TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Coaches, Others Move

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 27, 2008

With June ushering in the summer holiday and a break for many of Pasco County's top athletes, it was time for the coaches to do some nifty moves and shuffling of their own.

The most notable departures to occur during the month were that of highly successful Wesley Chapel girls basketball coach Warren Jones, and equally impressive Pasco boys basketball coach Poncho Broner.

Jones resigned to take an assistant coaching job at Saint Leo University a few miles away, with hopes of igniting a career in the more lucrative collegiate ranks. He posted an 85-24 record, including 24-5 in his final prep season, with a Wildcats program that lost its first 51 games before Jones' arrival. His resume also included three consecutive district titles, one Sunshine Athletic Conference final and a state playoff appearance in each of his four seasons.

Broner, who in eight seasons led Pasco to five playoff appearances, cited his desire to earn a master's degree as his reason for stepping down. His departure, and the subsequent hiring of Derek Heard a month later, meant a Broner would not coach the Pirates for the first time since 1983. Willie Broner, Poncho's father, was the coach Broner replaced in 2000.

More changes were to come, and quickly.

After Saint Leo decided not to renew the contract of baseball coach Ricky Ware in May following a disappointing 2008 season, the Lions hired former Mississippi State assistant Russ McNickle to fill the vacancy June 23.

"From an outsider looking in, the offense was solid, the defense was OK and the pitching seemed to be the team's weakness last year," he said. "In my experience, mainly Mississippi State's College World Series run last year, pitching and defense wins ball games."

"The biggest thing right now is finding some position players, because there is not much depth there," McNickle said. "Having your starting shortstop Bobby Munoz, second baseman Jonathan Duncan and center fielder Kyle Hobbs back is a positive, but obviously losing catcher Braulio Pardo to the draft created a need, and we also could use some pop in the corner outfield and infield positions. Who knows what we can find at this point in recruiting, but my Division I connections may be able to help in that area."

Among the slew of other comings and goings in the month were the hiring of veteran football coach Keith Newton as Hudson's baseball coach, and Donna Masterson taking over River Ridge girls basketball.

PLAYERS GO DIVISION I

River Ridge kicker Eric Karcinski accepted a preferred walk-on position with Florida International, while Wesley Chapel lineman Kamran Joyer verbally committed to the University of South Florida, with a year of prep eligibility remaining.

Karcinski went on to become the only Pasco County football player from the class of 2008 to make the roster of a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team, though he saw no game action as a back-up.

AMAZING BIKE FEAT

Team Macular Regeneration, a four-man cycling squad organized by Odessa triathlon coach Bo Webster, completed the 3,014-mile Race Across America from Oceanside, Calif., to Annapolis, Md., on June 19.

Webster, 64, Jim DeLuca, 41, of Spring Hill, Bob Ebert, 52, of Spring Hill and Brian Wilder, 57, of St. Petersburg, finished in eight days, six hours, 28 minutes. Their time was 11th of the 14 male four-person teams that began the event. Aided by a 10-person crew, they split up the duties by riding in shifts that required each to cover more than 100 miles a day.

The team planned to donate a portion of their fundraising proceeds to the Macular Degeneration Foundation.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT