pool play record was 4-1 and advanced to Sunday's tournament play as an 11 seed.

Wharton played defending 4A State Champion Cocoa High School in the opening round of the tournament. They defeated the Tigers to advance to the quarterfinals and were then dealt their eliminating loss by the Tampa Prep Terps.

"The team is doing really well. We're winning the majority of our games and really coming together to have a strong, good season next year," Junior AJ Astroth commented when asked on how the team has been competing as of late.

The camp results are posted below:

Game 1: Wharton vs. Osceola (L)
Game 2: Wharton 73 Brooksville Central 49 (W)
Game 3: Wharton 47 Haggerty 45 (W)
Game 4: Wharton 68 Sunlake 47 (W)
Game 5: Wharton vs. Riverdale (W)
Game 6: Wharton 59 Cocoa 52 (W)
Game 7 (Quarterfinals): Wharton 49 Tampa Prep 50 (L)

Wharton will continue their summer league play Monday, June 15 at Plant City against Lakeland-Kathleen and Plant City.

Schedule Released for USF Team Camp

The schedule has been released for the University of South Florida's Team Camp starting tomorrow, Friday June 12.

Wharton is in Pool E along with Riverdale, Sunlake, Hagerty, Brooksville Central, and Osceola. The Wildcats schedule is as follows:

Friday, June 12 5:00pm
Wharton vs. Osceola
COURT 5

Friday, June 12 7:00pm
Wharton vs. Brooksville Central
COURT 5

Saturday, June 13 10:00am
Wharton vs. Hagerty
COURT 2

Saturday, June 13, 2:00pm
Wharton vs. Sunlake
COURT 1

Saturday, June 13, 4:00pm
Wharton vs. Riverdale
COURT 5

Depending on how they preform in pool play will determine Sunday's schedule. During last years USF camp, Wharton showed a lot of promise but failed to push deep into Sunday's bracket. With a year under his belt and 3 matured weapons, Head Coach Dave Bastian looks to have the boys ready for a successful run at this weekends camp.

Check back here daily for final scores and post game interviews.

'Cats Capture St. Leo Camp Championship

The 'Cats hit the hardwood this past weekend in the St. Leo Team camp for some early summer action. With a preview of what's to come in late fall, our Wildcats took home first place.

The game schedule was as follows:

Game 1: Wharton 37 Hudson 35
Game 2: Wharton 39 Mitchell 36
Game 3: Wharton 39 River Ridge 30
Game 4: East Lake 44 Wharton 28
Game 5: Wharton 44 Alonso 34
Game 6 (Championship): Wharton 42 Wiregrass 38

Xavier Owens, AJ Astroth, Johnathan Torres, Damian Dixon, Tate Wheeler, Andrew Jewesak, Drake Williams, Jereth Kirkland, Jadarian Greene, and Dirk Warner made up Wharton's roster.

"We did pretty good overall," Junior forward Xavier Owens commented. "We stuck it out without an actual point guard and won it because everybody stepped up."

The boys seem poised and ready to return the 'Cats to the top of the summer league standings when the summer league gets underway in the weeks to come. Prior to last summer, Wharton had played in the summer league final in 4 consecutive seasons.

The Wildcats' summer schedule will continue this coming weekend at USF's team camp.

Wildcat Graduation, Farewell Seniors

One door closes, a million more open. Wharton High School held their annual graduation ceremonies this afternoon at the Sun Dome.

Stephen Simmons, Mike Robinson, Garry Volcy, and Zachery Litton all walked across the stage and received their diplomas and moments later changed their tassels and took the giant leap into the real world.

Regardless if they are playing ball, studying, or starting a career, graduating high school is a monumental achievement and nothing but the best are what these four boys deserve. All look to pursue college academic careers and other plan on playing at the next level. Whether or not they grace the hardwood ever again, these four young men will go on to do great things in their respective lives.

I speak on behalf of TBC.net and I am sure Coach Bastian, Assistant Coach Noble, and everyone else in the Wildcat family feel the same way, congratulations to Stephen, Mike, Garry, and Zach and may your future be paved with success, happiness, and fulfillment. Good luck and farewell.

Walk for Lupus Now, Saturday 6/6

The Lupus Foundation of America will make a stop at Tropicana Field this Saturday from 9-12am. TBC.net will be in attendance with present, past, and future Blue Crew members in honor of those who are affected by lupus, both directly and indirectly.

For those of you who do not know, lupus is a auto-immune disease and is defined as follows:

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints and/or organs inside the body). Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from foreign substances, like bacteria and viruses. With lupus, your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body's healthy tissues and creates autoantibodies ("auto" means "self") to attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body.

(cited: http://www.lupus.org/)

Event Address:

Tropicana Field

One Tropicana Drive

St. Petersburg, FL 33705

Event Schedule:

Registration 6/6/2009 9:00 am - 9:45 am

Opening Ceremonies 6/6/2009 9:45 am - 10:00 am

Walk 6/6/2009 10:00 am - 11:30 am

Closing Ceremonies 6/6/2009 11:30 am - 12:00 pm

If you would wish to join TBC.net this Saturday at Tropicana Field please call 813)217-2497 for more information or e-mail me at jdl@thebluecrew.net. Or for more details, donations, and registration please visit http://walkforlupusnowgf.kintera.org/thebluecrew.