High school hoops are almost here.
Durant, Plant City and Strawberry Crest’s boys and girls basketball teams are going to be active after the Thanksgiving holiday break, and each team is hoping to make an impact on the court in its own way. What can area fans expect from each program?
DURANT GIRLS
The reigning 8A-District 9 champions are entering what they call a “rebuilding” year.
Nobody took heavier losses than the Cougars, who graduated six seniors and lost guard-forward Ashanti McDaniel to East Bay High School following a family move. Last Thursday, the team found out prospective center Sarah Herman wouldn’t be able to join them due to an injury.
Head coach Constance Mitchell and her staff have spent the offseason piecing together the puzzle and will count on returning point guard Ashlyn Myers to lead the charge. Sophomore guard Kayla Lissy, who saw much action as a freshman, and freshman Kirsten Grindel — whom the coaches are excited to “unleash” — will join Myers in the backcourt in key roles.
DURANT BOYS
Nate Francis, in his third year with the program, has a group he said he can finally call all his own.
The team Francis considers his “deepest” in three years is looking to improve upon a 5-15 (1-12 district) 2016-17 campaign. Durant graduated five seniors, including scoring leader Tyler White, but the coach said interest in the program has taken off — 87 students tried out for the team this year, compared to an average of 60 to 70.
Francis said the main difference this year will be the team’s execution — each Cougar knows his role and how to fulfill it on the floor. But if any one Cougar has to stand out on a deep roster, Francis said, it may be junior point guard Jeff White. White, who was called up from junior varsity last season, will be tasked with leading the offense and being “the engine that makes the team run.”
PLANT CITY GIRLS
After a 3-17 (1-11 district) 2016-17 season, Danny McIntyre’s Raiders have nowhere to go but up.
Plant City will look to senior captains Mackenzie Steele and Jordin Vance to right the ship in 2017-18. Steele, a recent Florida Southern College signee, was the team’s leading scorer last season and Vance was Plant City’s top rebounder.
The Raiders competed in Tampa Bay Tech’s preseason shootout Nov. 15 and 16 and lost to Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate and Steinbrenner, but did show improvement against Steinbrenner in a 65-41 loss. After going into halftime facing a 34-8 deficit, Plant City outscored the Warriors, 33-31, in the second half and held Steinbrenner to 50% shooting from the free throw line on six attempts.
PLANT CITY BOYS
Last season, Billy Teeden’s second as head coach, saw the Plant City Raiders get back to both the district championship game and the FHSAA playoffs. The 2016-17 8A-9 runner-up is now looking to call itself a district champ.
Though the team lost leading scorer and swiper Tarik McKelphin to graduation, junior Justyn King should step up to fill the star forward’s roles. King, who averaged a double-double in points (16.1) and rebounds (10.9) per game last season, is expected to lead an athletic offense with returning senior point guard Matt Simpson.
Last year’s squad posted improvements over the 2015-16 season by 5.5 points and 2.8 steals per game and, with six players returning for 2017-18, has its sights set on another tough Tampa Bay Tech team for the 8A-9 crown.
STRAWBERRY CREST GIRLS
Last season saw Crest’s three-year district championship run come to an end. La’tosha Lewis is hoping to start a new win streak as soon as possible.
The Chargers are young — only two seniors are listed on the MaxPreps.com roster — but talented. Megan Watson, who led the team in scoring as a freshman, is back in the backcourt with senior sniper Luz Cruz, who led the Chargers with 65 made three-pointers in 2016-17. The coach is also counting on freshman Mya Lamar and sophomore Zora Strawder, who was injured last year, to play key roles in the frontcourt.
Perhaps the biggest challenge will be replacing Briana and Ayanna Trigg, the twin forwards whose offensive and defensive intensity set the tone for the Chargers throughout their senior season. But even if that doesn’t happen right away, La’tosha Lewis’s goal is to coach her young roster up to reach that same level of intensity and build another district powerhouse for the next few seasons.
STRAWBERRY CREST BOYS
The 2016-17 season was a big step forward for head coach Andre Lewis and the Chargers, going up from four wins to 13 and a record above .500.
Like their counterparts on the girl’s team, the Crest boys are also going to have to work without some leaders. Jordan White, who led the team in points (16.1) and steals (2.5) per game, averaged 3.7 assists and one block per game, graduated. Junior Jadyn Strawder, second on the team with 11 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, transferred to Plant City.
But the team is looking to improve further in the 2017-18 season and is bringing back a core group consisting of senior forward Brandon Hill and juniors Jalen Brown and Romire Burke. Hill and Burke played key roles in the 2016-17 campaign — Hill averaged 9.7 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, while Brown led the Chargers with five assists per game and his 2.4 steals per game were one-tenth of a point out of the lead. Burke played in 22 games and averaged 4.5 points and 1.3 steals per game.