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2021 offered special moments in local sports (Part One)

December 28, 2021 By Kevin Weiss

This past year levied countless memories in the local sports scene — from shattered records and career achievements for individuals and teams, to several major events and showcases in the area.

Here is a look back at some of the moments in sports in 2021, from across Pasco and Hillsborough counties, in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

(This is Part One of a two-part series.)

Land O’ Lakes Little League celebrates 50th anniversary
The start of each Little League season often elicits a heightened level of nostalgia.

Alissa Canter, vice president Land O’ Lakes Little League, holds the 50th Anniversary charter with director, Gary Gwinn. (File)

With spring in the air, youth of all ages and skills partake in America’s favorite pastime, testing their mettle on the mound, at the plate and in the field.

For Land O’ Lakes Little League, this year’s Opening Day festivities took on added significance: The organization celebrated its 50th anniversary on Feb. 27, at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, off Collier Parkway.

The organization actually formed back in 1967 at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center (now Heritage Park) off U.S. 41, but it didn’t receive its first Little League charter until 1971.

The local league has come a long way since its initial startup — boasting upwards of 800 boys and girls, ages 4 to 16, playing baseball and softball across 10 fields.

The large ballfield took center stage in the league’s season-opening event.

Teams from all age divisions were spread across the infield and outfield, signaling the league’s staying power and sustained growth.

First pitches were accurately thrown from veteran baseball players, as well softball Little League players.

Local players sang the national anthem and read the league pledge.

There was the unveiling, too, of a framed 50th anniversary “golden ticket” issued and signed by the Little League International Headquarters, which is based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The beauty of the organization is it’s a recreational format.

It welcomes the novice player that may never make an all-star team or play high school ball, to others who have the potential to earn college scholarships and maybe play professionally someday.

“I think every kid should play Little League,” Land O’ Lakes Little League President Gary Gwinn told The Laker/Lutz News.

NBA hopefuls showcase hoops skills in Wesley Chapel
Pasco County and the greater Tampa Bay region isn’t really known for its basketball prowess, but that reputation, or lack thereof, may soon change.

Pursuing dreams of playing professional basketball, a large group of athletes dropped by Wesley Chapel, of all places.

Six-foot-11-inch Nate Reuvers, from the University of Wisconsin, takes a few practice shots prior to the start of the 3-point and slam dunk competitions held during the Tampa Bay Pro Combine. Some 50 players from throughout the country converged in Wesley Chapel for the basketball event. (File)

In early June, some 50 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft-eligible hopefuls descended upon the area to showcase their athleticism and hoops skills in the inaugural Tampa Bay Pro Combine (TBPC), at the AdventHealth Sports Arena at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.

The elite-level hoopers — many from recognizable high and mid-major NCAA Division I programs — dribbled, dunked, jumped, shot and passed their way into the eyes and impressions of various NBA and international coaches and scouts.

Several names may be familiar from deep runs in the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball March Madness tournament, such as University of Southern California guard Tahj Eaddy, University of Houston forward Justin Gorham, and University of Loyola-Chicago center Cameron Krutwig, among others.

The three-day event featured drills, games (5-on-5, 2-on-2 and 3-on-3), athletic testing and measurements, as well as a 3-point shootout, dunk contest and more.

The player selection committee was led by ESPN television analyst Fran Fraschilla and BasketballNews.com NBA Draft analyst Matt Babcock, who were there to evaluate players during the weekend.

The competition came together in a matter of about six weeks, seeking to replicate the Virginia-based Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a long-running hoops combine event canceled a second-straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quade Green was the leading scorer at the University of Washington this past season, at 15.4 points per game.

Like others, it was his first time stepping into the Wiregrass Sports Campus.

He came away impressed with the state-of-the-art digs.

“This is a beautiful gym,” Green said, in an interview with The Laker/Lutz News. “Lot of great players here, great people around you, too. They’ve got connections. Life connections, too, for the long run.”

Zephyrhills runner competes in U.S. Olympic trials
Evan Miller’s sprint for a spot on Team USA for the Tokyo Summer Olympics may have come up short — but it was still an experience most athletes can only ever dream about.

The Zephyrhills athlete on June 25 competed in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at the legendary Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Miller — then a rising senior at University of South Carolina — clocked 21.04 seconds in the first-round heat of the men’s 200-meter dash, finishing 23rd overall.

He competed in the same heat against other widely known professional sprinters, including Terrance Laird and Jaron Flourney, among others.

