Wharton Hoops Headed To State!

Tommy Tonelli celebrates his second region championship Friday night. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

When you play a great basketball game for Wharton’s Tommy Tonelli, you will receive praise, a high five and maybe even a hug from the coach.

When you play arguably the greatest basketball game for Tonelli, you get something even better.

The Griddy dance.

Yes, Wharton was that good Friday night, beating Sumner in the Class 6 region championship by a resounding score of 50-11 and turning in a defensive effort so impressive that even old school coaches like Tonelli are compelled afterwards to perform the latest dance craze at center court in front of his joyous players.

The win propels the Wildcats (28-2) to the state final four for the first time since 2013, and only second time overall. Wharton will play Martin County Thursday at 6 p.m. at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland in one 6A semifinal, with Winter Haven and Ponte Verde squaring off in the other semifinal.

The Griddy dance. (Photo: Charmaine George)

While the Wildcats were expected by most to win Friday’s game, no one envisioned holding Sumner to 11 points. Three Wildcat players — Trevor Dyson, Chandler Davis and Lucean Milligan — each scored that many or more by themselves.

“That’s amazing,” said senior Carlos Nesbitt, who scored 10 points for the Wildcats. “We pride ourselves on our defense, and tonight we just executed the game plan. That’s what we do, we’re known for our defense.”

But, 11 points?

Trevor Dyson takes on four Stingrays for two of his team-high 13 points. (Photo: Charmaine George)

“I don’t know if we expected that,” said Dyson, a senior forward who led the Wildcats with 13 points and had a huge game on the boards.

This is the kind of night it was for Sumner: After guard Tyrell Smith took a pass along the baseline and swished a tough fall away jumper over the outstretched hands of a Wharton defender to give the Stingrays a 2-0 lead, Tonelli turned to one of the referees and said “If they keep making those kind of shots, we’re in for a long night.”

Sumner made only four more baskets all game.

The 11 points were the fewest ever allowed by Wharton in a playoff game, and was 27 points less than Sumner’s worst game of a season, a 45-38 loss to Bloomingdale, whose coach, Wharton hoops legend Shawn Vanzant, might have learned a few things about defense in his time as a Wildcat.

Wharton came into the game allowing only 44 ppg. In three state playoff wins, they are allowing only 28.6.

After Sumner’s game-opening basket, Wharton scored the next 12 points as Dyson hit a three-pointer, Davis blocked a shot and got the ball back on the break for a lay-in, and point guard Trent Lincoln found Nesbitt for an alley-oop jam.

Tonelli said it was the best game of Nesbitt’s career.

“He did everything on both ends of the court, things you don’t even see,” Tonelli said. “He was the unsung hero.”

Following a Sumner basket to make it 12-4, Wharton went on another run, this time scoring the next 14 points, including three consecutive three-pointers in a span of 2 minutes, 30 seconds in the second quarter by Milligan, twice, and Davis.

And the rout was on. By halftime, the Wharton lead had ballooned to 30-6.

“The three-pointers got us hyped,” said Davis. “And on defense, we just locked them up. They had six points at halftime, and we were hitting our shots. They’re a good team, but we played great defense.”

Even with a 30-6 lead, Tonelli says the Wildcats were taking nothing for granted. However, Sumner only scored twice in the second half, and didn’t even score in the fourth quarter, missing all 13 of their three-point attempts for the game.

Tonelli hugs his wife Kristin after the Wildcat win. (Photo: Charmaine George)

It was easier than Tonelli thought it would be. The night before the game, he woke up in a full sweat, and had to get up and change his clothes. The game, and the quickness of the Sumner guards and its height in the post, was weighing so heavily on him, his wife Kristin said she thought he might be having a heart attack.

But she also said it was nothing new. Tonelli is the ultimate tactician, and had prepared non-stop for the Stingrays.

“We watch film every day ,” said Lincoln, the point guard. “We probably watch more film than anyone. We knew their plays. We knew what was coming. We were prepared. We have to thank coach for that.”

Dyson and Nesbitt, a pair of 6-4 forwards, controlled the boards, despite going up against Christian Henley, listed as a 7-footer, and 6-5 D.J. Jones.

Henley was shut out, and Jones had a single basket.

“The coaches told us we were going up against some tall players,” said Dyson, smiling. “But I wanted to show them who the big dog was.”

The last time Wharton won a regional championship, the Wildcats needed a miracle. After making Wharton’s C.J McGill made a free throw with six seconds left, Orlando University rushed down the court and hit a three-pointer from the corner as the buzzer sounded. After a huddle by the officials, a few moments that Tonelli says were the most agonizing of his coaching career, they determined the shot was taken a micro second after the clock expired.

