Wildcat Chat: Final Four Edition With Shawn Vanzant

Despite his busy, hectic schedule Shawn Vanzant took some time with with TheBlueCrew.net for some interview questions about his teams success thus far as well as the upcoming game. Enjoy.

TBC.net: I know it is going to be hard, but can you even put into words what you were feeling at the bottom of the pile after you guys beat Kansas State?

SV: Is this really happening? That and simply just blessed to be apart of something like this.

TBC.net: What is it going to mean to the city of Indianapolis to see their home town team compete in the Final Four? What's it going to sound like in the Lucas-Oil Arena?

 

SV: I think having the Final Four back in Indy is something special because it will feel like being back in Hinkle, playing a home game but having 70,000 people in Lucas-Oil Arena.

TBC.net: You have come along way as a player. You've become a defensive specialist for your team. You pride yourself in diving for loose balls, skying up for rebounds and risking your body when you go to the rim. Why?

 

SV: I'm the type of player that wants to do whatever it takes to help my team win and I will lay everything on the line to get the "W."

TBC.net: You've scored 20 points, you've hit a game winning 3-pointer and now you and your team have reached the Final Four for the first time in school history. How does this compare to everything you've accomplished on the court?

 

SV: The individual things I have accomplished does not compare to our Final Four run.

TBC.net: Blue Crew or the Dawg Pound? Just kidding. I'm not going to make you answer that. But how much of a factor can a crowd make in how a game can unfold? 

SV: Well to the answer the first question... BLUE CREW. And at home games in Hinkle it's great but away games, me personally, the crowd doesn't effect me.

TBC.net: Thanks for your time and good luck this weekend.

SV: No problem.

Shawn Vanzant: The Dog Days

Shawn Vanzant's career at Butler University has been an extremely successful one.


His overall record during his three year tenure as a Bulldog is 88 wins to just 14 losses.


He and his team have reached the NCAA Tournament all 3 years. 


Vanzant's freshman year, the team outlasted South Alabama in the opening round, a game in which Shawn scored 5 points, snagged 5 rebounds and dished out 2 assists in a game where his athleticism and willingness to dive on every loose ball helped the Bulldogs advance.

Butler met the talented Tennessee Volunteers in the second round led by the talented Chris Lofton and Wayne Chism. Tennessee defeated Vanzant's squad in overtime 76-71 thanks to some clutch free throws and a costly Bulldog turnover in the waining moments.


Another notable performance during Vanzant's freshman campaign was when the Florida State Seminoles trekked up to the Conseco Fieldhouse to take on Butler. Vanzant logged 12 minutes in which most were dedicated to shutting down Seminole senior Isaiah Swann. Vanzant held Swann to just 6 points


Shawn's career high in points is 20 and came in his sophomore season when Butler took on Milwaukee-Wisconsin in a Horizon League match-up. Shawn's 20 point performance was enough to help his team get the "W" as well as snag an ESPN headline about his efforts. 


Earlier that year, one of the greatest moments of Shawn's college career took place. 


Down 2 points with under a minute to play, the Butler Bulldogs were looking for the game tying basketball and a defensive stop on the other end to send their game against Cleveland State into overtime. 


As the Bulldogs pushed the ball up the floor the Cleveland State defender left Shawn all alone outside the three point. Butler point guard realized the mistake and found Shawn seconds later. Shawn let go with the potential game winning 3-point shot. The snapped the net and Butler took a slim 1-point lead with 19 seconds to play. 

Cleveland State would respond on the other end with a tough layup, giving the Vikings the advantage with just 5 seconds remaining.


Butler would win the game moments later on a Zach Hahn 3-point as time expired. 


As for Vanzant's junior season, that journey's ending has yet to be written. 


Shawn recorded a 10-point outing in the first game of the season when the Bulldogs took on fellow mid-major Davidson. Shawn's season high 12 points came against Milwaukee a few weeks later. He also recorded 9 rebounds and 5 assists against the Valparaiso Crusaders. 


When asked what would be going through his mind moments before the ball was tipped against the 1-seeded Syracuse Shawn answer, "What can I do to help my team win?"


A defensive specialist with an out-of-the-gym leaping ability, Shawn Vanzant is a "we over me" player both on and off the court.

This Saturday night when the hometown Butler Bulldogs take on the Michigan State Spartans, Shawn will become just the 11th player from Hillsborough County to participate in the men's basketball Final Four.

Shawn Vanzant: Where It All Began

With the Wildcats trailing rival Brandon High School in the district title game at Newsome High School, junior Shawn Vanzant knew what he had to do.