The competition was televised live nationally on NBC Sports Network.

Miller’s trials mark was a shade off his personal best of 20.50 seconds — which he recorded at the Weems Baskin Relays hosted on-campus at South Carolina in late March; he wound up earning second-team NCAA All-American honors during the season, too.

Miller was one of about 30 sprinters nationwide who either qualified or accepted an invitation, and declared for the men’s 200-meter trials event.

From there, the top three men’s 200-meter finishers at trials earned spots on the U.S. Olympic team — Noah Lyles (first, 19.74 seconds), Kenny Bednarek (second, 19.78) and Erriyon Knighton (third, 19.84).

While disappointed with his own trials output overall, Miller relished the opportunity so very few earn — let alone coming off a 2020 track season hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“All around, it was a really good experience,” Miller told The Laker/Lutz Newspaper. “It was kind of surreal that I was there with the top athletes in the country. It was just a really good feeling. I was kind of trying to take it all in, but I also couldn’t like believe it at the same time.”

Before college, Miller had made a name for himself as a sprinter at Zephyrhills Christian Academy.

His senior year, he won the Class 1A individual crown 100-meter dash (10.75) at the 2018 FHSAA State Track & Field Championships. He also was a leg of the school’s 4×100 relay team that won back-to-back state crowns in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Locals athletes taken in 2021 MLB Draft
It’s not uncommon for at least a few ballplayers from area high schools and colleges to be taken in the Major League Baseball (MLB) first-year player draft.

The year 2012 was no different, as five local athletes from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area were taken in the nationally televised draft, which spanned 20 rounds (and 612) picks from July 11 through July 13:

Sunlake High/University of Florida pitcher Tommy Mace (Cleveland Indians/Guardians, Comp B, 69th overall)
Wharton High shortstop Zach Ehrhard (Boston Red Sox, 13th round, 376th overall)
Gaither High shortstop A.J. Graham (Pittsburgh Pirates, 18th round, 523rd overall)
Saint Leo University left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette (Toronto Blue Jays, 18th round, 543rd overall)
Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams (Kansas City Royals, 19th round, 559th overall)

Sunlake High/University of Florida product Tommy Mace was selected 69th overall by the Cleveland Indians (now named Guardians) in the 2021 MLB first-year player draft. (File)

Every player, except for Ehrhard opted to sign with their drafted team, for various dollar figures.

Mace — the highest selection from the local community — inked with the Indians (now Guardians) for a $1.1 million signing bonus; Graham signed with the Pirates for $125,000; Burnette signed with Blue Jays for $50,000; and, Williams signed with the Royals for $25,000.

Ehrhard, meanwhile, will play collegiate baseball at NCAA Division I Oklahoma State University, majoring in applied exercise science with a focus on strength and conditioning. He was this year’s recipient of the 2021 Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award, which honors a high school baseball player in Hillsborough County on the basis of outstanding athletic, scholastic and community achievements.

(While slightly outside our coverage area in west Pasco County, Fivay High/University of Mississippi product Gunnar Hoglund went in the first round (19th overall) to the Blue Jays. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander from Hudson ultimately signed with the team for just under $3.25 million.)

National champion returns home to teach aspiring players
Land O’ Lakes native Shannon Saile was a part of history — guiding the University of Oklahoma women’s softball team to the 2021 NCAA Division I national title, serving as one of its top senior pitchers.

With her decorated athletic career in tow, Saile’s next major task was organizing a series of fastpitch softball clinics to train the next generation of youth standouts.

Shannon Saile, left, a national champion softball pitcher for the Oklahoma Sooners, explains the fundamentals of the fast pitch to 11-year-old Laila McClelland, center, of Odessa. (File)

To do that, the 23-year-old returned to her central Pasco hometown and set foot on the same park ballfields that forged a pathway for myriad athletic accomplishments.

The upstart Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic was held on July 25 at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, home to Land O’ Lakes Little League.

About 30 girls — ages 8 to 15 — took part on a steamy Sunday, eager to take in guidance from Saile and other widely known pitching instructors and volunteers.

With Saile’s tutelage, young campers sharpened their fastballs and secondary offerings like changeups, through arm path mechanics and leg drive techniques, as well as various speed, agility and balance drills.

“I just hope that I can teach them the foundation of pitching, because it’s much more important than just getting out there and throwing pitches,” Saile explained to The Laker/Lutz News. “The drills are super important, because they help me grow my strength and my confidence in my pitches.”

