As it sits, the 2019-20 athletic season for State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) has come to a close early due to the pandemic of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). It truly is upsetting for not just for myself and all the coaches and athletes that were playing their sports in the spring, but for the sophomores that worked their tails off to compete, and now it's been tarnished.
This was not only happening to SCF and the junior colleges in the FCSAA, but it is also happening to other junior colleges nationally in the NJCAA (D1, D2 and D3) as well as colleges/universities in the NCAA (D1, D2 and D3), NAIA, California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA) and Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). In total, over 2,000 junior colleges and universities (2,291 to be exact) had to stop the seasons of their spring sports because of COVID-19. We're talking about over 10 million student-athletes not being able to play their final year(s) of eligibility this year as a result.
I could sense a lot of pain for all the athletes at SCF that are sophomores and are unable to play in the spring because of this pandemic and I understand it sucks, but I guess in a way it is for our own safety.
On a positive note, in a statement by the NJCAA, they indicated that, "no spring sport student-athlete who was enrolled at a member college in 2020 will be charged a year of participation." This will preserve the season of eligibility for beach volleyball, baseball, softball, and tennis.
Now what does it mean for the remaining 24 sophomores for baseball, softball, tennis and beach volleyball? Will they get their final year of eligibility back? Will they be listed as 'redshirt' sophomores? The answer to that is yes they will get their final year of eligibility back as the NJCAA will give back all spring sports their eligibility, but as far as being dubbed as 'redshirts' I'm not sure.
The thing is it will take a good amount of time to put all the pieces together before making final decisions on what should happen, but as it looks at the moment, the 24 combined sophomores will get their one remaining year of eligibility back and do have the option to stay and play for SCF or continue on with their current paths.
But to steer on a positive path of the 2019-20 athletic season, let's look back and talk about some memorable moments that the Manatees have produced for all six sports along with the stories I wrote about them.
SCF Indoor and Beach Volleyball:
Lets begin with indoor volleyball and beach volleyball. Yes, the past five seasons have gone down for the SCF indoor volleyball team and they did finish 5-19 overall with a 2-4 record in the Suncoast this past season. Originally, they were 3-23 overall with an 0-6 record in conference play, but they moved to third place in the Suncoast standings, and the reason why SCF moved from last place to third in the Suncoast was because of St. Pete College. SPC had an ineligible player that played during the season. The old saying is this: "You cheat, you're out."
We even played Florida Southwestern in their inaugural season despite falling to them in both matchups.
The first story I did on the volleyball team was on their season schedule released where I talked about who they were facing and the players to introduce.
One of SCF volleyball's memorable moments came from sophomore Sydney Jaco when she reached 1,000 digs in her career in a win against the Webber International junior varsity team. Jaco ended up finishing 1,230 career digs at the end of her sophomore year and was named a member of the All-Suncoast Second Team and a five-time member of the FCSAA 25 Dig Club. All-in-all, Jaco finished her career as a 21-time FCSAA 25 Dig Club for the Manatees, a one-time All-Suncoast First Team, two-time All-Suncoast All-Academic Team and one-time NJCAA National Player of the Week.
With volleyball, I was even able to do two stories on two of the players, Jaco and freshman Leilani Wilcox-Nanai. Truthfully, they were nervous about having a story on them while I was nervous on starting the interviews with them. In fact, Jaco and Wilcox-Nanai were the first players I did an interview with on the win during Jaco's milestone.
Some of my favorite moments from the 2019 season with SCF indoor volleyball included doing the national anthem for their sophomore night and giving one of the assistant coaches and the players goosebumps despite the loss to Monroe College, but the most memorable was when Jaco, Barbora Tichackova, Lisa Jaunet and Emily Sauceda all came to see me at Maple Street and eat there too, which meant a whole lot to me. (*Link in description)
Now with the addition of beach volleyball, they finished their campaign 3-0 for their inaugural season, even if it was cut short with the majority of the team from the indoor team. I guess in a way, the inaugural season was just a taste of what to expect for next season.
I was so thankful to meet the several newcomers in the freshmen in Wilcox-Nanai as well as the others (Jaunet, Bailey Sikkema, Jazmin Spencer, Brooke Henry, Gracee Carpino, Noelie Claude and Britzy Lucas) and I'm also thankful to meet the returners in Jaco as well as Tichackova, Sauceda, Daviya Bernard and Hannah Strickland). They all made such an impact for SCF volleyball, but I know that where they go, the journey leads them to their success.
SCF Basketball:
I look back to my first story on the SCF basketball team on a preview of the Manatees playing Gordon State College at home. Before I got started on it, I first decided to meet the head coach for SCF, Tom Parks. He seemed like a really good guy. Truthfully, he reminded me of a taller version of Brock Erickson, which actually led to me being a little intimidated by him.
After the game against Gordon State, Parks was the first person I did an interview after the game on the win and at first I was a little nervous, but it worked out well in the end. When the first Suncoast Conference game at home against SPC commenced, I got Parks's comments, of course, but then I also got then sophomore DeAndre Osuigwe and then freshman D'Moi Hodge and their take on the game.
I remember in one of the stories against Hillsborough, Park said a meaningful message on my stories.
"I just want to thank you Pat for doing this because I think it's unbelievable with your passion and the fact that you come and support us every game with your notebook writing stats and how serious you take this. It means a lot to our program and we really appreciate your support and writing about us on your blog. It really means a lot to us."
"1st Herd" finished the 2018-19 season 18-15 overall with a 6-6 Suncoast record. Heading towards the postseason, mainly the Suncoast Conference Tournament, coach Parks considered me as a member of what he dubbed as "1st Herd". I never asked where the idea came into play for that, but I guess the old saying is "Some things are just better left unsaid... for now".
Fast forwarding to this year and it was very memorable. I mean to start it off, we had the debuts of seven players. Truthfully, this season and last season were the best seasons that SCF Basketball has had in a long time as we finished 21-11 overall with a 5-7 record in the Suncoast. The 21 wins were the most we had in program history. We won the Suncoast Conference Tournament and made it to the FCSAA State Tournament for the second straight season before falling in the first round of the state tournament to Tallahassee (TCC).
One of the big moments from the 2019-20 season for SCF basketball team came off the shot of Hodge where he set two scoring records: most points in a single season and most career points. Hodge broke and set both records during the Suncoast Tournament. I even got to travel with the team for the game and cut a piece of the net after the win, even if we had to cut it at Hal Chasey Gymnasium.
From my personal favorite moments with SCF Basketball, I have two special ones that were very heartfelt and meaningful.
The first was being able to travel with the basketball team for the Suncoast Championship was one of them. It truly was the first time I ever got to travel with any team from SCF, thanks to coach Parks pulling a couple of strings to have me join the team on the road and being able to cut a piece of the net after claiming the tournament.
The second one was two days after winning the Suncoast Tournament when I asked the entire basketball team to come to an open house ballroom dance party at Wilson's Dance Sport International for a night of dancing, food and fun in which they said they would. At first I was a little worried if they weren't going to come, but the entire team and student assistant David Peck were true to their words and they all came, participated in the fun group and danced the night away, which made my night. We all even got a photo together and even got a complimentary dance lesson for participating. Honestly, they all did really well on the dance floor (*Link in description).
There are some sad parts from this season. Of course, it was seeing D'Moi Hodge, Isiah Dasher, Chris Scarborough, Remy Robert II and Max Bell-Ramos having to end their careers and parting ways from SCF, but it was also sad that I will not being able to see the debut of Jean-Pierre "JP" Frederick at SCF because of a series of issues while trying to transfer from another college in Saint Lucia (his native country) that had no sports whatsoever. As a result, he has to transfer to a four-year college. It really is sad because I was really looking forward to seeing him play this season at SCF, but regardless, I know he'll do phenomenal at the higher and I'll support him no matter which school he goes to.
2nd Herd has ended for 2019-20, but 3rd Herd will be in session with Marshall Kearing, Sam Grayson, Jordan Clark, Michael Gavin and Calvin McCutcheon returning to the team for their sophomore campaigns as well as the debuts of walk-on players Rae Miller and Christian Nieto, who redshirted last season. I also look forward to seeing the debuts of Kwo Agwa, Michael Hatcher, DK Kelly, Javon Bell, Keenan Willie, Joe Stubbs and Luke Lecroy when they arrive to SCF for their true freshmen years.
SCF Tennis:
Although this year for SCF tennis wasn't as promising as the 2018-19 season, they all worked hard on the court despite going 2-7 overall with an 0-5 record in conference.
I was able to meet the newcomers which included Karla Menendez and Martina Shakhnazarova, and got to see the returners that included Sara Ramirez-Goncalves, Brie Botsford and Mackenzie Vraspir. In fact, I wrote feature stories on Ramirez-Goncalves and Botsford.
I'm remembering the first story I wrote on the SCF tennis team was on their season home opener against Southeastern University (NAIA) for the 2018-19 where they won 8-1. There were the debuts of Ramirez-Goncalves, Botsford and Zeba Jamal. Vrsapir and Alexis Booker didn't play that year as they redshirted. During that season, I didn't have my first postgame interview with coach Chloe Murphy until after the matchup against Broward and didn't interview a player until their shutout win over St. Catherine (NCAA DIII) when I interviewed Ramirez-Goncalves. Arguably, Ramirez-Goncalves was the only player I did a postgame interview with from both seasons.
The 2018-19 season was a big one for the tennis team. They went to nationals for the first time in two seasons and they finished first tied for fifth place out of 32 teams with Ramirez-Goncalves reaching the semifinals in her flight and Jamal and fellow alum Camile 'Cami' Portalier winning the consolation doubles championship.
This season was a lot different and it's going to be different without Ramirez-Goncalves and Botsford on the squad next season since they were the only two true sophomores on the squad (unless they decide to stay), but it's always going to be like that for any sport.
SCF Softball:
So let's start with the obvious, softball was on a rough patch this season going 1-3 in the JUCO Kickoff Classic to start it off before sweeping Santa Fe to go to even before going on a six-game winning streak with victories over Lake Sumter, ASA Miami (home opener) and Palm Beach State. They then went on a seven-game winning streak and won six out of eight games from their eight-game homestead before sweeping Lincoln Land CC to close off the season at 20-12. The softball team was unable to start Suncoast Conference play due to the coronavirus.
The main part of writing about the 2020 season for SCF Softball was based on head coach Mandy Schuerman as she was aiming for her 200th career win as head coach for the softball team. With softball, the 200th win I think was going to be one of my best stories, but I'm planning on doing a feature story on coach Schuerman about her time as head coach for SCF softball and her milestones with SCF softball as well as leading to her 200th career win as head coach.
So far from the sophomore class (Madelyn Graham, Makayla Benavidez, Ashlee Zientek and Madi LoCastro), Graham (Warner: NAIA) and Zientek (Ursuline: NCAA DII) are deciding to continue to their softball careers at the university level.
Softball was the first sport I watched at SCF when then head coach Meredith Michaels (nee Headings) was leading the team to the 2012 NJCAA College Softball World Series as one of two members from the FCSAA.
SCF Baseball:
Let's start it off with my first story on the SCF baseball team on their win over Broward College winning by a score of 10-1 (2/8/19). I didn't get my first interview with coach Tim Hill II until the game against Hillsborough (3/29/19). Then we made it to the state tournament where we went to the state tournament before being the sixth team to be eliminated.
When the 2020 season went underway, the first story I did for SCF baseball was the opening day game against FSW in a non-conference matchup at CoolToday Park in Venice (the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves). Some would assume that it was home field advantage for SCF because the stadium was closer to SCF, however it was deemed as neutral grounds because it took place neither at SCF nor FSW even it was closer to SCF.
When we had the home opener, I got coach Hill, of course, but this season I got to interview my first two players from the baseball team in transfer AJ Fritz and freshman Clay Callahan. Fritz transferred from Evansville and was one of 11 transfers to join SCF.
Truthfully, the main player I interviewed the most was actually Cameron Lee when he hit his first collegiate home run and his first collegiate grand slam.