After the Eagles took the lead Vanzant was forced to push the ball the length of the floor with under 5 seconds to play.

Vanzant managed to get just above the elbow and released the ball before the buzzer sounded. The ball bounced around on the rim before rolling out. The Wharton Wildcats had fallen to the Brandon Eagles in the 2005-2006 district championship game.

Walking off the court with his face buried in his jersey, Shawn made a vow to himself that the next year would be different.

The 2006-2007 season opener would consist of a rematch of the previous year's district final. Both teams ranked 1 and 2 in the Tribune's Top 5, respectively. With the county's top two teams going at it to kick off the new season, the show-down was a possible preview of the district final yet again.

In front of a raucous Blue Crew, the Wharton Wildcats handled the talented Brandon Eagles 64-49. At one point the Wildcats led by 36 points. The final score was a realization of what was to come in remainder of the season.

Wharton cruised passed all of their district opponents. Most notably, the Wildcats outscored Tampa Bay Tech 32-2 in the opening quarter when the two teams met at Wharton High School just two weeks into the season. Wharton also outscored the Freedom Patriots 150-58 in the two regular season meetings and trounced them once more in the opening round of districts 72-31 making the overall season series score 222-89.

During the 2006-2007 season, Vanzant and his Wildcats would set a school record for most consecutive wins with 21 victories in a row. The win streak came to an end when the Wildcats traveled up to Ocala-Forest High School to face eventual National Champion Montverde Academy. This past year, the 2009-2010 Wildcats rewrote the record books by recording 25 straight wins.

During the 21-game winning streak, on January 23, 2007 at Bloomingdale High School, Shawn Vanzant would become Wharton's first 1000-point scorer. His 1,192 mark still stands at Wharton.

Not one team in the 5A District came within single digits of the Wildcats. In fact, only one team in Hillsborough and Polk county came within single digits that year, the Sickles Gryphons only fell to Wharton by 7 points.

The district tournament was no different. After dismantling Freedom and cruising past Armwood, Vanzant and the Wildcats were poised to avenge their loss to the Brandon Eagles in the previous year's championship game. It was the rematch everyone wanted to see and this time it would be on the Wildcats' home floor. However, the Bloomingdale Bulls didn't get the memo.

Bloomingdale upset the Eagles in an impressive 77-67 win the night before in the district semifinals.

The stage was set. Bloomingdale fresh off their best win of the season would have to take down the giant that was Wharton. A 29-point loss later, Wharton was hoisting the 5A District 8 trophy in the air surrounded by a mob of Blue Crew members painted head to toe in navy blue.

Not satisfied with just a district championship, the Wildcats turned their sights to something the school had never achieved before, a regional championship and birth to the state final four.

In the opening round of the regional playoffs, Wharton dominated cross-town foe Wesley Chapel. In the second round the Wildcats hosted a fast-break oriented Winter Haven Blue Devils squad, one of Polk County's elite programs.

Just like every other home game, Wharton walked off the court the victors in front of the largest Blue Crew in school history by a double digit margin.

The Wildcats were where they had wanted to be. The win set up a rematch with national power Lake Howell High school. Wharton was eliminated from the regional playoffs by Lake Howell the year before in a blowout fashion.

Although the Wildcat's fate would be the same as the year before, losing the Lake Howell 70-59, the Wildcats had given the Silver Hawks their toughest fight of the year. Lake Howell would go on to win the state semifinal and finals by a FHSAA record margin.

Vanzant and his crew had nothing to be ashamed of. The only two blemishes on the schedule came by the hands of the eventual national and state champions.

Although his high school career ended with a regional final loss, Shawn Vanzant's basketball career was just beginning...

Photos of Shawn's senior year can be found HERE.

TBC.Net Presents Final Four Week: Bulldog Edition

In celebration of Shawn Vanzant and the Butler Bulldogs reaching the Final Four TBC.Net presents Final Four Week: Bulldog Edition.

All week long, each day will be dedicated to Shawn Vanzant and his Butler Bulldogs squad leading up to the teams game on Saturday night.

Monday: TBC.Net will take a look back at Shawn Vanzant's high school career. Everything from his record breaking 1000th point game to his team's run to the regional final.

Tuesday: TBC.Net will document Shawn's career thus far at Butler University. A career-high 20 point outing and a game changing 3-point shot that lifted his team over rival Cleveland State are just two highlights of his collegiate career.