Friday’s win was almost anti-climatic.

“I’d rather win a game this way,” Tonelli said, a wide grin flashing across his face.

The Story of Justin Scott: Never Give Up!

Justin Scott, surrounding by his family and friends, got his first playing time on Senior Night against Durant. (Photo: Charmaine George)

Wharton senior Justin Scott took in every high five, every pat on the back and every hug on the most glorious night of his life.

The doctors who birthed him wouldn’t have believed it. His first teachers would be floored. Most anyone who knows anyone with cerebral palsy would be flabbergasted.

This kid can play.

Overcoming the greatest of odds, Justin held his head high as he walked off the field towards the locker room, still talking about the game, a 2-0 Wildcats win over Durant, a victory he started and played almost all 80 minutes of, like it was a dream he hoped would never end.

“I was told I would never walk, I would never walk, and I was told I was going to die before I was two year old,” Justin said. “Now look where I am — playing soccer for my high school team.”

On Jan. 14, 18-year-old Justin started at forward for the Wharton boys soccer team, a surprise reward for his years of perseverance, his positivity and his commitment to his teammates.

Justin says soccer has long been  his passion. He once had a hat trick in a league game at the YMCA and, in limited action at Turner-Bartels K-8, he was a goaltender who never allowed a shot past him.

But, in high school, as the players get bigger and stronger, Justin was outmatched.

He didn’t try out for the soccer team as a freshman, because he was too nervous. He was cut as a sophomore but, instead of giving up, he accepted a spot as the team’s manager and promised he would try out again.

He again was cut junior and senior years. “I really thought this year I had a chance,” Justin said.

His chance did finally come, on Senior Night, where friends, teachers and family — his mother Michelle and her husband Rob, his father Michael Scott and his wife Jennifer, and grandmother Blannie Whalen — gathered while waving cutouts of Justin’s head on a stick, to celebrate the young man  who just wouldn’t quit.

Justin’s teammates were as excited for him as he was, smiling as they welcomed him to the starting lineup. (Photo: Karl Greeson)

When he was introduced as part of Wharton’s starting lineup, he trotted out to the middle of the field where his smiling teammates high-fived him. When the first whistle blew, he took off like a bolt, chasing down the opponent, and blocking a long pass attempt by jumping in front of the ball, the thud sending a shiver down his mother’s spine.

“I was pretty nervous,” Michele said, “but I was also so full of pride. He played so well. He was fearless.”

Justin was born prematurely, a childbirth during which Michelle had an allergic reaction “to a penicillin-type drug” and went into anaphylactic shock. Justin was born with brain damage and, sometime around the age of 1, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

He learned how to walk, which wasn’t supposed to happen, and learned how to talk, too. Eventually, he was running and jumping around and fell in love with soccer, and grew into a popular kid that teachers and classmates rallied around.

While cerebral palsy had stripped Justin of many of the motor skills and coordination needed to play, he never stopped once he started, not only playing but learning how to be a linesman and refereeing games and helping to coach his old middle school team.

And, of course, he was a great manager, always there, always encouraging, so eager to be part of the team. But of course, his dream was to play. And Wharton coach Scott Ware finally gave him his opportunity. 

Justin didn’t score, but he had a few chances. (Photo: Karl Greeson)

“He deserved it,” Ware said. “He’s definitely earned it.”

Justin called his mom when he first heard it might happen and, when it became official, he brought home his kit (uniform) and proudly tried it on for her. 

“He told me, ‘Mom, this isn’t just about me, I just want people with disabilities not to give up on themselves,’” Michelle said. “That’s how he is.”

The next day, Justin, who has been accepted into a number of colleges but is really hoping to attend the University of Florida, wore his kit to school, and later that night played in it: No. 14.

And Justin played hard, as hard as he could, eager to make the most of the moment. He chased down opposing players who had the ball, mixed it up in the box with others trying to jostle for a shot, actually had a few potential goals go awry and even had a header. 

Every time he came close to a ball near the goal, his teammates on the bench would lean forward, and in unison yell “Justin” in anticipation of a miracle.

“We were all excited for him that he was playing,” said senior Christian Lundblad. “If he had scored, I would have stormed the field. I might have gotten in trouble for it, but I would have done it. We were all rooting for him tonight.”

At halftime, he was asked if he was tired. “I could keep going for another two days,” he said. 

In the second half, a ball was played into the box from the far side. The ball miraculously found its way through four players and the keeper, right to the feet of Justin. He was surprised it got to him, and reacted as quickly as he could, sliding and poking the shot just wide of the open net. It was agonizingly close.