I'm remembering one of the funniest parts of the 2020 baseball season was when I was at the home game against PHSC, Fritz's parents, Steve and Amy, were in attendance and all of a sudden, I hear Amy asked if I was the one writing all the stories and at first I was a little hesitant because I thought someone was stalking me (joking), but as I introduced myself, she said that she loved my stories and that was so amazing to meet the parents that read, like and retweet my stories and say many positive things about them.
In the end, the Manatees finished the season 16-11 overall with a 5-1 record in the Suncoast and were in first place in conference. I guess in a sense after finishing the sweep with Polk State, we were going to most likely win the Suncoast Conference Regular Season Championship, even if this year happens to be unofficial.
Thanks and Final Thoughts:
To close this post off, I wanted to give my final thoughts and many thanks to the SCF Athletic Department.
The 2019-20 school was actually a pretty good year for SCF athletics and it was quite an adventure despite the early ending. I got to be around so many great athletes that are going to be making names for themselves. On a positive note for the spring sports, the baseball, softball, tennis and beach volleyball players have an opportunity to return for a renewed season should they decide to take the opportunity.
One question that always comes to mind is "Why do I continue writing about a junior college if I don't get paid for it?" I feel the question is a two-way path. On one side, I do it because I love writing about my alma mater. On the other side, I do it to hopefully gain some experience around journalism, which I do every single time I write a story. All-in-all, whether I get paid for it or not, it does not matter to me because I enjoy it.
Sure I still hope that Dr. Carol Probstfeld, the SCF president, creates a position for a sports communication director or something like that, and that is still in the air of discussion for the near future. Until then, all I can do is wait on it and continue doing what I like to do.
Thank you to Matt Ennis and Ms. Loretta Demonte, the SCF athletic director and assistant athletic director, for getting me access to do feature stories, cover the games and getting postgame interviews afterwards for the athletic events, even if I have to write about the losses. I have known Matt for almost 10 years and Ms. Loretta for five and they have done wonderful things for the SCF athletic department. Although it sometimes becomes a habit from time-to-time when I call Matt 'Mr. Ennis', even though I'm not a student there anymore. It's still a good laugh nevertheless.
I want to thank head coach Parks and assistant coaches Rob Beckmann, Nav Gil, Lem Andrews, Ace Whitaker and David Peck for all they did to keep the SCF basketball team on their toes and for the being the first SCF team I did stories on.
Thank you to coach Schuerman and coach Hill for letting me cover their games, even if the seasons were cut short and Suncoast Conference did not commence for softball. I've known Hill since spring 2013 and Schuerman since fall 2014 and they have done wonders for the baseball and softball programs and I hope they keep doing wonders for the teams.
Thank you to a fellow alum in coach Murphy and coach Burnett for helping with the boxscores for the tennis and indoor/beach volleyball matches when I needed them for my recaps. It was incredibly helpful for me even though the matches that were on the road or on neutral grounds.
Thank you to Amy Beckmann for helping get some photos at the basketball games.
Finally, thank you to all the athletes who participated in my feature stories for postgame interviews and took the time to read, like and retweet all the stories when I post them on Twitter as well as the parents that were able to be in attendance and read my stories.
To think, this whole blog started as a school assignment at FGCU and then I chose to expand it from there spring 2017. Come to think of it, doing stories for SCF is quite an amazing adventure because I learn a lot from all the athletes and their backgrounds.
I definitely look forward to seeing the 2020-21 athletic season for SCF and will look forward to writing up more feature stories, schedule releases, previews and recaps.
First Story Links:
SCF VB: https://thefgcudirtybird.blogspot.com/2019/07/scf-vb-opens-season-santa-fe.html
SCF Basketball: https://thefgcudirtybird.blogspot.com/2018/12/scf-basketball-preview.html
SCF Tennis: https://thefgcudirtybird.blogspot.com/search/label/SCF%20Tennis?updated-max=2019-03-13T11:31:00-04:00&max-results=20&start=20&by-date=false
SCF Softball: https://thefgcudirtybird.blogspot.com/2019/01/scf-softball-juco-kickoff-classic.html
SCF Baseball: https://thefgcudirtybird.blogspot.com/2019/02/scf-baseball-vs-broward-recap.html
SCF BVB: https://thefgcudirtybird.blogspot.com/2020/02/scf-bvb-sets-for-first-road-tri-match.html
Feature Story Links:
Sara Ramirez-Goncalves: https://thefgcudirtybird.blogspot.com/2019/12/srq-scf-win.html
Brie Botsford: https://thefgcudirtybird.blogspot.com/2019/12/for-scf-tennis-team-each-player-has.html
Leilani Wilcox-Nanai: https://thefgcudirtybird.blogspot.com/2019/10/leilanis-volleyball-journey.html
Sydney Jaco: https://thefgcudirtybird.blogspot.com/2019/10/jacos-legacy.html
Other Social Media Posts:
*SCF Basketball: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2972192216138294&set=a.328054693885406&type=3&theater
*SCF Volleyball: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2619958888028297&set=pb.100000426339316.-2207520000..&type=3&theater
About Me
Showing posts with label SCF Basketball 2019-20. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SCF Basketball 2019-20. Show all posts
2nd Herd Readies for State Tourney
After a hard fought game Tuesday, the SCF basketball team (21-11) now readies themselves for the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament at the Radier Arena in Niceville, hosted by Northwest Florida State. The Manatees will have their first game against #10 Tallahassee Community College (25-5) Wednesday night, March 4 at 7 pm EST/6 pm CST.
Tournament Breakdown:
The tournament is single elimination with the top two teams in their respected conferences:
#1 FSW (29-1)- Suncoast
SCF (21-11)- Suncoast
#10 Tallahassee (25-5)- Panhandle
RV Gulf Coast State (21-7)- Panhandle
#18 Central Florida (24-6)- Mid-Florida
Eastern Florida (21-10)- Mid-Florida
RV Indian River State (22-7)- Southern
Broward (17-9)- Southern
The winner between SCF and #10 TCC will play the winner between RV Indian River or Eastern Florida in the semifinals. The winner of the tournament will qualify for the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas as a representative for NJCAA Region 8.
#1 FSW is the highest seed in the tournament and ranked #1 in the nation, but say for example, they lose in the semifinals of the tournament against CCF or Broward, then what would happen? Well regardless if they win or lose the tournament, FSW will end up in the national tournament as an at-large bid. In fact, #10 Tallahassee and #18 Central Florida could be listed as at-large bids too based on their rankings.
Defending the NJCAA National Championship this year is Vincennes (24-4) from NJCAA Region 4/Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC). Vincennes, who is currently ranked #12 in the nation and then ranked #8 in the nation, won the 2019 NJCAA National Championship after defeating NJCAA Region 5/North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC) Ranger (now #3) 87-77.
Bracket Layout:
All four games will be on Wednesday in order:
Game One: #18 Central Florida vs Broward @ 2 pm EST/1 pm CST.
Game Two: #1 FSW vs RV Gulf Coast @ 4 pm EST/3 pm CST
Game Three: #10 TCC vs SCF @ 7 pm EST/6 pm CST
Game Four: RV Indian River State vs Eastern Florida @ 9 pm EST/8 pm CST
Suncoast Awards:
Prior to the tournament, the Suncoast Conference presented the yearly awards and team accolades for the players this season.
Suncoast Player of the Year:
The Suncoast Player of the year this year was presented to FSW's sophomore Keon Ellis. Ellis is averaging 18 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Ellis had 12 points and five rebounds in their final conference game vs Polk State.
Suncoast Coach of the Year:
FSW would take Suncoast Coach of the Year as it was won by Eric Murphy. Murphy enters his second season as head coach for the Buccaneers. This was the second straight season Murphy has won Coach of the Year.
All-Suncoast First Team:
Three Manatees were named to the All-Suncoast First team: sophomores D'Moi Hodge and Isiah Dasher and freshman Marshall Kearing. This will be the second straight season that Hodge and Dasher were named to the All-Suncoast First Team.
Hodge is averaging 25.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game. The native of Tortola, British Virgin Islands had 36 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two blocks and four steals against Polk State in the championship. Hodge has broken and set two program scoring records for the Manatees as he holds the single season record (794) and career record (1,392). Both records were held by James Life until this year.
Dasher is averaging 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 per game. Dasher nearly had a double-double against Polk State as he finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
In addition, Dasher is 21 points away from joining Hodge on becoming the second Manatee to reach 1,000 points in a career.
Kearing is averaging 11.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Against Polk State, Kearing nearly had a double-double as he finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and six blocks.
Other members that joined Hodge, Dasher and Kearing included the following by teams:
Keon Ellis- Florida Southwestern
Tekorian Smith- Polk State
Jermaine Marshall- Florida Southwestern
Michael Cole- Hillsborough
Clarence Jackson- Polk State
Jalen Finch- Florida Southwestern
Kobie Johnson- St. Petersburg
Bryan Williams- St. Petersburg
De'Lazarus Keys- Florida Southwestern
All-Suncoast Second Team:
Joining the All-Suncoast Second Team is freshman Jordan Clark. Clark is averaging 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Clark had nine points, three rebounds and two assists against Polk State.
Other members that joined Clark included the following by teams:
Berrick JeanLouis- Florida Southwestern
Malcolm Stevenson- Polk State
Derrick White Jr.- Hillsborough
Tommie Lewis- Polk State
Teddy Bayi Ba Mandeng- St. Petersburg
Simeon Kirkland- Florida Southwestern
Kerry Richardson- Polk State
Ralph Bissainthe- Florida Southwestern
Damon Davis- St. Petersburg
Terry Roberts- Florida Southwestern
Bernat Vanaclocha Sanchez- Polk State
Big Helps:
Other players that have made a big help on both ends of the floor include sophomores Max Bell-Ramos, Remy Robert II and Christnoff Scarborough.
Bell-Ramos is currently averaging 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Bell-Ramos had six points and five rebounds against Polk State.
Mainly the 3-point specialist, Robert II is averaging 3.9 points and one rebound per game. Robert II contributed with two points, two rebounds and a block against Polk State.
Scarborough is averaging 5.1 points and four rebounds per game despite having only three points against Polk State.
Scouting Tallahassee :
Led by Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year Zach Settembre, The Eagles, who are ranked #10 in the NJCAA Top 25 Poll, were crowned the Panhandle Regular Season Champion after going 9-3 in their conference, thus becoming the #1 team in the Panhandle Conference. In their last season game, the Titans fell to RV Gulf Coast State 108-107 in triple overtime in their last conference game of the season.
Freshman El Ellis leads the team offensively for the Eagles. Ellis is averaging 14.7 points and 4.6 assists per game. Ellis had 21 points and six assists against GCSC before being named Panhandle Player of the Year and a member of the All-Panhandle First Team.
Sophomores Tariq Silver and DeAndre Gholston also play key roles offensively. Silver is averaging 12.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while Gholston is averaging 11.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Against GCSC, Silver had 23 points and eight rebounds while Gholston had 17 points and seven rebounds. Both Silver was named Panhandle Newcomer of the Year and a member of the All-Panhandle First Team while Gholston was named to the All-Panhandle Second Team.
Sophomores Eric Hester, Kailex Stephens, Jordan Guest and Rifen Miguel also play big roles and were named on both Panhandle Conference Teams (Hester: First Team; Stephens, Guest and Miguel: Second Team).
Hester is averaging 9.4 points and two assists per game despite only scoring five points with two assists against GCSC.
Stephens averages eight points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Stephens had eight points and seven rebounds against GCSC.
Guest is averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Guest had 18 points and six rebounds against GCSC.
Miguel averages 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game despite not playing against GCSC.
Series History (2012-present):
The Manatees are 0-4 against the Eagles. Last time both teams met was on December 13, 2014 where the Manatees fell 87-60 in Tallahassee.
How to Keep Up:
The game will be featured livestream on Emerald Coast TV YouTube page. The game is free to watch for all fans. Fans can also stay up to date with both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
TCC: @TCCEagles
Livestream Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoal4TkWkrxNaqaANYXAb3A
Last Time Out:
The Manatees came off of winning the Suncoast Conference Tournament after defeating St. Pete College 90-75 in the semifinals before defeating Polk State in the finals by a score of 92-74. It was the second consecutive season that the Manatees made it to the state tournament and the third in 2010s era.
