High school basketball season begins next week, and Plant City-area teams hope to realize their hoop dreams.
Basketball is coming back to Plant City, and there’s plenty for area fans to watch for.
Last season saw several area teams make improvements and add a sense of competition that may not have been as obvious in 2014. This year, in addition to rising programs, there’s a crop of young talent and a coaching change to watch for.
DURANT
Both Cougars teams showed forward progress in 2015, but the girls team was one that found its stride and hit it. The Lady Cougars finished with a 16-5 record under head coach Constance Wharton and improved from its 10-10 2014 campaign in one major way: the 2015 squad went 9-3 in district play, a far cry from the 3-7 mark it posted the season prior.
The girls team lost one of its top players, Tahira Rodriguez, to graduation. But Rodriguez and Yamaya Barley were the only seniors on the 2015 team, leaving Durant with a talented, experienced roster anchored by senior Tamara Hanson and junior Ashlyn Myers. The Lady Cougars have improved in every season since Wharton took over, and they appear to be a district title contender.
The boys finished with an 8-12 overall record in 2015, but head coach Nate Francis’s group got hot at the end of the season. Durant won six of its final eight games, including a crowd-pleasing 84-80 home win over Plant City that showed what the team can do when firing on all cylinders.
Graduations hit the boys team far harder than the girls team, however. Durant lost nine seniors and must replace three of its top four scorers, a solid two-way player in Justin Hughes and starting point guard Erick Hernandez. It does retain Tyler White, who led the 2015 team in scoring with 22.5 points per game.
Durant’s junior-heavy roster looks quite different from last year’s, but having a proven scorer such as White can go a long way for a young team.
PLANT CITY
Of all the area boys teams, Plant City finished highest in the district standings.
While head coach Billy Teeden’s team did not make the playoffs or finish with a winning record (11-15; 8-6 district), the Raiders did show flashes of talent that could light up 1 Raider Place this year. Most notably, the athletic Tarik McKelphin emerged as the team’s leader in both points (16.2) and steals (0.9) per game.
Although Plant City lost big man Randall Haley to graduation, sophomore Justyn King is expected to play a big role for the Raiders this season. King, whose two brothers, Corey and Xavier, started on the varsity football team this year, averaged 7.5 points per game last season and is considered one of the top young players in the county.
The team is expected to improve in Teeden’s second year on the job and, with talent such as McKelphin and King on the roster, Plant City could make some noise in the district tournament.
On the girls side, a coaching change virtually no one in the school saw coming cast a shadow on the 2015 season before it even began. David O’Callaghan did get the Lady Raiders to a record above .500 (11-10; 6-7 district), but the school decided to make a change before this season.
Raiders basketball alumni Danny McIntyre will now lead the girls team, which lost three seniors to graduation. But the 2015 team’s top three scorers — Mackenzie Steele (13.2 per game), Constance Thomas (12.9 per game) and Lacey Hargrove (12.3 per game) — were not seniors, nor was top rebounder (5.6 rebounds, tied with Steele) and shot blocker (1.7 per game) Jordin Vance.
STRAWBERRY CREST
As usual, the Strawberry Crest Lady Chargers were on top of the district in 2015.
Led by twins Briana and Ayanna Matthews, as well as three-sport star Terra Brooks, Crest turned in an undefeated regular season and dominated at districts, getting the crown with a 61-22 win over Tampa Bay Tech. The team made it to the regional semifinals, where it took a 66-56 loss to Palm Harbor University High.
Although the Lady Chargers lost some significant players to graduation, such as Brooks and starting point guard Sydnie Miller, the Matthews twins have one year left. And, as head coach La’Tosha Lewis has shown a knack for getting the most out of any roster, it’s likely Crest will once again be the team to beat within the district.
Things didn’t go nearly as well for the boys, who finished 2015 with a 4-18 overall (3-10 district) record. The Chargers won one game every month except in December (two wins) and February (none).
Jordan White did have a solid junior season, leading the team with 16 points, two assists and 1.6 steals per game. Big man Omar Williams also played well, scoring 11.5 points per game and leading the Chargers with 9.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. With Williams and three other seniors lost to graduation, the Chargers just became a sophomore-heavy team.
Head coach Andre Lewis’s teams have found success in the recent past, but this year appears to be a rebuilding project led by White.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
