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5 Questions With Toarlyn Fitzpatrick

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 7, 2007

Toarlyn Fitzpatrick is a 6-foot-7 junior forward for King High. Rated one of the top players in the state, he leads the Lions in scoring (14.4) and rebounding (8.0). Fitzpatrick said he has received interest from Florida, Florida State, Clemson, South Florida, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Central Florida, Miami and Butler.

How good can King be this season?

I think our district is pretty even. Everybody matches up pretty good, and anybody can beat anybody on any given night. I think if we keep working hard on our defense and keep that up, we should be pretty good.

You were rated by Rivals.com and FloridaHoops.com as one of the top underclassmen in the state as a sophomore. Do you feel people expect you to perform at a certain level all the time?

Yes. I know a lot of people look at me to be the standout player all the time, and that's not the case on my team. On any given night, any player can step up and have a great game. It puts a little bit of pressure on me, but it motivates me to do better in games to keep my name going.

You're 6-foot-7 now. When did you reach 6 feet?

I reached 6 feet my fifth- or sixth-grade year when I played varsity at Cambridge. I led the county in rebounding for the first half of the season, then I hurt myself in the second half of the season.

Are the Boston Celtics a legit NBA title contender?

I think they are, but they don't match up well with some teams. They need to pick up their defense, because they shouldn't have lost that game to ... who'd they lose to? The Charlotte Bobcats? The first loss was real weak. If they're going to be a championship team, they need to pick up their defense.

If you were president for a day, what would you do?

I'd get rid of the FCAT, man. I don't have a problem with it, I passed the FCAT, but I know a lot of people whose family is looking forward to their kids graduating, and it's just like, they're not good test takers and that has nothing to do with them being intelligent. They need to get rid of the FCAT and everybody will be happy. I know somebody that had to move out the state just because they couldn't pass the FCAT. They're in Syracuse right now.

Nick Williams

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