“Nine times out of 10 the goalkeeper stops that ball,” Justin said. “That’s why I missed it. That will haunt me for days and years.”

But, it didn’t stop him from smiling afterwards.

Just playing in the game was a dream come true. Justin said he doubts his coach even knows just how much it meant to him. He was proud, and grateful beyond words for an opportunity he thought would never come.

“I just never gave up,” he said. “It’s the story of my life.”

Tonelli Looks Back On 500 (And Counting) Basketball Wins At Wharton

Wharton basketball coach Tommy Tonelli celebrates win No. 500 with his team on Dec. 7
(photo courtesy of Karl Greeson)

On Dec. 7, Wharton High’s Tommy Tonelli joined rarified air when his Wildcats beat Chamberlain 75-46 to give him his 500th career win. He’s now at 514 wins, and the Wildcats are off to one of the best starts in program historyat 19-1. Among current public school coaches in Hillsborough County, Tonelli has no peers.

We caught up with Tonelli before Christmas to talk about milestones, both current and past.

NN: What does 500 wins mean to you?

TT: No doubt it’s an accomplishment, but I’m very in tune with the fact that I’ve been very very fortunate to have had some great players from Day 1 when the school opened.

NN: Did you ever imagine something like 500 wins when you got into coaching?

TT: No matter what age, what level, I’ve always been very competitive. I want to win no matter what I’m doing. I didn’t get into coaching to win 500 games, I just wanted to win every game. That’s the approach I took.

NN: So you’re 10-1 (now 19-1) this season, looks like you’re on your way to the next 500?

TT: (Laughs) I doubt it. This is my 23rd year. I can’t imagine coaching 23 more years, no chance…. I’m just proud I’ve done it at one school. At a public school, you’re at the mercy of who shows up and I’ve been really lucky over the years to have some outstanding players.

NN: Do you remember any of the other milestone wins?

TT: I do remember No. 400. The only reason I didn’t talk about it is because it was a District semifinal game and we were playing at Sickles against Wiregrass. The winner of that advanced to the District final and State playoffs, and I didn’t want to put any additional pressure on so I didn’t mention it to anybody.

NN: What about the first win ever?

TT: Of course. It was the school’s first-ever game, a home game vs Leto. They had Mike Jenkins (Ohio State football, Atlanta Falcons WR) and Ricky McConnell (6-foot-8 All-County forward). We didn’t even have padding on the walls at the end of the court yet. We beat them 70-63. The guys played great. We had a good team from Day 1, with no seniors, but great players like Terrell Farris, Joe Colangelo, Cliff Russ, Chris Christie.

NN: Was that the most memorable win?

TT: The first game was special, but I really think when we beat University High 41-39 to get to the State final four in 2013, that was the most memorable. It was a great game, and we had a special team with CJ McGill, Chase Litton, Sir Patrick Reynolds, Jaken Grier…my son Thomas was on that team, too.

CJ made a free throw with 4.5 seconds left and their point guard drove the length of court and got all the way to the basket, but Chase Litton came over and had the kid shot it, I’m sure Chase would have blocked it. The kid had the presence of mind to know he wasn’t going to get the shot off, and he double clutched and whipped this bullet pass to the corner…and (his teammate) wasn’t expecting it. It hit him in the stomach and caused him to bobble it, and by time he gathered it and shot, the buzzer had gone off. He made the shot, it was close. The refs gathered to talk about it. If it was a three-pointer, we lose. 

It seemed like forever. They broke from the huddle and waved off the basket. I’ll never forget that game.

NN: Is there a loss you’ll never forget?

TT: Yes. The two Regional playoff games back-to-back at Windermere Prep (2019 and 2020). I don’t think I’ve ever had two more devastating, sickening, crushing losses than those. And both (59-57 loss in 2019, 54-53 loss in 2020) were games I could have done more to help the team and help determine the outcome of the game. I don’t feel like I made good decisions down the stretch to help us, and I think I’ve prided myself on that over the years.

NN: What’s your best-ever Wharton team?

TT: I know for sure the all-time Wharton team is 2007. That team had Shawn Vanzant, Adam Noble, Anthony Gomez, Leonard Simmons. Our only losses were to (national prep powerhouse) Mount Verde and Lake Howell in the Regional championship. That Lake Howell team was incredible. We lost by 11, the closest anyone came to beating them. They won the 5A State championship game by 43. Any other classification, with no Lake Howell, our team wins the state title.

NN: If you had to put together an all-star team of all the guys you’ve coached, who’s on the All-Time All-Wharton team?