Tournament Breakdown:
The tournament is single elimination with the top two teams in their respected conferences:
#1 FSW (29-1)- Suncoast
SCF (21-11)- Suncoast
#10 Tallahassee (25-5)- Panhandle
RV Gulf Coast State (21-7)- Panhandle
#18 Central Florida (24-6)- Mid-Florida
Eastern Florida (21-10)- Mid-Florida
RV Indian River State (22-7)- Southern
Broward (17-9)- Southern
The winner between SCF and #10 TCC will play the winner between RV Indian River or Eastern Florida in the semifinals. The winner of the tournament will qualify for the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas as a representative for NJCAA Region 8.
#1 FSW is the highest seed in the tournament and ranked #1 in the nation, but say for example, they lose in the semifinals of the tournament against CCF or Broward, then what would happen? Well regardless if they win or lose the tournament, FSW will end up in the national tournament as an at-large bid. In fact, #10 Tallahassee and #18 Central Florida could be listed as at-large bids too based on their rankings.
Defending the NJCAA National Championship this year is Vincennes (24-4) from NJCAA Region 4/Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC). Vincennes, who is currently ranked #12 in the nation and then ranked #8 in the nation, won the 2019 NJCAA National Championship after defeating NJCAA Region 5/North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC) Ranger (now #3) 87-77.
Bracket Layout:
All four games will be on Wednesday in order:
Game One: #18 Central Florida vs Broward @ 2 pm EST/1 pm CST.
Game Two: #1 FSW vs RV Gulf Coast @ 4 pm EST/3 pm CST
Game Three: #10 TCC vs SCF @ 7 pm EST/6 pm CST
Game Four: RV Indian River State vs Eastern Florida @ 9 pm EST/8 pm CST
Suncoast Awards:
Prior to the tournament, the Suncoast Conference presented the yearly awards and team accolades for the players this season.
Suncoast Player of the Year:
The Suncoast Player of the year this year was presented to FSW's sophomore Keon Ellis. Ellis is averaging 18 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Ellis had 12 points and five rebounds in their final conference game vs Polk State.
Suncoast Coach of the Year:
FSW would take Suncoast Coach of the Year as it was won by Eric Murphy. Murphy enters his second season as head coach for the Buccaneers. This was the second straight season Murphy has won Coach of the Year.
All-Suncoast First Team:
Three Manatees were named to the All-Suncoast First team: sophomores D'Moi Hodge and Isiah Dasher and freshman Marshall Kearing. This will be the second straight season that Hodge and Dasher were named to the All-Suncoast First Team.
Hodge is averaging 25.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game. The native of Tortola, British Virgin Islands had 36 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two blocks and four steals against Polk State in the championship. Hodge has broken and set two program scoring records for the Manatees as he holds the single season record (794) and career record (1,392). Both records were held by James Life until this year.
Dasher is averaging 15.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 per game. Dasher nearly had a double-double against Polk State as he finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
In addition, Dasher is 21 points away from joining Hodge on becoming the second Manatee to reach 1,000 points in a career.
Kearing is averaging 11.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Against Polk State, Kearing nearly had a double-double as he finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and six blocks.
Other members that joined Hodge, Dasher and Kearing included the following by teams:
Keon Ellis- Florida Southwestern
Tekorian Smith- Polk State
Jermaine Marshall- Florida Southwestern
Michael Cole- Hillsborough
Clarence Jackson- Polk State
Jalen Finch- Florida Southwestern
Kobie Johnson- St. Petersburg
Bryan Williams- St. Petersburg
De'Lazarus Keys- Florida Southwestern
All-Suncoast Second Team:
Joining the All-Suncoast Second Team is freshman Jordan Clark. Clark is averaging 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Clark had nine points, three rebounds and two assists against Polk State.
Other members that joined Clark included the following by teams:
Berrick JeanLouis- Florida Southwestern
Malcolm Stevenson- Polk State
Derrick White Jr.- Hillsborough
Tommie Lewis- Polk State
Teddy Bayi Ba Mandeng- St. Petersburg
Simeon Kirkland- Florida Southwestern
Kerry Richardson- Polk State
Ralph Bissainthe- Florida Southwestern
Damon Davis- St. Petersburg
Terry Roberts- Florida Southwestern
Bernat Vanaclocha Sanchez- Polk State
Big Helps:
Other players that have made a big help on both ends of the floor include sophomores Max Bell-Ramos, Remy Robert II and Christnoff Scarborough.
Bell-Ramos is currently averaging 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Bell-Ramos had six points and five rebounds against Polk State.
Mainly the 3-point specialist, Robert II is averaging 3.9 points and one rebound per game. Robert II contributed with two points, two rebounds and a block against Polk State.
Scarborough is averaging 5.1 points and four rebounds per game despite having only three points against Polk State.
Scouting Tallahassee :
Led by Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year Zach Settembre, The Eagles, who are ranked #10 in the NJCAA Top 25 Poll, were crowned the Panhandle Regular Season Champion after going 9-3 in their conference, thus becoming the #1 team in the Panhandle Conference. In their last season game, the Titans fell to RV Gulf Coast State 108-107 in triple overtime in their last conference game of the season.
Freshman El Ellis leads the team offensively for the Eagles. Ellis is averaging 14.7 points and 4.6 assists per game. Ellis had 21 points and six assists against GCSC before being named Panhandle Player of the Year and a member of the All-Panhandle First Team.
Sophomores Tariq Silver and DeAndre Gholston also play key roles offensively. Silver is averaging 12.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while Gholston is averaging 11.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Against GCSC, Silver had 23 points and eight rebounds while Gholston had 17 points and seven rebounds. Both Silver was named Panhandle Newcomer of the Year and a member of the All-Panhandle First Team while Gholston was named to the All-Panhandle Second Team.
Sophomores Eric Hester, Kailex Stephens, Jordan Guest and Rifen Miguel also play big roles and were named on both Panhandle Conference Teams (Hester: First Team; Stephens, Guest and Miguel: Second Team).
Hester is averaging 9.4 points and two assists per game despite only scoring five points with two assists against GCSC.
Stephens averages eight points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Stephens had eight points and seven rebounds against GCSC.
Guest is averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Guest had 18 points and six rebounds against GCSC.
Miguel averages 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game despite not playing against GCSC.
Series History (2012-present):
The Manatees are 0-4 against the Eagles. Last time both teams met was on December 13, 2014 where the Manatees fell 87-60 in Tallahassee.
How to Keep Up:
The game will be featured livestream on Emerald Coast TV YouTube page. The game is free to watch for all fans. Fans can also stay up to date with both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
TCC: @TCCEagles
Livestream Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoal4TkWkrxNaqaANYXAb3A
2nd Herd Dances to States
For the second straight year, the SCF basketball team (21-11) has punched their ticket to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament as they defeated Polk State (21-10) 92-74 at the Winter Haven Health Center in Winter Haven. With the win, the Manatees are now 13-18 against the Eagles and will be joining #1 FSW (29-1) as a representative of the Suncoast Conference for the state tournament.
Personal Opinion: It did make sense to cut the net at our gym because if we cut the net at Polk State's gym, then chances are there would be a very heated hostility and someone could actually get hurt during the ceremony and could lead to possible consequences on Polk State and possibly on us despite us not antagonizing it.
"It feels really good and I'm extremely proud," said head coach Tom Parks. "I said in the locker room that there are a few moments in my life that I can remember where I was more proud and those were extremely significant moments of my life. It means a lot to look back on the year and to think about where we were three weeks ago and the fact that the guys could play without confidence with the stretch. I'm so proud of the team."
In the first half, both teams were neck and neck in single digits until the Manatees pulled ahead with big baskets by sophomores D'Moi Hodge and Isiah Dasher and freshman Marshall Kearing to give the Manatees a 20-8 lead until the Eagles started to cut the deficit to single digits nearing the end of the half and even took a single digit lead with 4:30 left on the clock before sophomore Max Bell-Ramos and Hodge brought the Manatees back up for a 42-38 lead at the end of the first half.
Heading into the second half, the Manatees started to push themselves hard to try and get ahead in double digits, but while the Manatees were barely holding their lead the Eagles continued to push and cut the deficit, but in the end the Manatees stood their ground and were able to pull away with the win.
"I'm lost for words on what we did," said Hodge on winning the championship. "It was a great feeling to know that we got hopes that this season knowing that we lost seven games in the conference and bounce back to win the championship. Today we handled business and we knew we were the better team. We just had to be confident to know that we could handle that for 40 minutes."
"It feels amazing," said Kearing on winning the championship. "Being that I'm a freshman and didn't expect to come out like this for conference and I'm really happy how we did tonight."
"We worked really hard to get this far for it," said freshman Jordan Clark on winning the championship. "A lot of people thought we were not going to have a good season, but we turned it around."
Three Manatees scored in double digits and it was Hodge that led the Manatees on pace as he finished with 36 points (12-for-23 FG, 5-for-12 3PT, 7-for-7 FT), seven rebounds, six assists, one block and five steals.
Kearing followed one rebound shy of a double-double as he finished with a season-high 25 points (9-for-10 FG, 1-for-1 3PT, 6-for-8 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, six blocks and a steal.
"I was starting off a bit slow," said Kearing on his performance. "Which was how I was going so far this season, but in the second half, I came out a lot stronger, helping with scoring and stuff to help push the lead up."
"That was the quietest game I've seen with Marshall," said Parks on Kearing's performance. "I didn't even know he scored in double digits. Marshall is so efficient and that kid is too good."
Dasher rounded out the lineup with 11 points (4-for-11 FG, 1-for-5 3PT, 2-for-4 FT), seven rebounds, four assists and a steal, while Clark added nine points (4-for-9 FG, 1-for-3 3PT), three rebounds and two assists.
Sophomores Christnoff Scarborough (three points), Remy Robert II (two points, two rebounds and a block) and Bell-Ramos (six points and five rebounds) all contributed in the game for the Manatees. Robert II and Bell-Ramos were the only players that came off the bench.
For the Eagles, four players scored in double figures. Sophomore Malcolm Stevenson led the way with 20 points and five rebounds, while freshman Clearance Jackson followed with 12 points and five rebounds.
Sophomore Tekorian "TK" Smith finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while freshman Kameron Pauldo rounded out the order with 10 points and an assist. Smith was 2-for-22 on field goals.
Notes:
The five points in the first half for Hodge helped him as he now holds the record for most points in a single season, which was previously held by James Life (762, 2004-06). Hodge now has 794 points this season and 1,392 in his career.
"It's feels good to know I came here and did what I knew I could do," said Hodge on setting the single season record. "I knew I could come to this school and change the program around and I came and did it in a fashionably good way."
"It's pretty cool within my two seasons of the program and D'Moi first two year program that he was able to do that," said Parks on Hodge setting the season record. "I guess the coolest thing about D'Moi breaking those record is that when he was asked about it, he said it was 'really cool until someone else comes along to try and break it. That's just D'Moi and it's cool how his mind works. He's an incredible basketball player and extremely humble and that just shows his humility. Although I think he's wrong about it because it will take some time for that to happen. I don't know that there has been a better player I coached than D'Moi."
Dasher's 11 points put him at 979 and needs 21 to reach 1,000 career points and be the second active player to do so. Dasher still has a chance to reach 1,000 career points when they get to states.
After the game, the Manatees returned home to do the net cutting at Hal Chasey Gymnasium instead of at Polk State. I even got to be a part of the ceremony and cut a piece of the net for writing up all the stories that they did, which was pretty cool to say the least.
Personal Opinion: It did make sense to cut the net at our gym because if we cut the net at Polk State's gym, then chances are there would be a very heated hostility and someone could actually get hurt during the ceremony and could lead to possible consequences on Polk State and possibly on us despite us not antagonizing it.
Up Next:
The Manatees will be ready for the state tournament in Niceville, hosted by Northwest Florida State, March 4, 6-7. Their opponent will be #10 Tallahassee CC (25-5) Wednesday night, March 4 at 7 pm EST/6 CST. The Eagles were named the Panhandle Conference Regular Season Champions this season.