Wednesday: TBC.Net will bring you the Wildcat Chat, Final Four edition. Shawn will sit down for an interview regarding his team's dream run to the Final Four.

Thursday: Find out what Shawn's friends, family, former coaches and teammates have to say about his team's Final Four run. Tune in to read a few testimonials from those who knew Shawn the best during his high school career.

Friday, Saturday: On the eve of the biggest Butler Basketball game in school history, TBC.Net will hit the road. Traveling almost 1000 miles to Indianapolis, IN for the Final Four, come along for the ride. TBC.Net will log the drive from Tampa, Fla. to the entrance of Lucas-Oil Stadium.

Tune in all week long for complete coverage and articles of Wharton's own Shawn Vanzant as he and his Butler Bulldogs look to continue to prove the doubters wrong and bring home a national championship.

Alumni Update: Vanzant, Bulldogs Reach Final 4

Shawn Vanzant and his Butler Bulldogs have done it again. This time the Bulldogs shocked the Kansas State Wildcats 63-56 in the west regional final. 


Call it a Cinderella story, call it destiny, but either way the Butler Bulldogs are going home to Indianapolis to play in the Final Four.


Vanzant scored 5 points and helped lock down Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen to 14 points. Well below his average during this year's NCAA tournament.


Vanzant helped spark an early Butler run with a long three pointer early in the first half and added two more in the second with an impressive layup despite being draped by two Kansas State defenders.

Butler advances to face the Michigan State/Tennessee winner next Saturday.

Alumni Update: Vanzant, Bulldogs Face 'Cats In Elite 8

Shawn Vanzant and his Butler Bulldogs are 40 minutes away from a Final 4 birth in their home town of Indianapolis.

Standing in their way, the Kansas State Wildcats.

Vanzant will always be a Wildcat but today his team will need to take down the Wildcats to keep their dream run alive.

Butler has reached the Elite 8 for the first time in the school's illustrious history. It's going to take a total team effort to do what many of the college basketball analysts said was impossible to do... The "undersized" mid-major reaching the Final Four.

Butler crushed UTEP, shut down Murray State and toppled 1-seeded Syracuse despite what the naysayers predicted. Despite what happens today at 4:30p.m. when Butler goes head to head with the "bigger" Wildcats, there is no questioning what the under-Dogs have accomplished this year.

Throw on your navy blue and white and tune into CBS today at 4:30p.m. and cheer on your "Wharton Wildcat'ed" Butler Bulldogs.

Alumni Update: Vanzant, Butler Topple Syracuse For Elite 8 Birth

Shawn Vanzant and his Butler Bulldogs defeated the 1-seeded Syracuse Orange 63-59 to advance to the Elite 8 for the first time in school history!

Butler lead for the entire first half and held a commanding 35-25 halftime lead.
Syracuse would not go away quietly. They erupted in the opening moments of the second half and took a one point lead thanks to a 15-4 run.

Butler, as calm as they built their lead in the first half, responded every Orange run. Syracuse held a 4-point lead with just under three minutes to play.

Butler had one more left in them, and it was just enough to run them into the school's first Elite 8 appearance.

Butler advances to play the Xavier/Kansas St. winner on Saturday.

Boys Basketball Banquet, Ribbon On A Successful Season

The Wharton Wildcats held their annual basketball banquet tonight honoring the teams success this past season.

It's always a wonderful scene seeing the boys trade in their battle-tested uniforms for a pair of nice slacks and a button down shirt.

All the winter sports programs met tonight for dinner and awards before the team headed down to the prestigious Wharton Gymnasium for the varsity and junior varsity award ceremonies.

During the first segment of the winter sports banquet, Principal Brad Woods, Athletic Director Mike Rowan and Booster Club President Jim Bailey gave thanks to all of those parents, players and families who devoted their time and efforts all season long.

At every seasonal banquet "Top Cat" awards are given to those who had a great athletic performance during their respective seasons.

Junior Xavier Owens was awarded a "Top Cat" award for his performance against Newsome High School in early January. Down eight points at halftime, Xavier scored 17 points in the second half and helped guide his team to a demanding 57-41 victory.

Junior AJ Astroth was awarded a "Top Cat" award for his 30 point performance against a tough Spoto team. AJ scored at will and at times looked unstoppable on way to the Wildcat victory.

Freshman CJ McGill was awarded a "Top Cat" award for his outstanding performance in the first round of the regional tournament. CJ hit 8 of 9 free throws and finished with a career high 20 points in his very first playoff appearance.

