South St. Petersburg promises to deliver an action-packed season — St. Petersburg, Gibbs and Lakewood have a collective 41 final-four appearances and five state titles, and we think they will be adding to those totals by the time spring rolls around. And on the other side of the bay, is anyone topping the private-school triumvirate of Berkeley Prep, Tampa Prep and Tampa Catholic? We don’t think so, so it’s no surprise those six schools are ranked among our top seven to kick off the season.
HomeTeam top 25
Records from last season
1. Gibbs (23-6): After losing to eventual state champion Jesuit in the region semifinals last year, the Gladiators are poised for a state final four run in Class 5A with the return of 6-foot-3 guard Barry Brown and 6-11 forward Sajon Ford, both of whom are Division I prospects. Gibbs played more than 60 games in the offseason and lost just five. Last week, the Gladiators continued to impress with wins against Jesuit and region finalist St. Petersburg in a tipoff classic. In Tuesday’s season opener, Gibbs beat Northeast 61-10.
2. Berkeley Prep (22-8): The Bucs can make a strong case for being No. 1. They return everyone, including three players who averaged double figures last year (Justin Gray, Marshall Holmes and Craig Bowman), and all three did just that in their season opener where the team shot 53 percent. Promising sophomore Jacob Mathis could get there this year. Appears to be a clear No. 1 in Hillsborough County.
3. St. Petersburg (20-8): This is one of the deepest — and tallest — teams in the area, led by a pair of college signees, 6-4 Dayon Griffin (Louisiana Tech) and 6-7 Ben Clare (Colorado School of Mines). Junior Terrell Burney can be an offensive force. The Green Devils also were bolstered by the addition of Admiral Farragut transfer Kevon Woods and freshman Darius Banks. That should be enough for St. Petersburg to advance to the region final a third straight year.
4. Largo (23-6): The Packers return the nucleus from last year’s team that fell two points short of advancing to the Class 6A state final four. The leader is two-sport star Donavan Hale, arguably the best player in the bay area. He has a strong supporting cast that features guard Jonathan Crawford and forward Brandon Jones, who transferred from Pinellas Park and gives Largo the inside presence it lacked last season.
5. Tampa Catholic (19-9): Loss of second-leading scorer Isaiah Thomas stings, but Thomas Dziagwa will step in and other than be a coach’s son — and those guys know the game better than most — he can shoot with anyone. Chivarsky Corbett is good for a double double almost every night, and Sam Harris is ready to bust out this season. The Crusaders will battle the Bucs for top district honors, but both are headed to the postseason where a daunting schedule that opens with a game at Montverde next week could reap rewards for TC.
6. Lakewood (17-10): The Spartans might have the most star power with Jacobi Boykins (Louisiana Tech) and Michael Clark (St. Francis), as well as Anthony Lawrence Jr., considered one of the top prospects in the 2015 class. But to make a deep run, Lakewood has to tighten up on defense, which was a big reason it missed the playoffs last season.
7. Tampa Prep (27-3): The Terrapins return arguably the best player in Tampa Bay in center Juwan Durham, and SPC transfer Mike Fridella will pick up some of the scoring slack left with graduation. Yoni Wasser has the biggest shoes to fill, those of point guard Jordan Heath, but as long coach Joe Fenlon is on the sideline, the Terrapins are going to be compete for district titles and deliver playoff success.
8. East Bay (21-6): Indians return top four scorers, and have a little bit of everything, led by a top-notch point guard (Jonathan Jean) to solid wing play from Anton Crutcher, who shot 62 percent from inside the arc, and McKeel transfer Kendell Barnes, as well as M.J. Williams. Billy Teeden has built a winner in Gibsonton, and this year could be his best yet.
9. Wharton (24-5): Coach Tommy Tonelli is one of the top coaches around, and if he gets the breakout seasons from guys like Jack Taylor, Scott Sollazzo and John Christian that he hopes for, combined with a big season from 6-6 Chase Litton, the Wildcats should be playoff bound again.
10. Brandon (18-9): The Eagles boast one of Tampa Bay’s top front courts with Roderick Davis (6-9), Kiefer Jefferson-Grimes (6-5) and Bryan Wright (6-6), and returns starting point guard Pedro Lopez. But it is pickups like 6-3 Milo Meeks and sophomore point guard Romillo Fields who could put the Eagles over the top.