2nd Herd Strikes Down SPC in Suncoast Semifinals
The #2 seed SCF basketball team (20-11) punched their way closer to states as they defeated #3 St. Pete (14-17) 90-75 in the Suncoast Conference Tournament Semifinals at Hal Chasey Gymnasium. With the win, the Manatees are now 9-21 against the Titans and will face #1 Polk State (21-9), who defeated #4 seed Hillsborough (10-18) 91-89 in double overtime.
"What I told the guys was anytime you beat an Earnest Crumbley coached St. Pete College basketball team, it is a great win," said head coach Tom Parks. "That man, who is a hall of famer for a reason, can coach. He's taken teams like that to the national tournament out of Florida and won state championships. He is a legend and the thing about St. Pete is they don't care how much time is on the clock or what the score is, they will battle every single possession and rebound harder than any team I played this year, probably even one of the hardest rebounding teams in the country in terms of their effort. They guard all the time, they attack the paint, drive, post up, pretty much everything they do is physical and intense."
"I felt really good today," said sophomore Isiah Dasher. "We had a bad six out of the last eight games we played, but we picked it up. I feel confident no matter if we play Polk State or Hillsborough that they're locked in ready to go."
"It a great feeling right now to know that my second year here we have achance to win it all again," said sophomore D'Moi Hodge. "Right now I feel good, but I don't feel accomplished right now until the game tomorrow."
"It was a tough game," said sophomore Max Bell-Ramos. "We were up by like 16 until St. Pete came out clutch and they came close to catching up to us. Good thing all the guys stepped up so we could get the 'W' tonight. Polk will be a tough opponent, but we can handle it."
Offensively, it was surprisingly Dasher that led the Manatees as he finished with 24 points (8-for-14 FG, 1-for-5 3PT, 6-for-6 FT), four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Hodge followed with his 12th career double-double as he finished with 21 points (8-for-18 FG, 4-for-11 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
"I think it's pretty incredible that you have a kid that signed a national letter of intent in July before the August when he reports to campus in six weeks," said Parks on Hodge. "The fact that nobody wanted to sign him yet and was able to take a program that finished the previous two seasons before with 13 wins (2017-18) in one season and six (2016-17) in the other before we had 18 wins (2018-19) and led the team in scoring, rebounding, blocking and stealing before leading the state in scoring and to the first 20 win season, is quite remarkable."
Bell-Ramos rounded out the order with a tied career-high 14 points (4-for-7 FG, 6-for-8 FT), one rebound and three assists.
"It felt good to get that many points," said Bell-Ramos on his performance. "Some guys were hurt and I seized my opportunity for a way to help out the team."
"Max always has had what it takes," said Parks on Bell-Ramos. "He's an unbelievable kid with a very interesting story, he's so humble and really wants to do right and please you. Max is really talented and really skilled and there's no one more deserving than him to have him on my team."
Sophomore Christnoff Scarborough and freshman Marshall Kearing each had eight points, a steal and two blocks. Scarborough (4-for-7 FG) added 10 rebounds, while Kearing (4-for-6 FG) added seven rebounds.
Sophomore Remy Robert II (six points, one rebound, two assists and two steals), redshirt freshman Calvin McCutcheon (one rebound) and freshmen Jordan Clark (seven points, five rebounds and four assists), Michael Gavin (two points, two assists and one steal) and Sam Grayson (one rebound) also contributed in the game.
The first half was smooth sailing for the Manatees with a 15-6 lead. With 13 minutes left, Hodge with an open opportunity took a difficult 3-point shot in success at the right wing. Meanwhile, Dasher continued to play his strong role offensively in which he scored 13 points in the first half.
With nine minutes left in the first half, Hodge would secure his second 3-pointer, which would turn out to be the record-breaking point that Hodge needed. At the end of the first, the Manatees were ahead 45-29 at the end of the first half.
In the second half, the Manatees started to struggle and decreasing their lead by as much as eight points, but in the end they were able to recover and seal the deal for the win.
Notes:
With his 21 points, Hodge has now set the program record and has surpassed James Life (1,341, 2005-06) for most career points with 1,356. In addition, Hodge has 758 points this season and needs five more points to break Life's single season points record (762).
"It feels good to know that I came here to handle what I normally do," said Hodge on breaking the program career record. "It's a great milestone to know that I made to be a part of SCF history until someone comes along, but it feels great."
Dasher's 24 points put him at 968 in his career and needs 32 to reach 1,000 career points and the second active player to do so.
"Today I stopped thinking about the milestone of 1,000 points," said Dasher. "I just started to hoop. I sat out for two straight games and let it go because it's all about wins and to get to states and we don't just want to go to states, we want to win states so we got some games to handle."
"Zay is one of those players that when he gets hurt or when he's out, he's not the same player and it's even the same way when he doesn't have the rhythm and takes him a while to get him back into it," said Parks on Dasher. "He started struggling when we played against FSW and Polk on that stretch, but then he started playing better against SPC. He played ok against HCC, but that was to his strengths. Tonight, Zay had a lot more pep in his step because he needs to have his athleticism back so he can have that explosive step after he freezes somebody."
This was the Manatees' 20th win this season and the most for the team thus far.
Up Next:
The Manatees will travel to Winter Haven to face Polk State in the finals of the Suncoast Conference Tournament. The winner will punch their ticket join Suncoast Conference Regular Season Champion #1 FSW (29-1) in the FCSAA State Tournament in Niceville, hosted by Northwest Florida State.
"What I told the guys was anytime you beat an Earnest Crumbley coached St. Pete College basketball team, it is a great win," said head coach Tom Parks. "That man, who is a hall of famer for a reason, can coach. He's taken teams like that to the national tournament out of Florida and won state championships. He is a legend and the thing about St. Pete is they don't care how much time is on the clock or what the score is, they will battle every single possession and rebound harder than any team I played this year, probably even one of the hardest rebounding teams in the country in terms of their effort. They guard all the time, they attack the paint, drive, post up, pretty much everything they do is physical and intense."
"I felt really good today," said sophomore Isiah Dasher. "We had a bad six out of the last eight games we played, but we picked it up. I feel confident no matter if we play Polk State or Hillsborough that they're locked in ready to go."
"It a great feeling right now to know that my second year here we have achance to win it all again," said sophomore D'Moi Hodge. "Right now I feel good, but I don't feel accomplished right now until the game tomorrow."
"It was a tough game," said sophomore Max Bell-Ramos. "We were up by like 16 until St. Pete came out clutch and they came close to catching up to us. Good thing all the guys stepped up so we could get the 'W' tonight. Polk will be a tough opponent, but we can handle it."
Offensively, it was surprisingly Dasher that led the Manatees as he finished with 24 points (8-for-14 FG, 1-for-5 3PT, 6-for-6 FT), four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Hodge followed with his 12th career double-double as he finished with 21 points (8-for-18 FG, 4-for-11 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
"I think it's pretty incredible that you have a kid that signed a national letter of intent in July before the August when he reports to campus in six weeks," said Parks on Hodge. "The fact that nobody wanted to sign him yet and was able to take a program that finished the previous two seasons before with 13 wins (2017-18) in one season and six (2016-17) in the other before we had 18 wins (2018-19) and led the team in scoring, rebounding, blocking and stealing before leading the state in scoring and to the first 20 win season, is quite remarkable."
Bell-Ramos rounded out the order with a tied career-high 14 points (4-for-7 FG, 6-for-8 FT), one rebound and three assists.
"It felt good to get that many points," said Bell-Ramos on his performance. "Some guys were hurt and I seized my opportunity for a way to help out the team."
"Max always has had what it takes," said Parks on Bell-Ramos. "He's an unbelievable kid with a very interesting story, he's so humble and really wants to do right and please you. Max is really talented and really skilled and there's no one more deserving than him to have him on my team."
Sophomore Christnoff Scarborough and freshman Marshall Kearing each had eight points, a steal and two blocks. Scarborough (4-for-7 FG) added 10 rebounds, while Kearing (4-for-6 FG) added seven rebounds.
Sophomore Remy Robert II (six points, one rebound, two assists and two steals), redshirt freshman Calvin McCutcheon (one rebound) and freshmen Jordan Clark (seven points, five rebounds and four assists), Michael Gavin (two points, two assists and one steal) and Sam Grayson (one rebound) also contributed in the game.
The first half was smooth sailing for the Manatees with a 15-6 lead. With 13 minutes left, Hodge with an open opportunity took a difficult 3-point shot in success at the right wing. Meanwhile, Dasher continued to play his strong role offensively in which he scored 13 points in the first half.
With nine minutes left in the first half, Hodge would secure his second 3-pointer, which would turn out to be the record-breaking point that Hodge needed. At the end of the first, the Manatees were ahead 45-29 at the end of the first half.
In the second half, the Manatees started to struggle and decreasing their lead by as much as eight points, but in the end they were able to recover and seal the deal for the win.
Notes:
With his 21 points, Hodge has now set the program record and has surpassed James Life (1,341, 2005-06) for most career points with 1,356. In addition, Hodge has 758 points this season and needs five more points to break Life's single season points record (762).
"It feels good to know that I came here to handle what I normally do," said Hodge on breaking the program career record. "It's a great milestone to know that I made to be a part of SCF history until someone comes along, but it feels great."
Dasher's 24 points put him at 968 in his career and needs 32 to reach 1,000 career points and the second active player to do so.
"Today I stopped thinking about the milestone of 1,000 points," said Dasher. "I just started to hoop. I sat out for two straight games and let it go because it's all about wins and to get to states and we don't just want to go to states, we want to win states so we got some games to handle."
"Zay is one of those players that when he gets hurt or when he's out, he's not the same player and it's even the same way when he doesn't have the rhythm and takes him a while to get him back into it," said Parks on Dasher. "He started struggling when we played against FSW and Polk on that stretch, but then he started playing better against SPC. He played ok against HCC, but that was to his strengths. Tonight, Zay had a lot more pep in his step because he needs to have his athleticism back so he can have that explosive step after he freezes somebody."
This was the Manatees' 20th win this season and the most for the team thus far.
Up Next:
The Manatees will travel to Winter Haven to face Polk State in the finals of the Suncoast Conference Tournament. The winner will punch their ticket join Suncoast Conference Regular Season Champion #1 FSW (29-1) in the FCSAA State Tournament in Niceville, hosted by Northwest Florida State.
2nd Herd Readies for Suncoast Tournament
With the regular season at a close, the day is not yet over for the SCF basketball team (19-11) as they will be preparing themselves for the two-day Suncoast Conference Tournament. The Manatees will be hosting one of the two semifinal games for the tournament. Polk State will be hosting the other. In the tournament, the Manatees will face St. Pete (14-16) while Polk State (20-9) will welcome Hillsborough (10-17).
Last Time Out:
The Manatees wrapped up the regular season on the road where they fell to #1 FSW (29-1) by a score of 76-69. Yet despite the loss, it was the Manatees' closest score against the Buccaneers. Nevertheless, the Buccaneers would the Suncoast Regular Season Champions for the fifth straight season.
Final Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (29-1, 12-0 Suncoast)*^
2. Polk State (20-9, 7-5 Suncoast) #1
3. SCF (19-11, 5-7 Suncoast) #2
4. St. Pete College (14-16, 4-8 Suncoast) #3
5. Hillsborough (10-17, 2-10 Suncoast) #4
#1-4 Seed in the conference tournament.
^Clinched Playoff Berth
*Suncoast Regular Season Champions
What's at Stake:
The winner of the Suncoast Conference Tournament will join #1 FSW as one of two teams in the FCSAA/NJCAA District VIII Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.
If SCF defeat SPC, then they must await the result of the matchup between Polk State and HCC where if Polk State loses, then SCF would host the conference tournament and welcome HCC. If SCF wins and Polk State wins, then SCF will have to travel to Winter Haven for the conference tournament since Polk State is the highest seed.
FCSAA/NJCAA District VIII Men’s Basketball Championship:
The FCSAA/NJCAA District VIII Men’s Basketball Championship takes eight teams from the top two seeds in the Suncoast, Mid-Florida, Panhandle and Southern Conference. Those eight will then play in an eight-team single elimination tournament where the winner and runner-up will punch their tickets to be in the 73rd NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship - known as The Tournament. The Location of the tournament this season will be held at Raider Arena at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida.