Besides learning newfound softball techniques, campers also had an opportunity to get signed autographs and take pictures with Saile, who’s become a household name in the sports world. She was invited to ESPN’s nationally televised 2021 ESPY Awards, for being part of one of the best moments from the year in sports.

Saile goes down as one of the most accomplished — if not most accomplished — fastpitch softball players to ever come out of Land O’ Lakes High School and the greater Tampa Bay area.

As a Gator, she amassed 517 strikeouts and a career 1.76 ERA in four varsity seasons from 2013 to 2016, also compiling a combined 41 wins, 31 complete games, 11 shutouts and five no-hitters.

The advancement to the college ranks likewise went swimmingly for the 5-foot-7 right-hander.

Saile began her Division I softball career at Florida International University, finding immediate success with a pair of sub-2.00 ERA seasons in the circle, before transferring to Oklahoma.

As a redshirt senior this past season, Saile posted an impressive 1.70 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while being second on the team in wins (17), innings pitched (100.1), complete games (six), and strikeouts (132).

Published December 29, 2021

National champion returns home to teach aspiring players

August 3, 2021 By Kevin Weiss

Mere weeks ago, Land O’ Lakes native Shannon Saile was busy celebrating an NCAA Division I national championship — as one of the top pitchers on the University of Oklahoma women’s softball team.

Her decorated softball career now has quite literally come full circle.

The 23-year-old returned to her tight-knit central Pasco County hometown, again setting foot on the same park ballfields that forged a pathway for myriad athletic accomplishments.

Her goal is to organize a series of fastpitch softball clinics to train the next generation of youth standouts.

The upstart Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic was held July 25 at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, home to Land O’ Lakes Little League.

About 30 girls — ages 8 to 15 — took part on a steamy Sunday, eager to take in guidance from Saile and other well-known pitching instructors and volunteers.

Saile hopes to host similar clinics across the country — the next likely somewhere in Oklahoma — all in the name of growing the game that’s afforded her success and opportunity.

“It’s something I’m passionate about,” Saile told The Laker/Lutz News.

Naturally, it only made sense for Saile to launch her softball instruction venture back where it all began — a ballfield in Land O’ Lakes.

“I just thought it was like really important to me to start it in Land O’ Lakes, because that’s where I grew up,” she said of her softball clinic venture. “I really want to grow it across the country, and always come back to Land O’ Lakes.”

“I just hope that I can teach them the foundation of pitching, because it’s much more important than just getting out there and throwing pitches,” Saile explained. “The drills are super important, because they help me grow my strength and my confidence in my pitches.”

With her eyes on the ‘strike zone,’ 15-year-old Daijah Madry, of Tampa, prepares to pitch during the Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Collier Parkway. Saile, host of the clinic, was among the national championship team at the University of Oklahoma.

Besides newfound softball skills, campers also had an opportunity to get signed autographs and take pictures with Saile, who’s become a household name in the sports world. She was invited to ESPN’s 2021 ESPY Awards for being part of one of the best moments from the year in sports. The annual sports awards event was televised last month on ABC.

Saile is arguably one of the most accomplished — if not most accomplished — fastpitch softball players to ever come out of Land O’ Lakes High School and the greater Tampa Bay area.

As a Gator, she amassed 517 strikeouts and a career 1.76 ERA in four varsity seasons from 2013 to 2016, also compiling a combined 41 wins, 31 complete games, 11 shutouts and five no-hitters.

The advancement to the college ranks likewise went swimmingly for the 5-foot-7 right-hander.

Saile began her Division I softball career at Florida International University, finding immediate success with a pair of sub 2 ERA seasons in the circle.

Saile then transferred to blue-chip Oklahoma following her sophomore season.

Oklahoma is a perennial powerhouse that’s won five national softball titles since 2000 —including the 2021 Women’s College World Series over Florida State University in June — under longtime head coach Patty Gasso.

The local athlete enjoyed similar statistical feats in the iconic cream-and-crimson Sooners uniform.

Local resident Shayna Rentfro lines up a picture of her daughter, Jayda Lisant, 8, through the fence, during the recent Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Collier Parkway.

Upon returning to the area recreation complex, Saile acknowledged “flashbacks” of the many years, and countless hours and days, spent in travel ball and Land O’ Lakes Little League practices and games.

