Plant, Cooley shine in Tampa Hoops Classic
Plant junior guard Sheldon Cooley has made the most of the past four days at the inaugural Tampa Hoops Classic, which has featured some of the nation's top teams - and players.
Cooley saved his best for last Saturday, scoring 19 of his game-high 29 points in the first half of the Panthers 53-45 win over Jacksonville Robert E. Lee in the tournament's consolation bracket championship Jefferson High. Lee, which returned five starters from last year's 5A state semifinalist team, were slowed by what Plant coach Mike Phillips called, "one of the best defensive performances we've ever had."
The Panthers went 3-1 in the tourney, with their only loss to Brooklyn Catholic school power Bishop Loughlin, which just won the third place game.
"We're starting to click," Phillips said.
What a difference a week makes; last weekend, the Panthers suffered a quadruple overtime loss to Chamblerain at the City Hoops Championships, then followed up with a sluggish win over Hillsborough. Going into this prestigious tourney, "I was scared to death," Phillips said.
But Plant answered the call, as did Cooley. The 6-foot-2 playmaking guard, who held his own with Nevada-bound junior guard Luke Babbitt in Thursday's big win, has been one of the more impressive players in the star-studded tournament.
"Sheldon really elevated his game," Phillips said. "He showed he fits among the best."
Earlier in the day, Ridgewood lost 76-60 to American Heritage and Florida bound star Eloy Vargas and Kenny Boynton (35 points) in the tourney's fifth-place game. The Rams went 2-2 in the tourney; Pinellas Park outlasted Wharton 41-37 in overtime, holding the Wildcats scoreless in the final four minutes to seal the deal.
Stay tuned for more from the Tampa Hoops Classic.
-- JOE SMITH
The St. Petersburg Times High School Sports blog is written and compiled by the Times preps sports staff from Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties. We invite your participation in the comments area.
Save this post Joe. Plant and Cooley will not get out of their own district and the "Big Choke - Part II" will once again take place. Cooley is a "mid-major" D-I prospect at best. He has no perimeter skills (i.e. JUMP SHOT) to play higher than a mid-major school at best. Phillips is a sideline joke. As soon as a game gets tight he clams up. Stay tuned for the Panther choke!
Posted by: | December 31, 2007 at 09:01 PM
Obviously, this poster was an idiot. Plant went on to win their district championship.
Posted by: Donnie Wilkie | February 20, 2008 at 09:26 PM