#1 FSW (Suncoast) (29-1), #18 Central Florida (Mid-Florida) (24-6), #9 Tallahassee (Panhandle) (25-5) and RV Indian River State (Southern) (22-7) have won their respected conference regular season championships and an automatic spot in the state championship. Broward College (Southern) (17-9) and Gulf Coast State (Panhandle) (21-7) also earned a playoff berth for the state tournament as runner-ups in their conference due to the Panhandle and Southern Conference not having a conference tournament.
Next Season's New Bloods:
For the upcoming "3rd Herd", Parks confirmed on January 20 that he had signed five players to join SCF next season: Kwo Agwa, Michael Hatcher, DK Kelly, Javon Bell and Hunter Madden.
Kwo Agwa:
A 6-7 swing from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, by way of South Sudan, Agwa will come from the Edge School in Calgary. Agwa played in only four games with Edge due to an injury while averaging 17.5 points per game.
Michael Hatcher:
A 6-6 wing, Hatcher is a local product from Palmetto High School in Palmetto, Florida. As a senior, Hatcher averaged 18.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game with the Tigers while being named Florida Athletic Coaches Association District 16 Boys Basketball Player of the year and helping the Tigers to a 15-7 overall record and reach the regional quarterfinals of the FHSAA 6A State Tournament.
Javon Bell:
A 6-4 wing, Bell committed to SCF and will join upon finishing his senior year at Santa Fe Catholic School in Lakeland, Florida. Bell was a two-sport athlete playing both football and basketball. As a football player, Bell had 87 yards and a touchdown his junior year with the Hawks before primarily focusing on playing basketball. Bell is currently playing in the regional semifinals of the FHSAA 3A State Tournament on February 25 against Calvary Christian Academy.
Decorrian "DK" Kelly:
A 6-1 guard from Memphis, Kelly will join SCF upon his completion of his postgraduate year at Huntington Prep in West Virginia. Prior to that, Kelly graduated from Bolton High School in Arlington, Tennessee where he averaged 16.4 points, six rebounds and 3.3 steals per game.
Hunter Madden:
Madden is the most recent commit and second international player joining SCF. A native of Australia, Madden will join SCF after completing the 2019-20 season with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). Madden was a part of the U16 and U17 Australian National Teams and competed in the U16 Asia Championship and U17 World Cup in 2018. Currently, Madden and the Kings are competing against the Melbourne United in the NBL Playoffs after finishing the season 20-8 overall and claiming the #1 seed and will be looking for their third fourth championship in franchise history.
*Side Note: Madden does play on the same NBL team as former NBA player Andrew Bogut.
Seven to 26 for Records:
For sophomore D'Moi Hodge, he has inched to the final edge of the two program records held by James Life: most points scored in a single season (Life: 762) and most points in program history (Life: 1,341). Hodge is currently averaging 25.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. The upcoming transfer to Cleveland State had 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks against FSW.
Hodge has 737 points this season and 1,335 in his career. He only needs seven for the all-time points record and 26 for the single season points record.
Dash to 1,000:
Sophomore Isiah Dasher is also on a path to reaching 1,000 career points. Dasher has 944 and needs 56 to do so. Dasher is currently averaging 15.5 points, five rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Dasher had 14 points, one rebound and one assist against FSW.
Bigs on the Block:
For sophomore Christnoff Scarborough and freshman Marshall Kearing, they continue to do their job as the big men on the team.
Despite scoring only three points with four rebounds against FSW, Scarborough is still averaging 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Kearing is averaging 11.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Kearing had 16 points, six rebounds and five blocks against FSW.
Scouting SPC:
The Titans enter the conference tournament as the #3 seed once again. They finished their last game with an 74-71 win over HCC.
Sophomore Kobie Johnson leads the team averaging 16.7 points and four rebounds per game. Johnson had 15 points and four rebounds against HCC.
Freshman Bryan Williams follows along averaging 15 points, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game, while classmate Damon Davis averages 11.2 points and 3.6 assists per game. Against HCC, Williams had 19 points, four assists and five steals while Davis had 12 points and six assists.
As far as rebounding, freshman Teddy Bayi Ba Mandeng is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game to go alone with seven points per game. Against HCC, Bayi Ba Mandeng had five points with five rebounds.
Series History (2012-present):
The Manatees are 8-21 against the Titans where they claimed the series this season winning game one 79-72 (1/8) and game two 79-73 (1/25) before losing game three 71-68 (2/12).
How to Keep Up:
The game will be livestream on SCF Sports Network. Fans can also keep up on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
SPC: @SPCMBasketball
Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/
Last Time Out:
The Manatees wrapped up the regular season on the road where they fell to #1 FSW (29-1) by a score of 76-69. Yet despite the loss, it was the Manatees' closest score against the Buccaneers. Nevertheless, the Buccaneers would the Suncoast Regular Season Champions for the fifth straight season.
Final Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (29-1, 12-0 Suncoast)*^
2. Polk State (20-9, 7-5 Suncoast) #1
3. SCF (19-11, 5-7 Suncoast) #2
4. St. Pete College (14-16, 4-8 Suncoast) #3
5. Hillsborough (10-17, 2-10 Suncoast) #4
#1-4 Seed in the conference tournament.
^Clinched Playoff Berth
*Suncoast Regular Season Champions
What's at Stake:
The winner of the Suncoast Conference Tournament will join #1 FSW as one of two teams in the FCSAA/NJCAA District VIII Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.
If SCF defeat SPC, then they must await the result of the matchup between Polk State and HCC where if Polk State loses, then SCF would host the conference tournament and welcome HCC. If SCF wins and Polk State wins, then SCF will have to travel to Winter Haven for the conference tournament since Polk State is the highest seed.
FCSAA/NJCAA District VIII Men’s Basketball Championship:
The FCSAA/NJCAA District VIII Men’s Basketball Championship takes eight teams from the top two seeds in the Suncoast, Mid-Florida, Panhandle and Southern Conference. Those eight will then play in an eight-team single elimination tournament where the winner and runner-up will punch their tickets to be in the 73rd NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship - known as The Tournament. The Location of the tournament this season will be held at Raider Arena at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida.
#1 FSW (Suncoast) (29-1), #18 Central Florida (Mid-Florida) (24-6), #9 Tallahassee (Panhandle) (25-5) and RV Indian River State (Southern) (22-7) have won their respected conference regular season championships and an automatic spot in the state championship. Broward College (Southern) (17-9) and Gulf Coast State (Panhandle) (21-7) also earned a playoff berth for the state tournament as runner-ups in their conference due to the Panhandle and Southern Conference not having a conference tournament.
Next Season's New Bloods:
For the upcoming "3rd Herd", Parks confirmed on January 20 that he had signed five players to join SCF next season: Kwo Agwa, Michael Hatcher, DK Kelly, Javon Bell and Hunter Madden.
Kwo Agwa:
A 6-7 swing from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, by way of South Sudan, Agwa will come from the Edge School in Calgary. Agwa played in only four games with Edge due to an injury while averaging 17.5 points per game.
Michael Hatcher:
A 6-6 wing, Hatcher is a local product from Palmetto High School in Palmetto, Florida. As a senior, Hatcher averaged 18.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game with the Tigers while being named Florida Athletic Coaches Association District 16 Boys Basketball Player of the year and helping the Tigers to a 15-7 overall record and reach the regional quarterfinals of the FHSAA 6A State Tournament.
Javon Bell:
A 6-4 wing, Bell committed to SCF and will join upon finishing his senior year at Santa Fe Catholic School in Lakeland, Florida. Bell was a two-sport athlete playing both football and basketball. As a football player, Bell had 87 yards and a touchdown his junior year with the Hawks before primarily focusing on playing basketball. Bell is currently playing in the regional semifinals of the FHSAA 3A State Tournament on February 25 against Calvary Christian Academy.
Decorrian "DK" Kelly:
A 6-1 guard from Memphis, Kelly will join SCF upon his completion of his postgraduate year at Huntington Prep in West Virginia. Prior to that, Kelly graduated from Bolton High School in Arlington, Tennessee where he averaged 16.4 points, six rebounds and 3.3 steals per game.
Hunter Madden:
Madden is the most recent commit and second international player joining SCF. A native of Australia, Madden will join SCF after completing the 2019-20 season with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). Madden was a part of the U16 and U17 Australian National Teams and competed in the U16 Asia Championship and U17 World Cup in 2018. Currently, Madden and the Kings are competing against the Melbourne United in the NBL Playoffs after finishing the season 20-8 overall and claiming the #1 seed and will be looking for their third fourth championship in franchise history.
*Side Note: Madden does play on the same NBL team as former NBA player Andrew Bogut.
Seven to 26 for Records:
For sophomore D'Moi Hodge, he has inched to the final edge of the two program records held by James Life: most points scored in a single season (Life: 762) and most points in program history (Life: 1,341). Hodge is currently averaging 25.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. The upcoming transfer to Cleveland State had 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks against FSW.
Hodge has 737 points this season and 1,335 in his career. He only needs seven for the all-time points record and 26 for the single season points record.
Dash to 1,000:
Sophomore Isiah Dasher is also on a path to reaching 1,000 career points. Dasher has 944 and needs 56 to do so. Dasher is currently averaging 15.5 points, five rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Dasher had 14 points, one rebound and one assist against FSW.
Bigs on the Block:
For sophomore Christnoff Scarborough and freshman Marshall Kearing, they continue to do their job as the big men on the team.
Despite scoring only three points with four rebounds against FSW, Scarborough is still averaging 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Kearing is averaging 11.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Kearing had 16 points, six rebounds and five blocks against FSW.
Scouting SPC:
The Titans enter the conference tournament as the #3 seed once again. They finished their last game with an 74-71 win over HCC.
Sophomore Kobie Johnson leads the team averaging 16.7 points and four rebounds per game. Johnson had 15 points and four rebounds against HCC.
Freshman Bryan Williams follows along averaging 15 points, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game, while classmate Damon Davis averages 11.2 points and 3.6 assists per game. Against HCC, Williams had 19 points, four assists and five steals while Davis had 12 points and six assists.
As far as rebounding, freshman Teddy Bayi Ba Mandeng is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game to go alone with seven points per game. Against HCC, Bayi Ba Mandeng had five points with five rebounds.
Series History (2012-present):
The Manatees are 8-21 against the Titans where they claimed the series this season winning game one 79-72 (1/8) and game two 79-73 (1/25) before losing game three 71-68 (2/12).
How to Keep Up:
The game will be livestream on SCF Sports Network. Fans can also keep up on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
SPC: @SPCMBasketball
Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/
2nd Herd Falls in Season Finale
The SCF basketball team (19-11, 5-7 Suncoast) wrapped up the regular season losing to #1 FSW (28-1, 11-0 Suncoast) in a tight knit game by a score of 76-69.
Offensively, three Manatees scored in double figures. It was sophomore D'Moi Hodge that led the way with 23 points (10-for-25 FG, 3-for-12 3PT), five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Freshman Marshall Kearing would follow with 17 points (7-for-11 FG, 1-for-1 3PT), six rebounds, one steal and five blocks. Sophomore Isiah Dasher would round out the lineup with 14 points (2-for-10 FG, 1-for-6 3PT, 9-for-9 FT), one rebound and one assist.
Sophomores Max Bell-Ramos (five points, six rebounds and one assist), Remy Robert II (one point and one rebound) and Christnoff Scarborough (three points, four rebounds and one assist) and freshmen Jordan Clark (two points, one rebound, one assist and two steals), Sam Grayson (two points, three rebounds and one steal) and Michael Gavin (two points and one assist) also contributed for the Manatees.
For the Buccaneers, freshman Jermaine Marshall led the way offensively off the bench as he finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Simeon Kirkland followed with 13 points and six rebounds, while classmate Keon Ellis finished with 12 points and six rebounds before fouling out. Classmate Berrick JeanLouis rounded out the order with 10 points and six rebounds.
Notes:
With the 23 points, Hodge now has 737 points this season and 1,335 in his career. Hodge is now seven points away from the all-time record in career points and 26 from the single season record. Both records were set by James Life (1,341: all-time; 762: single season).