She put it like this: “Remembering where I started…it just wants me to remind the kids of, ‘You start small and you work your way up; it doesn’t happen overnight,’ and it’s just a humbling experience of remembering where I was and now where I am. It just means a lot to me to bleed that into these girls, that have the same dreams I did.”

Saile, meanwhile, continues to have vivid memories of guiding the Sooners to a national crown earlier this summer and a showy 56-4 record.

After navigating the Big 12 softball championship, NCAA regional and super regional, Oklahoma defeated James Madison, Georgia, UCLA and Florida State at the 2021 Women’s College World Series at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

“It kind of feels like it was yesterday still,” Saile said of the historic collegiate campaign. “I just continuously live that moment in my head of just that feeling of, ‘All the hard work has finally paid off.’ Like, all of the hard work when you’re a kid, on the Little League field, and then now, in the biggest stage, it feels like, ‘Wow, everything I worked for has finally paid off,’ and not a lot of people get to experience that, and I’m so grateful that I was able to.”

All arms on deck
A slew of Saile’s former teammates, coaches and acquaintances pitched in to help the youth softball clinic run smoothly.

Twelve-year old Paige Smith, of Land O’ Lakes, gets a hit in the batting cage, an extra feature at the pitching clinic. She and her 14-year-old sister, Lilly, picked up some pointers at the clinic.

This included fellow former Land O’ Lakes High pitching standout Callie Turner, who launched her college career at the University of Tennessee, but has since transferred to the University of Arkansas, another prominent Division I SEC (Southeastern Conference) program.

Turner and Saile crossed paths in high school, when Saile was a senior and Turner a freshman.

Turner has plenty of name recognition in her own right — a former top-ranked prep softball recruit, state champion and participant on USA Softball’s Junior Women’s National Training Team.

The 5-foot-10 left-hander expressed enthusiasm about sharing her softball knowledge and wisdom with budding campers.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to do stuff like this,” Turner said, “(so) I think it’s really fun, and, I mean, it’s nice to think that they look up to us, so just being able to give back to the community that we grew up in, is great.”

Another notable softball figure serving up lessons — former University of Minnesota pitching standout Amber Fiser, now a softball graduate assistant at the University of Missouri.

Fiser plays alongside Saile for Team Florida in the Professional Fastpitch Softball league.

They also coached together in the Florida Gulf Coast League Pro Series, a summer collegiate softball league in the Sarasota area.

Wearing a protective fielder’s mask, 9-year-old Grace Peters, of Land O’ Lakes, was ready to take her turn on the mound. Peters was among those in the intermediate division at the Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic.

Land O’ Lakes High assistant softball coach Pascal Guarracino, another camp volunteer, took a beating while catching behind home plate.

Still, he was more than willing to don the mask and heavy glove to help current and former students.

The coach came away amazed by how Saile and Turner have transformed into top-flight Division I athletes, and their willingness to help the next wave of local softball youth.

“They really are about community, they’re about family, and it was really important for (them) to come back and do it here,” Guarracino said.

“You know, we still see them as young high school girls, as little kids, but the knowledge of the sport and the progress we’ve seen (from them) in the last four years, we learn more from them than we could learn in a (coach’s clinic) classroom.”

Turner’s father, Dave, chipped in, too.

An area softball coach himself, he emphasized the need for programs to develop more willing, confident pitchers throughout the sport.

Coach Charlie Aliano of the Cincinnati Reds lends some batting knowledge to 13-year old Olivia James, of New Port Richey. Aliano, of Land O’ Lakes, assisted during the Shannon Saile Pitching Clinic.

A lot of kids are afraid to pitch, he said.

“It’s a lot of pressure. I mean, you’re out there in the circle by yourself,” he explained.

In addition to fastpitch drills, hitting instruction was happening in batting cages next to the ballfield.

That was led by Charles Aliano, a baseball lifer who now works as a scout supervisor for the Cincinnati Reds.

His daughter, Addy, is a standout outfielder at Academy at the Lakes.

Aliano was quick to heap praise on Saile, Turner, Fiser and others for coordinating the daylong softball clinic.

He said, “It’s an amazing experience for all these girls to have those girls” working with them.

He added: “It’s special, and I think everybody should embrace it.”

Lessons learned
The next wave of local talent could include Land O’ Lakes High rising sophomore Avaree Hudson and incoming freshman Sammy Magee.

(Shannon Saile, right, a national champion softball pitcher at the University of , speaks to a group of advanced pitchers during a water and shade break at her pitching clinic at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex softball field.