Senior Tate Wheeler earned the GPA award for his astounding 6.27 GPA. Tate's GPA was not only the top for the basketball team, but was also the highest athlete GPA for all of the winter sports. He ranks 10th in his graduating class which is the top 2 percent.

Head coach Tommy Tonelli was awarded the Outstanding Coach - Winter Season award for his efforts on and off the court in guiding the talented Wildcats to a classification best 27-2 record. Tonelli's Wildcats also set a new school record for most consecutive wins (25) and brought home the schools fourth district championship. 

After the all-sports ceremonies the team, parents and family members made their ways to the gym for the varsity and junior varsity awards presentation.

Another highlight of the night was when junior Jonathan Torres was awarded the Citizenship Award by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department for his courageous actions in the effort to save the life of his teammate Drake Williams in an incident that took place before the start of the season.

Drake collapsed during a practice. Coach Tonelli rushed to his side and began trying to resuscitate the fallen Williams. Before running to the school's training room to grab the defibrillator, Tonelli instructed Torres to continuing the reviving techniques.  Without any hesitation Torres continued to try and revive his teammate while Tonelli retrieved the device. Both Tonelli and Torres received an award for their heroic, life-saving actions. Tonelli was presented his award at a ceremony a few weeks ago. Torres was unable to attend the service and was presented his award to a standing ovation at tonight's banquet.

The other awards were as follows:

Varsity
MVP: Damian Dixon
Coaches: AJ Astroth
Most Improved: Xavier Owens
Academic: Tate Wheeler

Junior Varsity
MVP: Jereth Kirkland
Coaches: Dirk Warner
Most Improved: Matthew Colazzo
Academic: Joseph Wolf

Photos tonight's banquet can be found HERE as well as on twitter.com/thebluecrew.

Basketball Banquet This Wednesday

The Wharton Wildcats will be hosting their annual Winter Sports Banquet this Wednesday night at the school's cafeteria.

After the all-sports segment of the banquet, the team will head on over to the gym for the team's exclusive ceremony.

The school wide meal and banquet will begin promptly at 6p.m. followed by the varsity and junior varsity awards ceremony at approximately 7:30p.m.

Alumni Update: Vanzant, Bulldogs Advance To Sweet 16

Shawn Vanzant and the Butler Bulldogs defeated the Murray State Racers 54-52 thanks to a stout defensive stand as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Vanzant is playing in his third consecutive NCAA tournament.

Butler will play the winner of the Syracuse/Gonzaga game in the Sweet 16.

Congratulations to Shawn and the Butler basketball team.

Alumni Update: Vanzant, Butler To Take On Murray State

Shawn Vanzant and the Butler Bulldogs will take on the Murray State Racers today at 3:20p.m.

CBS Sports will be continuing the coverage. Tune to CBS or head over to CBSsports.com to watch it live on the internet.

Go Bulldogs!

Dixon, Hillsborough All-Stars fall to Pinellas 107-97

Damian Dixon and the Hillsborough All-Stars were defeated by the Pinellas All-Stars 107-97.

Dixon finished the night with 10 points but it wasn't enough to stop the high powered Pinellas attack.

The annual Hillsborough-Pinellas All-Star game is always a fun and action packed contest consisting of the areas top players. The lady All-Stars compete in the first game and before the boys take the floor for the night cap.

There is also a slam-dunk contest at halftime of the boys game which always showcases some entertaining and electric jams.

This year's event was held at Hillsborough Community College.

Dixon To Play In Tonight's Hillsborough-Pinellas County All-Star Game

Damian Dixon will represent the Wildcats tonight in the annual Hillsborough-Pinellas County All-Star game.

The rosters are posted below.


Hillsborough Boys
Jeff Thomas, Durant
Jake Hodges, Newsome
Samal Shepherd, Newsome
LeCarlton Nelson, Tampa Bay Tech
Ravon Bullard, Hillsborough
Isaac Dix, Armwood
David Fletcher, Tampa Prep
Jamal Cherry, Tampa Prep
Austin Schonbrun, Jesuit
Al'von Woodard, Hillsborough
Damian Dixon, Wharton
Michael McFarland, Blake
Fred Lewis, Bayshore Christian

Pinellas Boys
Allen Wilson, St. Petersburg
Gabriel Moton, St. Petersburg
Chris Whiting, Seminole
Ladarius Barnes, Lakewood
Pat Kearney, Largo
Dominic Lane, Lakewood
Norman Williams, Boca Ciega
Ke'Owen Walker, Gibbs
Dino Tabakovic, Countryside
Kyle Kinnear, Countryside


"The Hillsborough vs. Pinellas County All-Star Boys Basketball game will be played Friday at Hillsborough Community College's Dale Mabry campus. Admission is $5. The girls game starts at 6 p.m., followed by the boys game, a slam dunk and three-point shooting contest. The games will be aired on Bright House's Catch 47."
- Nick Williams, Tampa Tribune

So if you have nothing else to do tonight, grab your Wildcat gear and go and support Damian. It's always a great show.