Personal opinion: Hodge will more than likely break both records in the Suncoast Tournament.
With his 14 points, Dasher now has 944 and needs 56 to become the third player to reach 1,000 career points and the second active to do so.
Personal opinion: Truthfully I do have some doubts that Dasher will reach 1,000. I mean he still has a chance to do so, but it would have to be further into the state tournament. Otherwise, it's very doubtful.
Other Suncoast Scores:
Hillsborough (10-16, 2-9 Suncoast) defeated Polk State (20-8, 7-4 Suncoast) by a score of 78-73. The Hawks will play St. Pete College (13-16, 3-8 Suncoast) Saturday afternoon, February 22 at 4 pm. The Eagles will face #1 FSW Saturday afternoon, February 22 at 4 pm as part of their sophomore night game.
#1 FSW, Polk State, SPC and HCC all have one more conference game before the tournament. Since they won the Suncoast Regular Season Championship, the Buccaneers will not participate in the tournament as they claimed an automatic bid to the FCSAA State Tournament.
Updated Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (28-1, 11-0 Suncoast)*#
2. Polk State (20-8, 7-4 Suncoast)
3. SCF (19-11, 5-7 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete College (13-16, 3-8 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (10-16, 2-9 Suncoast)
#Clinched Playoff Berth
*Suncoast Regular Season Champions
Up Next:
The Manatees will now focus for the next few days of practice for the Suncoast Conference Tournament. The Manatees are listed as the #2 seed in the tournament and will await the final matchup between SPC and HCC for the #4 seed. More than likely, the Manatees will face St. Pete College.
The winner of the Suncoast Conference Tournament will join #1 FSW as the Suncoast Conference Runner-Up and face Tallahassee Community College (Panhandle Regular Season Champions) in the FCSAA State Tournament.
Offensively, three Manatees scored in double figures. It was sophomore D'Moi Hodge that led the way with 23 points (10-for-25 FG, 3-for-12 3PT), five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Freshman Marshall Kearing would follow with 17 points (7-for-11 FG, 1-for-1 3PT), six rebounds, one steal and five blocks. Sophomore Isiah Dasher would round out the lineup with 14 points (2-for-10 FG, 1-for-6 3PT, 9-for-9 FT), one rebound and one assist.
Sophomores Max Bell-Ramos (five points, six rebounds and one assist), Remy Robert II (one point and one rebound) and Christnoff Scarborough (three points, four rebounds and one assist) and freshmen Jordan Clark (two points, one rebound, one assist and two steals), Sam Grayson (two points, three rebounds and one steal) and Michael Gavin (two points and one assist) also contributed for the Manatees.
For the Buccaneers, freshman Jermaine Marshall led the way offensively off the bench as he finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Simeon Kirkland followed with 13 points and six rebounds, while classmate Keon Ellis finished with 12 points and six rebounds before fouling out. Classmate Berrick JeanLouis rounded out the order with 10 points and six rebounds.
Notes:
With the 23 points, Hodge now has 737 points this season and 1,335 in his career. Hodge is now seven points away from the all-time record in career points and 26 from the single season record. Both records were set by James Life (1,341: all-time; 762: single season).
Personal opinion: Hodge will more than likely break both records in the Suncoast Tournament.
With his 14 points, Dasher now has 944 and needs 56 to become the third player to reach 1,000 career points and the second active to do so.
Personal opinion: Truthfully I do have some doubts that Dasher will reach 1,000. I mean he still has a chance to do so, but it would have to be further into the state tournament. Otherwise, it's very doubtful.
Other Suncoast Scores:
Hillsborough (10-16, 2-9 Suncoast) defeated Polk State (20-8, 7-4 Suncoast) by a score of 78-73. The Hawks will play St. Pete College (13-16, 3-8 Suncoast) Saturday afternoon, February 22 at 4 pm. The Eagles will face #1 FSW Saturday afternoon, February 22 at 4 pm as part of their sophomore night game.
#1 FSW, Polk State, SPC and HCC all have one more conference game before the tournament. Since they won the Suncoast Regular Season Championship, the Buccaneers will not participate in the tournament as they claimed an automatic bid to the FCSAA State Tournament.
Updated Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (28-1, 11-0 Suncoast)*#
2. Polk State (20-8, 7-4 Suncoast)
3. SCF (19-11, 5-7 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete College (13-16, 3-8 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (10-16, 2-9 Suncoast)
#Clinched Playoff Berth
*Suncoast Regular Season Champions
Up Next:
The Manatees will now focus for the next few days of practice for the Suncoast Conference Tournament. The Manatees are listed as the #2 seed in the tournament and will await the final matchup between SPC and HCC for the #4 seed. More than likely, the Manatees will face St. Pete College.
The winner of the Suncoast Conference Tournament will join #1 FSW as the Suncoast Conference Runner-Up and face Tallahassee Community College (Panhandle Regular Season Champions) in the FCSAA State Tournament.
2nd Herd Closes Regular Season @ FSW
The SCF basketball team (19-10, 5-6 Suncoast) will play one more game on the road for their last regular season as travel to Fort Myers to take on #1 FSW (27-1, 10-0 Suncoast) Wednesday night, February 19 at 7:30 pm.
Last Time Out:
The Manatees closed out their final regular season home game against Hillsborough where they won 79-52. The game was dubbed as 'Sophomore Night' for the five sophomores on the team. as a result of the game, the Manatees claimed the series over HCC.
Currently the Manatees are in third place in the Suncoast and will be hosting as one of the two top seeds for the Suncoast Conference Tournament.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (27-1, 10-0 Suncoast)*#
2. Polk State (20-7, 7-3 Suncoast)
3. SCF (19-10, 5-6 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete College (13-16, 3-8 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (9-16, 1-9 Suncoast)
#Clinched Playoff Berth
*Suncoast Regular Season Champions
30 to 49 for the Record:
For sophomore D'Moi Hodge, he narrows to the edge of two program records at SCF. Hodge is currently averaging 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. In the sophomore night game, Hodge had 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four steals two blocks.
For the season, Hodge has 714 points and 1,312 in his career. Hodge remains 30 points away from the all-time record in career points and 49 from the single season record. Both records were set by James Life (1,341: all-time; 762: single season).
Dashing Hopes to 1,000:
For sophomore Isiah Dasher, he was in a slump the last few games. Yet despite that, Dasher is averaging 15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Dasher had nine points, one rebound and one assists against HCC.
In his career, Dasher has 930 career points and need 70 to become the second active to reach 1,000 career points (Hodge was the first) and the third player to do so.
Notorious Bigs:
The duo of freshman Marshall Kearing and sophomore Christnoff Scarborough continue their dominance as the big men for their role. Kearing is averaging 11.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, while Scarborough averages 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Against HCC, both big men had a double-double in points and rebounds (Scarborough: 16 points and 12 rebounds; Kearing: 13 points and 12 rebounds). In fact for Scarborough, it was his first collegiate double-double.
Sophomores Max Bell-Ramos and Remy Robert II continue to do their roles to their dominance. Bell-Ramos is averaging 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, while Robert II is averaging four points per game. In the game against HCC, both players were in the starting lineup with Bell-Ramos scoring nine points with six rebounds and Robert II scoring eight points.
Freshman Jordan Clark also plays a key role in the starting rotation. Despite not scoring any points against HCC, Clark is still averaging 11.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
Scouting FSW:
The Buccaneers are coming off of a 93-59 win over HCC. As a result, they were named the Suncoast Conference Regular Season Champions and earned an automatic spot in the FCSAA State Tournament in Niceville, Florida where they will await the Panhandle Conference Runner-Up
Sophomore Keon Ellis leads the team averaging 18.4 points and 2.3 steals per game. Ellis had 11 points against HCC.
Classmates Berrick JeanLouis and Jalen Finch follow Ellis in average scoring. JeanLouis is averaging 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while Finch averages 10 points and 5.4 assists per game. Against HCC, JeanLouis had 16 points and four rebounds while Finch was held to two points but added seven assists.
As far as crashing the boards, freshman Jermaine Marshall leads the team averaging 10 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Marshall had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds against HCC.
Series History (2016-present):
Since FSW joined the Suncoast, the Manatees have yet to beat them as they are 0-12 against the Buccaneers, having already lost the series to them.
How to Keep Up:
The game will be featured livestream on the FSW Network. Fans can also keep up with both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
FSW: @FSWBucs
Livestream Link: https://www.fsw.edu/livestream
Last Time Out:
The Manatees closed out their final regular season home game against Hillsborough where they won 79-52. The game was dubbed as 'Sophomore Night' for the five sophomores on the team. as a result of the game, the Manatees claimed the series over HCC.
Currently the Manatees are in third place in the Suncoast and will be hosting as one of the two top seeds for the Suncoast Conference Tournament.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (27-1, 10-0 Suncoast)*#
2. Polk State (20-7, 7-3 Suncoast)
3. SCF (19-10, 5-6 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete College (13-16, 3-8 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (9-16, 1-9 Suncoast)
#Clinched Playoff Berth
*Suncoast Regular Season Champions
30 to 49 for the Record:
For sophomore D'Moi Hodge, he narrows to the edge of two program records at SCF. Hodge is currently averaging 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. In the sophomore night game, Hodge had 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four steals two blocks.
For the season, Hodge has 714 points and 1,312 in his career. Hodge remains 30 points away from the all-time record in career points and 49 from the single season record. Both records were set by James Life (1,341: all-time; 762: single season).
Dashing Hopes to 1,000:
For sophomore Isiah Dasher, he was in a slump the last few games. Yet despite that, Dasher is averaging 15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Dasher had nine points, one rebound and one assists against HCC.
In his career, Dasher has 930 career points and need 70 to become the second active to reach 1,000 career points (Hodge was the first) and the third player to do so.
Notorious Bigs:
The duo of freshman Marshall Kearing and sophomore Christnoff Scarborough continue their dominance as the big men for their role. Kearing is averaging 11.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, while Scarborough averages 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Against HCC, both big men had a double-double in points and rebounds (Scarborough: 16 points and 12 rebounds; Kearing: 13 points and 12 rebounds). In fact for Scarborough, it was his first collegiate double-double.
Sophomores Max Bell-Ramos and Remy Robert II continue to do their roles to their dominance. Bell-Ramos is averaging 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, while Robert II is averaging four points per game. In the game against HCC, both players were in the starting lineup with Bell-Ramos scoring nine points with six rebounds and Robert II scoring eight points.
Freshman Jordan Clark also plays a key role in the starting rotation. Despite not scoring any points against HCC, Clark is still averaging 11.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
Scouting FSW:
The Buccaneers are coming off of a 93-59 win over HCC. As a result, they were named the Suncoast Conference Regular Season Champions and earned an automatic spot in the FCSAA State Tournament in Niceville, Florida where they will await the Panhandle Conference Runner-Up
Sophomore Keon Ellis leads the team averaging 18.4 points and 2.3 steals per game. Ellis had 11 points against HCC.
Classmates Berrick JeanLouis and Jalen Finch follow Ellis in average scoring. JeanLouis is averaging 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while Finch averages 10 points and 5.4 assists per game. Against HCC, JeanLouis had 16 points and four rebounds while Finch was held to two points but added seven assists.
As far as crashing the boards, freshman Jermaine Marshall leads the team averaging 10 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Marshall had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds against HCC.
Series History (2016-present):
Since FSW joined the Suncoast, the Manatees have yet to beat them as they are 0-12 against the Buccaneers, having already lost the series to them.
How to Keep Up:
The game will be featured livestream on the FSW Network. Fans can also keep up with both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
FSW: @FSWBucs
Livestream Link: https://www.fsw.edu/livestream
2nd Herd Claims Series vs HCC on Sophomore Night
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| PC: Amy Beckmann |
"I thought it was the best game we played all year," said head coach Tom Parks. "I know some people might think of it as 'well it's against the team that's last in your conference'. Hillsborough is a very good team, they beat really good teams this year and are a lot better Hillsborough team than their previous seasons the past four or five years, but their a good team and they beat us last game on their turf and to basically have a score of 79-52 and holding them to 38 less points, even though we didn't score as much, I will take that."