Both assisted during the clinic’s morning intermediate session, then worked on honing their own softball craft in the afternoon advanced session.

They expressed gratitude for having the trio of Saile, Turner and Fiser available to help them and the younger players to develop their skills.

They acknowledged admiring the Division I players’ talent and respective softball feats.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity because all of them are taking the time to teach everyone, and all these girls are going to be girls playing in high schools around us,” said Hudson.

“They’re just taking time out of their day to teach (the campers) new things, like changeups, that they don’t know, and I think that’s really great and really special,” she said.

Added Magee, “I think it’s cool that the older girls get to come here and help with younger kids, because it all starts with the youth and learning things and getting them to look up to them, it’s like a big thing for them.”

The prep underclassman likewise left with some beneficial softball tidbits of their own, too, from the experienced college trio.

“The way they word things is so helpful to like, ‘Learning how to get into your legs and really drive,’ and get stronger as a pitcher, mentally and physically,” said Magee, who recently moved with her family to Land O’ Lakes from Pennsylvania, in search of facing greater softball competition and exposure.

Published August 04, 2021

Olympic softball legend inspires at Pasco Chamber

February 12, 2020 By Kevin Weiss

To kick off its 27th annual Business Development Week luncheon, The Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce brought in a keynote speaker to serve up a different kind of pitch — literally.

It was two-time Olympic softball gold medalist and ESPN lead softball analyst Michele Smith, a Treasure Island resident who has family ties to Pasco County.

Speaking at Spartan Manor in New Port Richey, the softball legend preached a message of perseverance and handling adversity — tying in athletics, broadcasting and the business world.

Two-time Olympic softball gold medalist and ESPN lead softball analyst Michele Smith was the featured guest speaker at a Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce business luncheon last month. (Kevin Weiss)

Smith is familiar with overcoming setbacks. She suffered a career-threatening injury as a teen, but went on to become one of the most accomplished and recognizable figures in women’s softball.

Smith’s first major hurdle came in July 21, 1986, at 19 years old.

Her father was driving her home from an oral surgeon appointment when a sleeping Smith was thrown from the truck when her car door opened on a turn. She was thrown into a roadside post, chopping off part of her elbow bone and tearing her tricep on her left arm, which severed the muscle and nerve endings in her pitching arm.

At the time, she was coming off a superb freshman year at Oklahoma State and was told by doctors she likely would never pitch.

Smith didn’t accept that diagnosis. She was dead-set on making a comeback.

She put it like this: “I think at 19 I didn’t really realize it and I was a little stubborn. I thought, if I’m never going to pitch again, I’m going to make that decision. I’m certainly going to try to come back from this horrific accident, and so I did.”

Indeed, she made a miraculous recovery.

She was back in the circle in time for her sophomore season, after nine long months of rehab, training and physical therapy. She even returned with greater velocity — adding about 3 mph on her fastball.

“I worked very, very hard to get back,” Smith said. “And, I just kept thinking about this one word —perseverance.”

After the car accident, she had a record-setting career at Oklahoma State. She played professional softball in Japan for 16 years. She was starting pitcher for the gold-medalist U.S. Olympic softball team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia; and, she was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame.

She put those achievements into perspective.

“When people look at me and think, ‘Wow, as an Olympic athlete, you just must be special and this or that.’ No, I worked really hard, and I overcame a lot, and I loved adversity because it brought out the best in me. It really taught me what I’m able to do and what I’m able to accomplish,” she said.

It turns out her first-ever Olympic softball game was 10 years to the day of the car accident.

During her talk, Smith discussed the importance of perseverance and overcoming adversity, tying in her athletic career to her broadcasting and business ventures. (Courtesy of Michele Smith)

Walking onto that field for the first time, she said, “was just one of the most special things in my life, knowing that you can overcome anything if you put your mind to it, and surround yourself with the right people.”

Smith has leveraged her noteworthy playing career into a very successful and trailblazing broadcasting career, beginning in 1998 at ESPN. Over the years she has also called games for NBC, CBS Sports Network and TBS, where in 2012 she became the first female broadcaster in history to serve as a commentator for a nationally televised Major League Baseball game.

While the gig is “a lot of fun,” there can be some nerve-wracking moments in live television, Smith said.

“Anything that can go wrong in live television does go wrong,” Smith said, with a chuckle. “A lot of times at home you have no idea that the wheels are falling off the bus.