Alumni Update: Vanzant, Butler Crush Miners

Shawn Vanzant's Butler Bulldogs were facing a 6-point deficit at halftime but thanks to an electric second half in which Butler hit 10 3-pointers, the Bulldogs ended UTEP's season, 77-59.

Many college basketball analysts picked the Miners to upset the 5-seeded Bulldogs.

Vanzant finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a crucial steal that helped spark the huge Butler run that put the game out of reach in the second half.

Vanzant and the Bulldogs advance to face Murray State, winners over 4-seeded Vanderbilt.

Alumni Update: Vanzant, Butler to face UTEP Today

Wildcat's all-time leading scorer Shawn Vanzant has reached the NCAA tournament with his Butler Bulldogs squad all three years he has attended the prestigious university.

Today, his Bulldogs will face UTEP (University of Texas - El Paso). Butler will compete as the 5-seed in the West bracket. The Miners are the 12-seed.

Vanzant's college success was recently documented in a number of articles published in both the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times. The articles are posted below.

Tampa Tribune: Vanzant ready to begin ride for Butler
St. Petersburg Times: NCAA Tournament Preview: West Region, Seeds 1-8

The game is set to tip at 4:45PM. Good luck V-man!

TBBCA All-Star Game Highlights

Last Thursday night, Damian Dixon represented the Wharton Wildcats in the TBBCA All-Star Game. Dixon was a member of the West team and scored 16 points in the game. Below is a video of his highlights during the contest.

Dixon had a fast break dunk and the "game-winning" rebound and assist the spanned the entire floor with under six seconds to play to give the West win on the buzzer beater.

A special thanks to Keith Hodges of Newsome High School for the video. Enjoy

Dixon Plays In TBBCA All-Star Game

Senior Damian Dixon competed in tonight's TBBCA All-Star Game. Dixon also took part in the 3-point contest.

Tampa Prep was the venue for tonight's event. The All-Star Game was held for the senior standouts around the Tampa Bay area.

Other notable players that took part in tonight's festivities were Jake Hodges and Samal Shepherd (Newsome), Michael McFarland and George Taliaferro (Blake), Travis Green (Brandon) and Greg Wirth (Alonso).

Dixon finished with 16 points.

For the event log visit www.twitter.com/thebluecrew.
Event photos can be found HERE.

Dixon, Jewesak To Play In Post Season All-Star Games

Seniors Damian Dixon and Andrew Jewesak will take part in a pair of post season all star games.

Dixon was selected to compete in the 2010 The Tampa Bay Basketball Coaches Association (TBBCA) Hillsborough Senior All Star team. Dixon will hit the floor this Thursday, March 11 at 7pm at Tampa Prep.

Jewesak will play in the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) All-Star game for the East squad. The UNCF All-Star game will be played March 25 at Jefferson.

***Please Advise: TBC.NET To Be Under Construction***

TBC.net will be under construction for the next few weeks. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I am trying to find ways to "revamp" the website's layout and fix some internal problems that the website has been having.

If there is anything not working (i.e. a link not pointing to the right location) please feel free to let me know.

All of the website's information, videos and photos will continue to be accessible. Just bare with me if there are any sudden layout changes and/or glitches with the website.

Thank You,
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www.thebluecrew.net

TBC.NET TOP 10... Reasons Why The Wharton Wildcats Should Not Hang Their Heads After The 2009-2010 Season

A tough loss ends the magical Wharton Wildcats season prematurely. An "uncharacteristic" performance in a game that would have given Wharton a regional final home game stirred up critics around the Tampa area. Although the season is over to the dismay to every member of the Wildcat Nation, here are 10 reasons why the Wharton Wildcats should not hang their heads after the 2009-2010 season...

10. 25-game winning streak... I don't care what sport you play or what classification you're in, winning 25 straight games is remarkable. The span lasted over three months and came at the disposal of some very talented teams. Wharton captured the Berkeley Holiday Tournament championship and successfully defended its Alonso Holiday title. Both sparked the winning streak and vaulted the young Wildcats to the top of the Tampa Tribune rankings.