"It feels good, even though it's tough playing the same team three times," said Parks on the series win. "As coaches, you want to go a perfect 3-0 but I think sometimes a loss can keep you off balance a little bit and make sure you're continuing to get better and so I think that's one thing that really helped us actually was taking some losses and it forced me to become a better coach and I think it forced our guys to question what their priorities here and their commitment level to our team and I think some of our guys over the last three weeks have taken a lot more commitment to our team and individually to become a better student-athlete. Winning the series is nice, but I'm glad we lost the second game to them because I think it helped us win this one and it's gonna help us finish this season strong in the right way."
"It feels good to get the win," said sophomore Remy Robert II. "In conference we've been up and down, so to come in and handle it the right way and to handle it the right way after losing six out of the last seven games, it feels good to get the win and get back on track."
"It felt good to get a big win after being on a long losing streak," said sophomore Christnoff Scarborough. "We as a team continued to keep pushing and we knew we had to get this win."
Prior to the game, it was dubbed as sophomore night for five sophomores: Isiah Dasher, Robert II, Scarborough, D'Moi Hodge and Max Bell-Ramos who were all recognized from their accomplishments from last season as well as this season. In fact, all five sophomores were placed in the starting lineup.
"I think people look at 'sophomore night' in different ways," said Parks on sophomore night. "For me, this is a really special group because these sophomores came in with me and all of them were freshmen for my 'freshman' head coaching year, so it's kind of bittersweet because I always feel dedicated to this group because of what they been able to do, but at the same time I look at it as a whole, I think about where was State College of Florida as an institution, athletics program or men's basketball program before this guys and I got to tell you for sure that this group of sophomores made all three of those things better."
"On top of that, they did it for the community and put in so many hours into doing various community service projects and they never complained one time about it. They all have huge hearts and are unbelievable people no matter what our record is in terms of wins and losses."
Parks pulled away from the game and mentioned what the sophomores did on Valentine's Day where they handed out Valentine's Day cards to the homeless. This made Hodge go a step further to where he gave $10 to a homeless man and the homeless man's wife broke down emotionally for what Hodge did.
"Something to put into perspective is these guys don't have a lot themselves," said Parks. "So for somebody that says that someone deserves something more than themselves, what they done for the community and for this school just to representing the right way on and off the court since I been here. We had an unbelievable group the last two years and it's hard to say that we had unbelievable groups because these five sophomores have dedicated themselves for two years, so I'm just happy we were on them the right way with the win for our best game the entire year."
The game began with a 7-3 SCF lead thanks to baskets by Bell-Ramos, Hodge and Dasher. The Hawks would then take a 9-7 lead before the Manatees with 12 minutes left in the game. It was smooth sailing for the Manatees in the first half holding on to a 40-21 lead in the first half. From there, it continued to be smooth sailing for the Manatees with standing ovations to Dasher, Robert II, Scarborough, Hodge and Bell-Ramos as the Manatees claimed the series.
"It's special because last year, we didn't come out on top for sophomore night," said Robert II on the win on sophomore night. "It was special to come in and get a win. It's a special place to be at where we can have a lot of fun. We built a great team here and we're all gelling together really well and coming together closer every game despite our recent games, but it felt good to get the win and show our fans that we're still here."
"It's bittersweet, but it felt really great to get the win on sophomore night," said Scarborough on the win for sophomore night. "It was our last guaranteed home game and it feels good to win our last home game."
Offensively, Hodge led the Manatees as he finished with 18 points (7-for-17 FG, 1-for-4 3PT, 3-for-4 FT), eight rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks.
"I thought D'Moi played a complete game," said Parks on Hodge. "He's been rebounding the ball very well right now and I think obviously he's been good."
Scarborough and freshman Marshall Kearing each had a double-double. Scarborough finished with a career-high 16 points (8-for-11 FG) and 12 rebounds, while Kearing finished with 13 points (6-for-11 FG, 1-for-3 FT) and tied season-high 12 rebounds. Scarborough added an assist, two steals and a block, while Kearing added four assists, a steal and five blocks. In fact, it was Scarborough's first career collegiate double-double at SCF. For Kearing, it was his seventh double-double of the season.
"With Chris' effort, it's only a matter of time before he starts filling up numbers in the box score," said Parks on Scarborough. "A lot times it's hard to fill up numbers when he doesn't play and a lot of that happened early on in the season and it's weird because it was the same thing that happened last year with him, he played early, didn't play and then became really important down the stretch and it's kind of what's shaping up this late in conference as well. He plays so hard and he's gonna get a lot of rebounds."
Dasher and Bell-Ramos each finished with nine points. Dasher (3-for-6 FG, 3-for-5 3PT) added one rebounds and one assist, while Bell-Ramos (3-for-7 FG, 1-for-3 3PT, 2-for-2 FT) added six rebounds and two assists.
"Max (Bell-Ramos) started off really well for us to start us off," said Parks on Bell-Ramos.
"Isiah (Dasher) played more to like his strengths right now which honestly his having a hard time putting on the floor because of his ankles so he hit three 3s, which was good to see, so that really helped us."
Robert II finished with eight points (3-for-10 FG, 2-for-7 3PT), one rebound, one assist and one steal.
"I didn't try to force anything," said Robert II. "I did take a few shots that weren't that good, but my teammates trusted me and I feel like I earned their trust a lot more in recent games and they just finding me more and I'm shooting a lot more with confidence in the gym. I've been driving to the basket, shooting the three well, playing defense and just trying to be consistent as much as possible."
"Remy (Robert II) has put together back-to-back the best two games of his career," said Parks on Robert II. "Unfortunately we didn't get the win against St. Pete, but the fact that he could string two games together like that is huge because he struggled to do that during his time here."
Redshirt freshman Calvin McCutcheon (three points, one rebound, two assists and a steal) and freshmen Jordan Clark (two rebounds, three assists and a steal), Michael Gavin (one point) and Sam Grayson (two points, five rebounds and a steal) also contributed in the game.
"I think our energy from the bench and it being sophomore night really helped us get the win," said Robert II on the turning point. "We sustained it when they (HCC) tried to make a run in the first half, but I felt like we just pushed it and never let it get it back to where they try to get it to and we played hard tonight. In fact, I think that this was one of our best games we played all year."
"As a team, we were playing really scrappy and we executed from it," said Scarborough. "I could already tell from the start of the game."
Freshman Edgar Zeigler led the Hawks with 12 points and two rebounds. Zeigler was the only Hawk to score in double digits. Sophomore Michael Cole finished behind Zeigler with nine points and four rebounds.
Notes:
Hodge's 18 points put him at 711 this season and 1,309 in his career. Hodge needs 33 points for the all-time career scoring record and 52 points for the single season points record. Both records are held by James Life (career: 1,341; season: 762).
With his nine points, Dasher now has 929 in his career and needs 71 to become the third player to reach 1,000 career points and the second active player to do so.
Other Suncoast Scores:
Polk State (20-7, 7-3 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete College (13-16, 3-8 Suncoast) 80-63. The Eagles will be back in action Wednesday night, February 19 at 7:30 pm against HCC. The Titans will be back in action Saturday afternoon, February 22 at 4 pm against HCC.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (27-1, 10-0 Suncoast)*#
2. Polk State (20-7, 7-3 Suncoast)
3. SCF (19-10, 5-6 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete College (13-16, 3-8 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (9-16, 1-9 Suncoast)
#Clinched Playoff Berth
*Suncoast Regular Season Champions
Up Next:
The Manatees will play one more regular season game as they travel to Ft. Myers to take on #2 FSW (27-1, 10-0 Suncoast) Wednesday night, February 19 at 7 pm. This will be the Manatees last regular season game of the season before the Suncoast Conference Tournament.
2nd Herd Falls in Series Finale @ SPC
Despite winning the series, the SCF basketball (18-10, 4-6 Suncoast) fell in a heartbreaker to St. Pete College (13-15, 3-7 Suncoast) by a score of 71-68. With the loss, the Manatees are now 8-21 against the Titans.
Offensively, four Manatees scored in double figures. It was sophomore D'Moi Hodge that led the Manatees finishing with a double-double 14 points (5-for-19 FG, 1-for-7 3PT, 3-for-9 FT) and 16 rebounds while adding five assists, a steal and two blocks. Classmates Remy Robert II followed with 13 points (5-for-9 FG, 3-for-7 3PT), two rebounds and two steals and Isiah Dasher with 12 points (5-for-10 FG, 2-for-5 3PT), three rebounds and one assist. Freshman Jordan Clark rounded out the lineup with 11 points (3-for-9 FG, 1-for-3 3PT, 4-for-5 FT), four rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks.
Freshman Marshall finished with nine points (4-for-10 FG, 1-for-3 3PT), nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and six blocks.
Sophomore Christnoff Scarborough (two points, one rebound, one steal, and one block), redshirt freshman Jaylen Jones (one rebound and one assist) and freshmen Michael Gavin (five points and one rebound) and Sam Grayson (two points, one rebound and one assist) also contributed for the Manatees.
For the Titans, sophomore Kobie Johnson and freshman Damon Davis each had 17 points. Johnson added 10 rebounds, for a double-double, and two assists, while Davis added five rebounds and five steals. Sophomore Keondre Jackson had 12 points and nine rebounds, while freshman Teddy Bayi Ba Mandeng added six points and 15 rebounds.
Notes:
With his 14 points, Hodge now has 1,294 points in his career and 696 this season. Hodge remains 48 points away from the all-time program points record and 67 points from breaking the single season points record. Both records remain held by James Life (all-time: 1,341, season: 762). Additionally, Hodge's double-double was his 11th in his career.
Dasher's 12 points put him at 921 in his career and needs 79 to become the third Manatee to reach 1,000 career points and the second active player to do so.
Other Suncoast Scores:
#1 FSW (27-1, 10-0 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (9-15, 1-8 Suncoast) 93-59 on the road.
Updated Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (27-1, 10-0 Suncoast)*#
2. Polk State (20-7, 7-3 Suncoast)
3. SCF (18-10, 4-6 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete College (13-16, 3-7 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (9-15, 1-8 Suncoast)
Up Next:
The Manatees will return home to Hal Chasey Gymnasium for their final regular season home game against Hillsborough (9-15, 1-8 Suncoast) Saturday afternoon, February 15 at 4 pm. The game will be dubbed as 'Sophomore Night' for five sophomores: Isiah Dasher, Remy Robert II, Christnoff Scarborough, D'Moi Hodge and Max Bell-Ramos. The sophomores will be recognized before the tip-off.
Offensively, four Manatees scored in double figures. It was sophomore D'Moi Hodge that led the Manatees finishing with a double-double 14 points (5-for-19 FG, 1-for-7 3PT, 3-for-9 FT) and 16 rebounds while adding five assists, a steal and two blocks. Classmates Remy Robert II followed with 13 points (5-for-9 FG, 3-for-7 3PT), two rebounds and two steals and Isiah Dasher with 12 points (5-for-10 FG, 2-for-5 3PT), three rebounds and one assist. Freshman Jordan Clark rounded out the lineup with 11 points (3-for-9 FG, 1-for-3 3PT, 4-for-5 FT), four rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks.
Freshman Marshall finished with nine points (4-for-10 FG, 1-for-3 3PT), nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and six blocks.
Sophomore Christnoff Scarborough (two points, one rebound, one steal, and one block), redshirt freshman Jaylen Jones (one rebound and one assist) and freshmen Michael Gavin (five points and one rebound) and Sam Grayson (two points, one rebound and one assist) also contributed for the Manatees.
For the Titans, sophomore Kobie Johnson and freshman Damon Davis each had 17 points. Johnson added 10 rebounds, for a double-double, and two assists, while Davis added five rebounds and five steals. Sophomore Keondre Jackson had 12 points and nine rebounds, while freshman Teddy Bayi Ba Mandeng added six points and 15 rebounds.
Notes:
With his 14 points, Hodge now has 1,294 points in his career and 696 this season. Hodge remains 48 points away from the all-time program points record and 67 points from breaking the single season points record. Both records remain held by James Life (all-time: 1,341, season: 762). Additionally, Hodge's double-double was his 11th in his career.