“I’ve had a lot of very interesting moments as an ESPN analyst, but I do love it,” Smith said.

Learning and memorizing facts and statistics about many teams and new players every year is a challenging aspect of the job.

“It’s a lot of homework, and a lot of studying,” she said.

She also mentioned the increasing popularity of televised women’s softball over the years.

The network has begun broadcasting more college softball in February, in place of some college basketball games, she said.

She also noted that some Women’s College Softball World Series games have been moved to ESPN from alternative ESPN2 because the ratings were exceeding Yankees-Red Sox network game broadcasts.

“Those are big, big monumental moves for our sport, for women’s sports, for girls and women,” she said.

Aside from broadcasting, Smith also has dabbled in commercial real estate. She has purchased and rehabbed old buildings in and around the Treasure Island community.

Smith and her project team have transformed the oldest motel in Treasure Island into a vacation rental property called Sunset Inn & Cottages, rated as the community’s No. 1 hotel by Trip Advisor.

Other projects include turning a former laundromat into an upscale event space in Madeira Beach, and renovating a former St. Petersburg gas station into a craft brewery and BBQ restaurant.

Smith said she takes pride in “taking an old building and making it something where people will come and enjoy themselves, and be able to share very special moments in their lives.”

She encouraged those gathered to take a leap of faith and step outside of their comfort zones, like she did when she took on commercial real estate.

She cited one of her favorite quotes — from LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman — regarding entrepreneurs and new business owners. He said: “You jump off a cliff and you assemble an airplane on the way down.”

Smith added: “A lot of times you have to disrupt the status quo if you want growth.”

Of course, learning the real estate game has had its share of growing pains and can be humbling, too, she said.

“There will be times I’m calling a game on ESPN and then the next morning I’ll be running around plumbing a toilet or something,” she said, laughing.

Published February 12, 2020

Thomas leads makeshift AATL hoops team

December 14, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Imani Thomas has had to adapt —and lead — in the face of mass exodus.

The Academy at the Lakes senior, like others, wasn’t even sure if the private school would field a basketball team prior to the 2016-2017 season.

Senior Imani Thomas has helped guide an Academy at the Lakes team with a new coach and a bevy of young, inexperienced players.
(File Photo)

The program had lost its uber-successful coach — Karim Nohra— who “retired” then wound up at Carrollwood Day School. It lost its most prolific scorer — junior Audra Leipold (24.8 points per game) — who defected to Seffner Christian Academy. As if that wasn’t enough of a blow, the program, too, lost a pair of battle-tested seniors — Janise Cassanello, Lulu Santiago — from last year’s 2A state runner-up squad.

“It’s basically a new team, a new environment,” said Thomas, a two-time Florida Association of Basketball Coaches All-State selection. “It’s very different.”

“It’s more pressure on the (players) that came back,” she added.

Including Thomas, the team returns Nini Chester and Loren Wells, also seniors.

Everyone else — including head coach Todd Huffman — is new.

So, too, is the style of play — slower and more deliberate.

They’re finding a way to make it work, however.

Despite the turnover — and just seven healthy players — the team stands at 6-2 (as of Dec. 9).

Much of that record can be attributed to the efforts of Thomas, a 6-foot power forward many consider as one of the premier frontcourt players in Tampa Bay.

ESPN’s high school girls basketball recruiting service — HoopGurlz—pegs Thomas as a three-star recruit and the nation’s 68th best forward for the 2017 class.

Dan Olson, proprietor of Collegiate Girls Basketball Report, describes Thomas as a “strong, physical interior prospect with nimble footwork and soft touch in the block.”

Others suggest it’s Thomas’ ability to rebound and score consistently that makes her such a force in the paint.

“She’s just really dominant,” Chester said. “She knows how to keep the ball in her hands and keep pushing through any type of defense. She’s willing to get that ‘And-1.’”

AATL’s first-year coach is equally effervescent in his praise of Thomas, citing her back-to-the-basket skills and on-court leadership.

“She is incredibly intelligent, a very smart player,” said Huffman, a former assistant men’s basketball coach at Hillsborough Community College. “She understands the game, and reads and reacts to situations with split-second adjustment.”

That comprehension of the game is a rarity, he added.

“There are players that…either have sense like that or don’t,” Huffman said, “and she possesses both the skill sets that you can develop as a coach and from a teaching standpoint to make her better.

“She has a lot of that ingrained in her DNA, so to speak.”