TT: That’s a tough question. I think you start with Shawn Vanzant and Darin Green. Xavier Owens, A.J. Astroth, Damian Dixon, Anthony Gomez. Oh man. Who am I missing? Danny Green, Terrell Farris, Joe Colangelo. Man oh man, this one caught me off guard. Sir Patrick Reynolds, CJ McGill, Chase Litton. There’s others, but those guys are all in that top group.

NN: Are you going to be around for win No. 600?

TT: I’m just looking forward to this afternoon (which turned out to be a 63-49 win over Hillsborough High). I’m not in my 30 and 40s any more. The demands have gotten harder. 

We’re just finishing four games in 5 days, 7 games in 12 games. Plus my responsibilities as guidance counselor are greater. I take a lot of pride in that as well.

NN: Other than a State title, there’s probably not much left to accomplish. You have to be proud of what you’ve done at Wharton though.

TT: We haven’t won a State championship, but those are so hard to come by. There’s so many variables, so many things you can’t control. I think Sickles is the last Hillsborough County public school to win one, and that hadn’t been done prior to them doing it since 1982. It’s just really hard. But I feel like, sure, we haven’t won a State championship, but in many regards we have a State championship program. We’ve never had a losing season, that’s one thing I’m really proud of. I’d venture to say there’s not many schools that have been around the last 25 years that can say they haven’t had a losing season. Would I rather have some losing seasons mixed in there and be able to say we won a State championship, sure. But, we’ve sustained excellence. The winning tradition is a credit to all the kids. We’ve built a program (with the kids from Benito, Turner-Bartels and around the area) and I think we built something the community can be proud of.

Benito Boys Blast Way To 1st County Volleyball Championship

The Hillsborough County champs: (Front row, l.-r.:) Sharuya Kataria, Devin Etienne, Druve Kulkarni, Nikhil Katiyar, Kamal Abutaha; (middle row, l.-r.:) Layth Yassin, Gregory Morris, Arman Razavi, Nithin Sivamoorthy; (back row, l.-r.:) Tristan Wilhoyt, Owen Brown, Grayson Gonzalez, Dillon Hand, Sully Al Qadheeb, Rithik Borra, Karl Rix. 
Coaches (bottom right, left to right:) Austin Hand, Karen Burchfield & Chris Ellis.

The Benito Middle School boys volleyball team had been 9-0 before. It had been dominant in previous years. It had won its cluster, or league, multiple times.

However, the Cougars had never won a Hillsborough County championship.

This year, however, was different. 

This year, they just happened to have a Hand up on the opposition.

Rolling behind the best player the school has ever had, 8th grader Dillon Hand, the Cougars dropped only one set all season and captured the school’s first-ever boys volleyball county championship.

Benito defeated Roland Park 25-9, 25-12 last month to take home the school’s first-ever County title.

“We went into the season thinking we had a really good shot,” says coach Chris Ellis. “They practiced like all-stars, but sometimes got into games and were tight. We were winning by five points against teams we should have been blowing out.”

If there were any doubts about the Cougars rising to the challenge, they answered it in the first game of the playoffs against defending County Champion Tomlin Middle School, which many saw as the real county championship game.

After splitting the first two sets, the match went to a decisive 15-point third set. Tomlin raced to a 6-0 lead, and then the lead was 11-5. Time was running out.

“I called a timeout and just tried to relax everyone,” Ellis said. “I told them that this was going to be the greatest story in 40 minutes, that they would be in their cars on the way home just going crazy that they came back and won the county championship. So, just relax and let’s take this thing over.”

The Cougars responded with nearly flawless play, scoring 10 of the final 12 points for a 15-13 win, and coasted to wins in the semifinals and final the next two days.

“We were getting pounded, and then they started making mistakes and we didn’t,” said assistant coach Karen Burchfield. “We just got on a roll.”

Burchfield also coaches the Benito girls volleyball team (with Ellis assisting), which was 9-1 this season. She won a county title in 2013, with star Kathryn Attar, who also was a standout at Wharton and is currently an All-Ivy League Conference performer at Yale University.

The 6’-2” Hand has drawn comparisons to Attar, for his dominance and leadership in a championship season. Ellis says Hand is arguably the best eighth-grader in the state, able to control the action at the net as well as possessing a major league jump serve.

Hand’s brother Austin was on the first-ever boys volleyball team at Benito in 2017 and helped as an assistant coach on the team this year.

Ellis says the team’s one play this season was setting Hand for the kill, but the rest of the Cougars definitely helped make that possible. 

Owen Brown (far left) delivers a header for a point on what Ellis calls Benito’s Play of the Year.

