Sky's the limit for Plant High's Michael Frazier

For Plant High School sophomore Michael Frazier, it was a big deal to beat his father for the first time in one-on-one basketball.

He was 8.

"He still doesn't want to believe it happened," Frazier said playfully. "After that, there was no looking back. He still thinks he can take me. He can't."

These days, who can?

Frazier, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard, recently became Hillsborough County's first boys basketball player to surpass the 1,000-point career mark as a sophomore. Heading into this week's district tournaments - the Panthers (13-12) face Brandon in Friday night's Class 6A-District 8 semifinals at Alonso with a trip to the state playoffs in the balance - Frazier is the county's most compelling force.

He's averaging 26.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 82 percent from the free-throw line and 44 percent from the field. Thursday night's 39-point performance at Plant City has Frazier at 1,043 points for his career.

Frazier has twice scored 40 points this season - with nine games of 33 points or more.

"Michael is putting up some huge statistics, and I do believe he has a chance to become one of the all-time best players from this area," Plant coach Mike Phillips said. "He has two full years left and who knows how much better he can become?

"The sky's the limit, but I'm preaching to him about the importance of becoming a complete player. We don't want him to settle for taking good shots. We want great shots. It's going to become harder for him because he's not going to get the ticky-tack fouls. I tell him, 'You're Michael Frazier. They all know who you are. They expect you to play through that.' And he will. He has done so much already, yet he's just scratching the surface."

Frazier is on his way to becoming the 13th boys player in county history to score 2,000 career points - and he might have a shot at toppling the county record of 2,540 points by Plant City's Russell Evans, who has held the mark for 19 years.

"It's kind of baffling to even be mentioned with some of these guys who have played here," said Frazier, who turns 16 next month. "I don't think of it like that. I can't really relate to him."

But Frazier can relate to Sheldon Cooley, the former Plant star who is now a freshman at East Tennessee State University. Cooley set the Plant record with 2,076 points.

"Sheldon was also the guy who led us in rebounds, who led us in assists," Phillips said. "He was a great role model for Michael."

"Michael told me he was trying to take some notes from me last year," Cooley said. "I told him, 'Just be yourself.' But he's definitely the leader and there are times he needs to put the team on his back. He's strong enough to do that."

Frazier gets his strength in other areas, too.

His father, the Rev. Michael Frazier, is pastor of the First United Methodist Church in downtown Tampa. He was a standout basketball player at North Marion High School (1978-82), who entered the Army after graduation and later fought in Desert Storm, all while beginning his studies in the seminary.

He was pastor in Ocala and Palm Coast until the summer of 2008, when he was summoned to his new church in Tampa. Young Michael, expected to attend Flagler Palm Coast High, shifted to Plant.

Now he feels at home, making a name for himself in basketball, while singing in the choir (and sometimes playing the drums) at his father's church.

"It was an easy transition," said Frazier, who will sample the nation's elite competition while playing with Florida Elite AAU this summer. "I feel comfortable. Coach Phillips is putting me in a position to score, no matter what kind of defense they throw at us. I feel comfortable I can score against anybody."

Just ask his father.

"Michael has always shown me the hunger and desire to get better," said the Rev. Frazier, who said his son already has received dozens of scholarships inquiries, while taking unofficial visits to Florida, Florida State and USF. "I think he has only just begun."