Considering half the Wildcats roster is new to the sport, Huffman acknowledged his first season has had its share of challenges.

But, having core players — like Thomas — has made the transition run more smoothly.

“The kids that are out there…have done a fabulous job of developing chemistry and really working hard to do what we as a coaching staff have asked of them,” said Huffman. “I just think they’re such a joy to coach, regardless of who has experience — like Imani’s experience — versus some of the other players that may not have played before.”

The work is starting to show.

Since early setbacks to Carrollwood Day School (63-to-19) and Bishop McLaughlin (48-to-46), the Wildcats have reeled off six straight wins, including a 25-point victory over Land O’ Lakes High School on Nov. 28.

“We kind of lost our confidence in the beginning,” Chester said, “but, we’re starting to come back around.”

That starts with Thomas, who averaged 12.6 points and 12.8 rebounds per game last season, and has over 1,000 career points.

“She has had to take a leadership role,” Chester said, “and be patient with the younger girls who are trying to learn…”

Thomas, meanwhile, has her sights on playing basketball at the U.S. Naval Academy next year.

Until then, she has one goal.

“Make it to states,” she said.

Published December 14, 2016

Carrollwood Day School speaker supports cancer research

November 18, 2015 By Michael Murillo

More than two decades ago, Charlotte Embody watched a televised speech by a basketball coach, who had been diagnosed with cancer and was accepting an award.

The March 3, 1993 speech was uplifting, but Embody didn’t expect it to have a personal impact on her family.

“Of course, it was emotional, but it didn’t become a big thing in my life,” Embody said.

Over time, that would change.

The coach making the speech was Jim Valvano, former head coach of North Carolina State and an analyst for ESPN.

George Bodenheimer, longtime president of ESPN and now its executive chairman, will speak and sign books on Nov. 18 at Carrollwood Day School. He donates all author royalties to the V Foundation. (Image Courtesy of V Foundation for Cancer Research) — George Bodenheimer, longtime president of ESPN and now its executive chairman, will speak and sign books on Nov. 18 at Carrollwood Day School. He donates all author royalties to the V Foundation.
(Image Courtesy of V Foundation for Cancer Research)

He was accepting the first Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award at the inaugural ESPY Awards, ESPN’s awards show.

And, the speech would become an iconic 10 minutes of inspirational television.

Valvano succumbed to cancer the following month, but his legacy continued far beyond his coaching accolades or the frequent replays of his famous speech.

Valvano founded the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which has donated more than $150 million in research grants over the years.

Now, Embody has organized a speaking and book-signing event on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m., at Carrollwood Day School, 1515 W. Bearss Ave. in Tampa. The public is welcome to attend, and there is no admission charge.

The school and the V Foundation will host former ESPN President George Bodenheimer, who will be talking about his book, “Every Town is a Sports Town: Business Leadership at ESPN, from the Mailroom to the Boardroom.”

Bodenheimer donates all of the royalties from his book to the cancer foundation.

Embody and her husband, Derek, also have donated to the V Foundation over the years, but the famous speech became a part of her family’s activities as well. Her sons attended Carrollwood Day School, and her oldest son, Billy, was given the speech to read in fifth grade.

“He performed it for competitions at the bay area Forensics League,” Embody explained. Eventually, he won first place with the speech, and his younger brother, Andy, took it on and performed it as well.

The entire family all knew the speech by that point, and after the boys lost a friend to cancer, it took on even more meaning.

Now, helping the foundation is a special cause for the Embodys. When the V Foundation let her know that Bodenheimer would be in town on that date, Embody wanted to set something up at the school her children once attended.

“We’ve known who he is for years, and I’ve just been in awe of everything he’s done,” Embody said, referring to Bodenheimer.

They met at a gala event last year, and Embody found him to be both inspiring and down-to-earth.

As president of ESPN for more than a dozen years, Bodenheimer led the company through a period of expansion, including launching high definition, Spanish language and college sports networks to grow the brand.

Often cited in most-influential lists of sports executives, he got his start as a mailroom clerk at the network, and left the position of president in 2012 to become the network’s executive chairman.

Embody is glad to have someone of his caliber speaking to the community, especially local children. Sometimes they need positive messages from someone other than their parents, she said. And finding the right person to deliver a thought-provoking message isn’t easy.

“In this day and age, it’s really hard to find someone with good character and ethics and integrity that you want your kids to look up to,” she said.

Bodenheimer is that good-character influence for both children and adults, Embody said. Her children are in their 20s, but the speech from Valvano and the V Foundation still resonates with her family.

