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Boys Basketball: Sickles Focuses On Team Effort

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By NICK WILLIAMS

nwilliams@tampatrib.com

Published: January 16, 2009

TAMPA - The period of shock is over.

As the Sickles boys basketball team settles into the second half the season, the days of just watching North Carolina-bound center John Henson have passed.

The Gryphons (13-4, 5-0) know if they are to vie for a state title, it will take a team effort to see it come to fruition.

"Everybody knows what Henson can do," said junior point guard Jordan Davis. "Having him, it makes us want to compete harder."

"We're not complacent just because John is here," Sickles coach Renaldo Garcia said. "People think that with a player like John, you're winning games by 70 points. There are going to be some teams that will come here to play."

Sickles learned that lesson during a few national tournaments. The Gryphons went 2-2 in the second annual McDonald's Tampa Hoops Classic, which included squandering a double-digit lead against Winter Springs to lose, 78-73. In the Trusted Choice national tournament in Illinois, Sickles had to play without Henson, who was nursing an ankle injury, and lost two games, one by single digits.

"We gave away a few games," Davis said. "We could have done better."

The Gryphons are attempting to win their fourth consecutive district title and could earn the top seed with a win against St. Petersburg (12-4, 4-1) on Wednesday.

"We're starting to play better together," Garcia said. "We learned a lot about ourselves over the holiday. We've played a tough schedule but we feel there is better basketball to be played in the upcoming weeks."

The 6-foot-10 Henson leads Sickles with 17.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.5 blocks per game. Davis, who leads Hillsborough County with 6.9 assists per game, is the team's second-leading scorer with 8.1 points per game. The Gryphons have also received solid contribution from senior guard Kelvin Daniels (6.7 ppg), sophomore forward Rashawn Rembert (7.4 ppg) and senior forward Nico Cora (7.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg).

Last season, Sickles was eliminated in the Class 6A region quarterfinals by Plant City.

"We just want to take it one game at a time," Davis said.

TRIPLE THREAT

Armwood junior Demetrius Jackson has been on a rampage. Jackson, a 6-foot-5 forward, has recorded a triple-double in three consecutive games.

In a 60-58 overtime win vs. Freedom on Jan. 9, Jackson had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 blocked shots. The following day against Riverview, he had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 13 blocked shots in the 61-60 loss. In Tuesday's 69-50 loss to King, Jackson finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. In the last three games, he's totaled 36 blocked shots.

FEATURED PLAYER

MATT KENDRICK

CHAMBERLAIN

Senior center

ABOUT KENDRICK: Sickles' John Henson isn't the only 6-foot-10 center in Tampa. Kendrick, a left-handed big man, leads Chamberlain (10-5) with 18.1 points and 12.2 rebounds per game and is being scouted by a handful of colleges.

Nick Williams

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