Setter Arman Razavi, also an eighth-grader, was the only Cougar with prior experience other than Hand. His ability to get the ball to Hand was the team’s primary source of offense, but he also served out the last four points of the Tomlin match when there was no room for error.

Libero Kamal Abutaha was a rarity — a sixth-grader who started at one of the sport’s toughest positions. He managed, however, to dig enough balls to Razavi to keep the offense humming, even in the county semifinals, when he had to wear his sister’s Vans because he forgot his shoes.

Sully Al-Qadheeb was the emotional leader on the team, who received a tryout — after the team had already been selected — at the recommendation of track/football coach Rodney Sharpe.

“Coach, I know you already announced the team, but this kid can jump out of the gym,” he told Ellis. “You should give him a look.”

Ellis says five minutes into his tryout, and despite zero volleyball experience, Sully was a starter. He made a number of big plays during the season, including a tip in the third set against Tomlin that tied the score at 12 and swung the momentum in Benito’s favor for good.

Eighth-grader and co-captain Nikhil Katiyar put off soccer to commit to the volleyball team, and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Owen Brown — also an eighth-grade co-captain — was consistent at the net but will probably be remembered most for heading the ball during the second set of the championship game, which scored a point and fired up the team so much they had to make a TikTok video of the feat.

Another eighth-grader, Boden Houck, earned his way into the rotation because of his serve, and he led the team off with his serve in every match, and Druve Kulkarni also chipped in with some big serves during the playoffs.

“Dillon was very good, obviously,” Ellis said. “He was ridiculous this season. But, this was a great team. Everyone had a role, and they played it perfectly.”

RADDSports Charity Hosts Golf Tournament On Dec. 6!

We’ve been telling you about RADDSports, the private company that has been responsible for the management and all of the programs at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County, since long before the 98,000-sq.-ft. AdventHealth Sports Arena opened to the public at the Sports Campus in August of 2020.

But, one of the things the management at RADDSports had noticed since it opened is that there are a lot of outstanding athletes throughout the Tampa Bay area who can’t afford to pay for the basketball, volleyball, soccer, cheerleading and lacrosse programs offered at the Sports Campus, and that just didn’t sit well with president and CEO Richard Blalock and his management team.

In order to rectify that situation, Blalock and his director of marketing Jannah Nager, who had years of prior experience in similar positions for nonprofit organizations like the American Cancer Society and the Pasco Education Foundation, decided to start their own nonprofit charity in order to provide scholarships for kids of all ages and ability levels who couldn’t afford to participate in the programs at the Sports Campus.

 “RADDSports Charity wants to change the culture of youth sports by promoting equal access to quality sports and fitness programs, regardless of their ability to pay,” says Blalock, who also serves as the new Charity’s Chairman of the Board. “We decided we needed to start our charity to provide these kids who couldn’t afford our programs with scholarships to participate in their choice of sports at the Wiregrass Sports Campus of Pasco County. Our goal is to promote the total overall well-being and development of each child through education, discipline, physical fitness and teaching proper technique of each sport, and we don’t want cost to be an issue.”


Former NFL players Brandon Ghee (left) and Chris Pressley are among the former pro and college athletes on the Board of Directors of the new RADDSports Charity, which will be hosting its first-ever fund-raising golf tournament at Lexington Oaks Golf Club on Dec. 6. 

How You Can Help

In order to kick off the fund-raising arm of the new RADDSports Charity, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Nager decided to organize a charity golf tournament, which will be held on Monday, December 6, at the recently upgraded Lexington Oaks Golf Club.

“This event is our first of hopefully many fund raisers for the RADDSports Charity,” Nager says. “It should allow us to fund our first round of scholarships, and we’re still looking for not only golfers to play in the tournament, but also businesses who want to help young athletes in need by supporting this and other upcoming events.”

Blalock, Nager, and their fellow original RADDSports management team members Anthony Homer and Arika DeLazzer all serve on the new RADDSports Charity’s Board of Directors. Other members of the Board include former NFL defensive back Brandon Ghee, who is the director of operations for Yo Murphy Performance, the sports training company that operates at the Sports Campus, Realtor and former NFL fullback Chris Pressley (who played a few games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and former Florida State University tight end Carver Donaldson.

“We’re excited to kick off our fund-raising for RADDSports Charity at Lexington Oaks,” Nager says. “We thank owner Anass El-Omari, who gave us a price for golfers that ensures we will be able to raise money for our charity with this event.”

To play in the first RADDSports Charity Golf Tournament, or to help sponsor it, visit RADDSportsCharity.org, email development director Lauren Cione at Lauren@RADDSports.com or call (727) 271-4873. Sponsorships start at as little as $250 and your company’s logo/graphics will be displayed at the event.