9. 27-2... Wharton compiled the school's second best record this season, second to the 29-2 mark set by the 2007 regional runner-up. The only two losses on Wharton's resume? Sickles and St. Petersburg, two teams Wharton also defeated during the season. And for those who claim the record is inflated because of the "weak" district Wharton competes in, only 11 of the 27 wins are against District 8 opponents making Wharton 16-2 against non-district opponents (Newsome, Sickles, St. Pete, Evans, etc.).




8. District Champions... Winning a district championship is not an easy task. Wharton picked up its fourth district title in the school's young history. The district title is the first piece of the puzzle in regards to making bigger steps into the regional and state tournaments. Wharton took care of business by going undefeated in district play this season (8-0) and avoided the proverbial "let-downs" that can plague top-tier teams.




7. Dominance over rivals... Wharton continued its dominance over rivals Brandon and Freedom. In front of a hostile crowd the Wildcats embarrassed the Patriots on their home court. The Wildcats swept Brandon during the regular season and topped off those performances with a win over the Eagles in the district championship game. Wharton has now won five straight against Brandon. A newly adapted rivalry with the Newsome Wolves gained some media attention this season. Brighthouse Networks was on hand to watch the preseason-hyped Wolves take on Wharton. Newsome built a small lead heading into halftime but was out scored 39-15 in the second half, sending the Wolves back to Lithia with an "L."




6. Media respect... Wharton grabbed the local media's attention this season with their overachieving record. Both of the local publications, Tampa Tribune and St. Pete Times, continued to follow the team all year long. Wharton proved it belonged in the 6A spotlight from the jump, out-lasting a talented Evans-Orlando team in overtime in the Thanksgiving Classic at Berkeley Prep. Wharton also dominated the Western Conference National Division, claiming MVP (Dixon), 2 first team selections (Dixon, Owens), 1 second team selection (Astroth) and the Coach of the Year honors. Wharton ranked as high as sixth in the FHSAA 6A Top 10.




5. Parent Support.. One would have to go back a handful of years to find a Wharton basketball program that had the overwhelming support from the parents of the players as those of this year. The parents of this program take time out of their busy schedules to support their boys and team like no other. Whether it's painting their faces or making championship shirts, the moms and dads represent. With almost all of this year's nucleus returning next year, you can count on the parents bringing their "A" game to the stands each and every night.




4. The Blue Crew... With the growing success on the court, the student following in the stands is directly related. The 2009-2010 Blue Crew showed signs of what made it so daunting to opponents back in the 2007 season. For the regional semifinal, a charter bus was rented to help tote over 50 students to St. Petersburg High School in hopes to flip home court advantage. With the high-energy and growing expectations for the basketball program, the Blue Crew will return to prominence in the seasons to come.




3. Strength of schedule... Wharton defeated Ridgewood, Newsome and Blake and split games with Sickles and St. Petersburg. All five of those opponents were district champions and three of them (Sickles, Newsome, St. Petersburg) are regional final participants. Other notable wins include Evans-Orlando, Countryside, Lake Highland Prep and Spoto. Also, the Wildcats compete in the largest and arguably the most competitive classification in the state. Don't believe me? Plant High School, a 6A District 8 member who finished the season with a 13-13 record, fell to 2A "power" Tampa Prep by a mere 4 points during this years Tampa Hoops Classic.




2. Coach Tommy Tonelli... When you have Tommy Tonelli running the show, your chances at succeeding are far greater than the opposition. Tonelli averaged over 20 wins a year in his first 10 year stint after starting the program in 1997. Chalk up another one after this year's 27-2 record. Tonelli has also never had a losing season. All of these statistics can be accredited to Tonelli's ability to coach and his tenacious attitude in preparation to each and every game all season long. You will never find a coach that cares more about his players and his program than that of Coach T. Period.




1. The future... Wharton is graduating just one starter. Damian Dixon's diversity will be missed and difficult to replace. Dixon's ability to score, rebound and locate his teammates made him a great asset. But with the return of Xavier Owens and AJ Astroth, Wharton will still be one of the most explosive offenses in the county and maybe even the state. And don't sleep on will-be sophomore CJ McGill. With a year of varsity experience under his belt, McGill can be next season's x-factor. Not to mention the talented JV roster and Wharton's feeder school, Benito, went undefeated this past season in the middle school league, winning by no less than 25 points a game.


The bitter taste of the regional semifinal loss will linger for months to come. The Wharton Wildcat program and its supporters know how bright the future truly is.

Hang your heads high boys. The journey has just begun.