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Boys Basketball: The Starting Five

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 19, 2007

Adam Sollazzo

Senior * Armwood * 6-foot-5 * Point Guard

ABOUT SOLLAZZO: Sollazzo is expected to be one of the best guards in the Bay area this season. His long frame allows him to muscle past smaller guards, and he excels when he penetrates and distributes to his teammates. Sollazzo, who averaged 16.8 points and 8.2 assists per game last year, has received Division I interest from Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Atlantic, American and USF and local Division II programs Eckerd and Saint Leo.

COACHSPEAK: "The thing that makes him different is his height as a point guard. He causes problems for other teams. He has great court vision. He's a passer first, but he can score as well." - Armwood's Jeff Pafunda

Sheldon Cooley

Junior * Plant * 6-foot-2 * Shooting Guard

ABOUT COOLEY: Cooley helped Plant bounce back from a losing season in 2005-06 by leading the Panthers to a 22-2 record last year while averaging 17.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game. He was named the Tampa Bay Basketball Coaches Association Co-Player of the Year as a sophomore and selected to The Tampa Tribune All-Hillsborough County First-Team. Only a junior, he has received interest from schools like Florida, Virginia Tech, Central Florida and Marshall. Having already topped 800 points, Cooley could surpass 1,000 this season.

COACHSPEAK: "Sheldon is a player who puts his team first and makes players around him better. Not flashy, but is the best player on the court. He's a hard worker both in the classroom and on the court." - Plant's Mike Phillips

Dylan Fugate

Senior * Newsome * 6-foot-5 * Small Forward

ABOUT FUGATE: He is one of the more fundamentally sound players in the area. He averaged 17.2 points and 7.0 rebounds last season and scored the majority of his points around the rim. Fugate may become the school's all-time leading scorer by season's end and is being recruited by Morehead State, the University of Denver, Rhode Island, Jacksonville and Tennessee-Martin.

COACHSPEAK: "He has a good mentality of the game. He plays several positions for us, which obviously makes him important to us, but shows how knowledgeable he is. He's also athletic, and that's why he's a D-I prospect, because he's athletic and he has intelligence of the game." - Newsome's Jon Mackey

Toarlyn Fitzpatrick

Junior * King * 6-foot-8 * Forward/Center

ABOUT FITZPATRICK: Rated as one of the top five underclassmen in the state as a sophomore, Fitzpatrick averaged 15.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game last season. Though his height allows him to play the post position, Fitzpatrick also can play guard and shoot from long range. Considered a four-star recruit by FloridaHoops.com, Fitzpatrick has received Division I interest from schools such as Penn State, Tulane, Florida State and Florida

COACHSPEAK: "Not only is he very talented, but he's very unselfish. I'll say the same thing about him next year. He makes other people better. If he improves on his free throws, he should score 20 points a game." - King's Sam Lanier

Evan Ravenel

Senior * Brandon * 6-foot-8 * Power Forward

ABOUT RAVENEL: Ravenel, who has signed with Boston College, averaged 7.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season for the Eagles and should be one of the most dominant post players in the Tampa Bay area. Ravenel slipped under the radar last season but is hoping for a breakout year this season. His 230-pound frame allows him to get great position in the paint. He is very athletic for a player his size.

COACHSPEAK: "Evan is the best and biggest big man we've had at Brandon since I've been coaching here. He has a great shot and excellent footwork for a 6-8 player. He's a very coachable player. Look for him to come on strong this year." - Brandon's Mark Hermann

More To Watch

KHIRY ANFIELD

Middleton * 6-3 * Senior * Forward

Anfield, who averaged 15.2 points per game last year, scored 42 total points against Plant and Chamberlain in the district tournament last year to help the program win its first district title.

JORDAN DAVIS

Sickles * 5-10 * Sophomore * Point Guard

Started as a freshman last season on a district championship team and led Hillsborough County in assists with 8.7 a game.

ZAK KAZANSKI

Berkeley Prep * 6-2 * Senior* Shooting Guard

The returning leading scorer for the Buccaneers at 14.8 points a game, Kazanski is a sharp-shooting lefty who can also slash to the basket.

CALLUM TOWNSEND

Bloomingdale * 6-5 * Junior * Guard-Forward

Bloomingdale graduated a great senior class, and the Bulls will look to Townsend to score the bulk of their points. Townsend, a deadly 3-point shooter, averaged 13.5 points on a district runner-up team.

DAVID WALLER

Tampa Prep * 6-7 * Senior * Forward

With 16 points per game last year, Waller was the second-leading scorer on a team that advanced to Class 2A state final four. Waller has added more muscle to his frame and is capable of playing any position on the court.

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