11. Mitchell (21-8): The Mustangs look ready to rule Pasco County this season. They return all five starters from a team coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons. The Mustangs might have the best team in school history with Lawrence Watt, Bernie Conley and 6-5 senior Zach Rapaport.
12. Lennard (17-8): Leading scorers Caelen Watts (21 ppg) and Gary Hector (11) head up one of the area’s best backcourts, and the roster is comprised entirely of juniors and seniors with experience. Look for a return to the postseason.
13. Chamberlain (21-6): The Chiefs may have lost Tampa Bay scoring king Reggie Hart, but they will start a front court of 6-5 (breakout star Reshawn Fredericks), 6-6 (Mike Dileo) and 6-7 (defensive stalwart Fitzroy Hector). Throw in Hart’s heir-apparent, Ronald Blount, and returning starting point guard Christian Wise, and the Chiefs’ starting five is one of the best around.
14. Plant (14-13): Andrew Sanders (16.6 ppg) was the main cog last year and returns, but the Panthers will surround him with a strong class of experienced juniors that will put them in the thick of the 8A-6 race.
15. Sickles (25-5): The Gryphons have stumbled out of the gate with a pair of 15-point losses, but Renaldo Garcia’s defensive-minded team will get better. With football going on, Steinbrenner transfer Bryce Nickels doesn’t have the full complement of starters around him just yet.
16. Strawberry Crest (18-8): The Chargers have an elite point guard in Malik Channer, who is already averaging 5.5 assists and leading the team in scoring during its 2-0 start, as well as a long list of contributors, including seniors Dominick Trigg and Austin Griffin. Also, keep an eye on 6-3 freshman Tehron Brathwaite.
17. Nature Coast Tech (25-4): We’d put the inside-outside combination of 6-5 Rohan Blackwood (15 ppg, 11 rebounds) and Carlos Clemente (47 percent from 3-point range) up against just about anybody in Tampa Bay. In a weaker district this year, the Sharks could be champs again.
18. Seminole (18-6): Though the Warhawks graduated most of their starting lineup, they’ll still be a playoff contender, due in large part to the return of Marco Behori, who became a legitimate scoring threat at the end of last season, including 15 against Chamberlain in the region quarterfinals.
19. Newsome (8-12): Speaking of sleepers, despite some serious losses to graduation and otherwise, the Wolves and Hayden Harkins are still a team coaches say will contend for a playoff spot. We hear “sneaky good” with a group of underrated players that are ready for an introduction.
20. Brooks-DeBartolo (13-8): The Phoenix was handled easily by No. 2 Berkeley Prep in the opener, but there’s a nice collection of talent (transfers Michael Obi, Jio Molina and Brenden Huynh) and a sophomore class that includes a 6-6 and 6-7 kid and potential high scorer Aikeem Sims. How they blend together is the question.
21. Jefferson (7-12): The Dragons are getting some buzz as potential sleepers, despite their struggles last season. But coach Eric Hayes has a little something going on, and after a big summer and the return of everyone, the Dragons are a team to keep an eye on. So far, juniors Stephon Lofton and Vernon Jackson have combined to make 13 of 25 treys during a 2-0 start.
22. East Lake (9-13): The Eagles, who dropped down to 7A and are in more manageable district, return Kyle Mogged, and Cody Carden transferred in from Clearwater. But the biggest boost came from George Campbell, a five-star recruit in football, who decided he’ll continue to play basketball and gives East Lake the athleticism it needs in the frontcourt.
23. Shorecrest (23-5): The Chargers still rank as the best private school team in Pinellas County with Jay Joyer returning and the addition of Brady Grimm, who transferred from East Lake.
24. Bloomingdale (9-17): Bulls have one of the bigger front lines with 6-7 Grant Townsend, who is injured, and 6-10 George Brammeier, and Todd Kaiser can shoot. The Bulls plan on running this year and have to be considered a playoff possible team.
25. Seffner Christian (14-14): Kent Hegarty (41 percent from 3-point range) is the top returning scorer, but the Crusaders have picked up a few transfers from Faith Baptist, including nice-looking point guard Eric McGee. Look out for freshman Derek Webster this season.