She hopes for a good turnout for Bodenheimer at the Carrollwood Day School Theatre, and is glad to have him speak at the school her children attended, and where they were first given that inspirational speech to recite.

“It’s sort of where our story really took root with the V Foundation,” Embody said.

Copies of Bodenheimer’s book will be available for purchase at the event.

For more information, call the school at (813) 920-2288, or visit CarrollwoodDaySchool.org.

Published November 18, 2015

Keystone Little League cap racks up frequent flyer miles

August 28, 2014 By Michael Hinman

It all started with a trip to Canton, Ohio, to watch Warren Sapp get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It was 2011, and newspaper sports reporter Joey Johnston had just walked into a Tilted Kilt restaurant after a long trip where he had a chance to watch his son, Joey Johnston Jr., pitch for the Keystone Little League team. He was proudly donning his Keystone baseball cap, and that gave one of his dinner companions an idea.

Joey Johnston poses with his well-traveled Keystone Little League baseball cap, which has been held by some of the bigger names in sports and entertainment. Johnston’s son, Joey Johnston Jr., is a pitcher on the team. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo) — Joey Johnston poses with his well-traveled Keystone Little League baseball cap, which has been held by some of the bigger names in sports and entertainment. Johnston’s son, Joey Johnston Jr., is a pitcher on the team.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

“One of my colleagues said, ‘Why don’t you ask the waitress to wear the cap, and I’ll take a picture of you,’” Johnston said. “She put it on her head, and we got a picture, and it was pretty funny.”

The next day, Johnston attended an event at the Hall of Fame where he had a chance to see some former Tampa Bay Buccaneers players he covered as a writer for The Tampa Tribune, like quarterback Brad Johnson.

“I got my cap on my head, and remembering the night before, thought it might be fun if I asked Brad to do the same thing,” Johnston said. And he did.

Seeing that the different sports celebrities in attendance were having fun with it, Johnston kept it going, asking people like ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, and even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to pose, and all of them do.

“I started putting the pictures on my Facebook page, and I knew the parents would get a kick out of it,” Johnston said.

However, the journey of the Keystone cap almost stopped right there. It was fun to do at the Hall of Fame event, but even celebrities wearing a baseball hat has to get stale at some point.

“I came back, and I sort of didn’t do it for a while,” Johnston said. “Then, several months later, I somehow got into the habit of taking that cap wherever I went. It didn’t take long, but if I ran into somebody, I would ask them to pose with the cap.”

It’s a tradition that continues to this day, giving Keystone Little League — which draws players from all over the surrounding area, including Pasco County — a chance to rival the exposure Plant High School received from baseball caps worn by Brad and Monica Culpepper in a season of “Survivor” on CBS.

Throughout all the famous people who have since posed with the Keystone cap, parents and friends on Facebook keep asking for more.

“It’s a lot of pressure, and I try to do my best while they patiently wait for the next one,” Johnston said. “I think they’re sort of amazed on who has worn it so far. They think it’s funny.”

Johnston keeps the photos in an album on his Facebook, but has plans for something a little bigger.

“I’m thinking I would like to do a little book on the team over the past two years, and maybe I can have it done in time for Christmas for the parents,” he said. “It wouldn’t be anything too major, but might be a nice keepsake for them.”

Johnston doesn’t let his hobby interfere with his work, but he’s always looking for an appropriate time somewhere to bring out his cap.

“It’s just pure fun,” he said. “We do it for laughs, and it’s great trying to find unusual people to wear the hat.”

He’s always scouting for new prospects.

“I’m going to try and milk it for a few more months,” he said. “I’ve got Lovie Smith on my radar.”

Getting to know Joey Johnston
Some of the people who have mugged it up with the Keystone Little League cap include:

Ronde Barber, retired cornerback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Derrick Brooks, Hall of Fame linebacker with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bob Buckhorn, mayor of Tampa
Billy Donovan, head coach of the Florida Gators men’s basketball team
Tony Dungy, former coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts
Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League
Jon Gruden, former coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
John Lynch, retired strong safety with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Joe Maddon, manager of the Tampa Bay Rays
Kelly Nash, Sun Sports broadcast team
Jerry Springer, syndicated talk show host
Stu Sternberg, principal owner of the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders
Tim Tebow, free agent football quarterback
Dick Vitale, former coach and ESPN broadcaster

Published August 27, 2014

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