Dasher's 12 points put him at 921 in his career and needs 79 to become the third Manatee to reach 1,000 career points and the second active player to do so.
Other Suncoast Scores:
#1 FSW (27-1, 10-0 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (9-15, 1-8 Suncoast) 93-59 on the road.
Updated Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (27-1, 10-0 Suncoast)*#
2. Polk State (20-7, 7-3 Suncoast)
3. SCF (18-10, 4-6 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete College (13-16, 3-7 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (9-15, 1-8 Suncoast)
Up Next:
The Manatees will return home to Hal Chasey Gymnasium for their final regular season home game against Hillsborough (9-15, 1-8 Suncoast) Saturday afternoon, February 15 at 4 pm. The game will be dubbed as 'Sophomore Night' for five sophomores: Isiah Dasher, Remy Robert II, Christnoff Scarborough, D'Moi Hodge and Max Bell-Ramos. The sophomores will be recognized before the tip-off.
2nd Herd Looks for Sweep over SPC
The SCF basketball team (18-9, 4-5 Suncoast) will look to complete their first sweep in Suncoast play as they travel to St. Petersburg to take on St. Pete College (12-15, 2-7 Suncoast) at St. Petersburg Gibbs Campus Gymnasium Wednesday night, February 11 at 7 pm.
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of a 85-74 loss to Polk State at home. It was their second loss at home this season. As a result, the Manatees lost the series to the Eagles, yet the Manatees remain in third place in the Suncoast.
What's at Stake vs SPC:
The Manatees are looking for their first complete sweep in the Suncoast in program history with a win over SPC. The Manatees have already claimed the series over the Titans.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (26-1, 9-0 Suncoast)
2. Polk State (19-7, 6-3 Suncoast)
3. SCF (18-9, 4-5 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete (12-15, 2-8 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (9-14, 1-7 Suncoast)
Personal Opinion: I got to be honest about our standings. It is most likely we will end up going 6-6 in Suncoast play again. Obviously, FSW is going to be named the Suncoast Conference Regular Season Champions. If we go 7-5 in the Suncoast, then I'll be happy.
A Dashing Return:
Sophomore Isiah Dasher came back into the lineup after missing two straight games due to an ankle injury, yet despite the loss to Polk State, Dasher scored eight points with five assists and a block. Dasher is averaging 15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and four assists per game.
In his career, Dasher's eight points put him at 909 in his career and needs 91 to reach 1,000 career points and the second active player this season to do so.
Personal Opinion: Do I still think Dasher will reach 1,000 career points? It's still possible, but it would have to include the Suncoast Conference Tournament as well and hopefully in the state tournament if we make it.
Hodge of Records:
Sophomore D'Moi Hodge had a team-leading 20 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block in the Polk State loss. Currently, the upcoming Cleveland State transfer is averaging 26.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 2.2 blocks per game.
This season, Hodge has 682 points this season and 1,280 in his career. Hodge is 81 points away for most points in a single season and 61 away for most career points. Both record were held by James Life (762: single season record; 1,341: career points).
Personal Opinion: Hodge could definitely break the program record for most career points before the Suncoast Conference Tournament. As for the single season points record, he can break it, but it's high unlikely it will be before the conference tournament.
On-Guard:
Still playing the main parts as guards are freshmen Jordan Clark and Michael Gavin and sophomore Remy Robert II.
Clark is currently averaging 11.7 points, four rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Clark had eight points, five rebounds and four assists against Polk State.
Although he did not score against Polk State, Gavin is averaging 5.3 points per game.
Robert II had five points and a steal against Polk State. The Baton Rouge native is averaging 3.5 points per game.
Biggies on the Block:
As far as big men, freshman Marshall Kearing and sophomore Christnoff Scarborough lead the path.
Kearing is averaging 11.7 points, seven rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Kearing had 16 points and five rebounds against Polk State.
Scarborough is averaging 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Scarborough had 10 points and six rebound off the bench against Polk State.
Scouting SPC:
The Titans are coming off of falling to #2 FSW by a score of 84-68 and are currently in fourth place in the Suncoast.
Sophomore Kobie Johnson leads the team averaging 16.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Johnson had 10 points and five rebounds against FSW.
Freshman Bryan Williams follows along averaging 15.2 points, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game, while classmate Damon Davis averages 11.1 points and 3.5 assists per game. Against FSW, Williams had 19 points, three assists and two steals while Davis had 15 points, four assists and a steal.
As far as rebounding, freshman Teddy Bayi Ba Mandeng is averaging 7.1 rebounds per game to go alone with 7.3 points per game. Against FSW, Bayi Ba Mandeng was held to six points with eight rebounds.
Series History (2012-present):
Overall, the Manatees are 8-20 against the Titans. The Manatees defeated the Titans 79-72 (1/8) the first game before winning the second game 79-73 (1/25).
How to Keep Up:
Fans can keep up with both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
SPC: @SPCMBasketball
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of a 85-74 loss to Polk State at home. It was their second loss at home this season. As a result, the Manatees lost the series to the Eagles, yet the Manatees remain in third place in the Suncoast.
What's at Stake vs SPC:
The Manatees are looking for their first complete sweep in the Suncoast in program history with a win over SPC. The Manatees have already claimed the series over the Titans.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (26-1, 9-0 Suncoast)
2. Polk State (19-7, 6-3 Suncoast)
3. SCF (18-9, 4-5 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete (12-15, 2-8 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (9-14, 1-7 Suncoast)
Personal Opinion: I got to be honest about our standings. It is most likely we will end up going 6-6 in Suncoast play again. Obviously, FSW is going to be named the Suncoast Conference Regular Season Champions. If we go 7-5 in the Suncoast, then I'll be happy.
A Dashing Return:
Sophomore Isiah Dasher came back into the lineup after missing two straight games due to an ankle injury, yet despite the loss to Polk State, Dasher scored eight points with five assists and a block. Dasher is averaging 15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and four assists per game.
In his career, Dasher's eight points put him at 909 in his career and needs 91 to reach 1,000 career points and the second active player this season to do so.
Personal Opinion: Do I still think Dasher will reach 1,000 career points? It's still possible, but it would have to include the Suncoast Conference Tournament as well and hopefully in the state tournament if we make it.
Hodge of Records:
Sophomore D'Moi Hodge had a team-leading 20 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block in the Polk State loss. Currently, the upcoming Cleveland State transfer is averaging 26.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 2.2 blocks per game.
This season, Hodge has 682 points this season and 1,280 in his career. Hodge is 81 points away for most points in a single season and 61 away for most career points. Both record were held by James Life (762: single season record; 1,341: career points).
Personal Opinion: Hodge could definitely break the program record for most career points before the Suncoast Conference Tournament. As for the single season points record, he can break it, but it's high unlikely it will be before the conference tournament.
On-Guard:
Still playing the main parts as guards are freshmen Jordan Clark and Michael Gavin and sophomore Remy Robert II.
Clark is currently averaging 11.7 points, four rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Clark had eight points, five rebounds and four assists against Polk State.
Although he did not score against Polk State, Gavin is averaging 5.3 points per game.
Robert II had five points and a steal against Polk State. The Baton Rouge native is averaging 3.5 points per game.
Biggies on the Block:
As far as big men, freshman Marshall Kearing and sophomore Christnoff Scarborough lead the path.
Kearing is averaging 11.7 points, seven rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Kearing had 16 points and five rebounds against Polk State.
Scarborough is averaging 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Scarborough had 10 points and six rebound off the bench against Polk State.
Scouting SPC:
The Titans are coming off of falling to #2 FSW by a score of 84-68 and are currently in fourth place in the Suncoast.
Sophomore Kobie Johnson leads the team averaging 16.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Johnson had 10 points and five rebounds against FSW.
Freshman Bryan Williams follows along averaging 15.2 points, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game, while classmate Damon Davis averages 11.1 points and 3.5 assists per game. Against FSW, Williams had 19 points, three assists and two steals while Davis had 15 points, four assists and a steal.
As far as rebounding, freshman Teddy Bayi Ba Mandeng is averaging 7.1 rebounds per game to go alone with 7.3 points per game. Against FSW, Bayi Ba Mandeng was held to six points with eight rebounds.
Series History (2012-present):
Overall, the Manatees are 8-20 against the Titans. The Manatees defeated the Titans 79-72 (1/8) the first game before winning the second game 79-73 (1/25).
How to Keep Up:
Fans can keep up with both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
SPC: @SPCMBasketball
2nd Herd Loses Series Over Polk State
The SCF basketball team (18-9, 4-5 Suncoast) lost the series with their second home loss of the season as they fell to Polk State (19-7, 6-3 Suncoast) 85-74. With the loss, the Manatees are now 12-18 against the Eagles.
Sophomore D'Moi Hodge led the Manatees offensively despite being one rebound shy of a double-double. Hodge finished with 20 points (6-for-12 FG, 1-for-7 3PT, 7-for-10 FT), nine rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. Freshman Marshall Kearing followed with 16 points (8-for-11 FG), six rebounds, a steal and two blocks. Sophomore Christnoff Scarborough rounded out the order finishing with 10 points (4-for-7 FG, 2-for-2 FT), six rebounds and a block.
Sophomore Isiah Dasher and freshman Jordan Clark each finished with eight points. Dasher, who made his return to the lineup after missing two straight games, added five assists and a block, while Clark added five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
Sophomores Max Bell-Ramos (seven points, two rebounds and two assists) and Remy Robert II (five points and one steal), redshirt freshman Calvin McCutcheon (one assist) and freshman Sam Grayson (one assist) also contributed in the game for the Manatees.
For the Eagles, sophomore Kerry Richardson led the offense with 25 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Tekorian "TK" Smith followed with 18 points, five rebounds and six assists and freshman Tommie Lewis rounded out the order with 10 points and five assists
Notes:
With his 20 points, Hodge now has 682 points this season and 1,280 in his career. Hodge is 81 points away for most points in a single season and 61 away for most career points. Both record were held by James Life (762: single season record; 1,341: career points).
With his eight points, Dasher now has 909 points in his career and remains 91 away from reaching 1,000 career points and being the second active player to do so.
Other Suncoast Scores:
#2 FSW (26-1, 9-0 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (12-15, 2-8 Suncoast) 84-68. The Buccaneers will face Hillsborough (9-14, 1-7 Suncoast) Wednesday night, February 12 at 7 pm.
The Eagles will return to action to face St. Pete Saturday afternoon, February 15 at 4 pm.
Updated Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (26-1, 9-0 Suncoast)
2. Polk State (19-7, 6-3 Suncoast)
3. SCF (18-9, 4-5 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete (12-15, 2-8 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (9-14, 1-7 Suncoast)
Up Next:
The Manatees will look to try and break out of their slump as they travel to St. Pete to take on St. Pete College Wednesday night, February 12 at 7 pm.
Sophomore D'Moi Hodge led the Manatees offensively despite being one rebound shy of a double-double. Hodge finished with 20 points (6-for-12 FG, 1-for-7 3PT, 7-for-10 FT), nine rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. Freshman Marshall Kearing followed with 16 points (8-for-11 FG), six rebounds, a steal and two blocks. Sophomore Christnoff Scarborough rounded out the order finishing with 10 points (4-for-7 FG, 2-for-2 FT), six rebounds and a block.
Sophomore Isiah Dasher and freshman Jordan Clark each finished with eight points. Dasher, who made his return to the lineup after missing two straight games, added five assists and a block, while Clark added five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
Sophomores Max Bell-Ramos (seven points, two rebounds and two assists) and Remy Robert II (five points and one steal), redshirt freshman Calvin McCutcheon (one assist) and freshman Sam Grayson (one assist) also contributed in the game for the Manatees.
For the Eagles, sophomore Kerry Richardson led the offense with 25 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Tekorian "TK" Smith followed with 18 points, five rebounds and six assists and freshman Tommie Lewis rounded out the order with 10 points and five assists
Notes:
With his 20 points, Hodge now has 682 points this season and 1,280 in his career. Hodge is 81 points away for most points in a single season and 61 away for most career points. Both record were held by James Life (762: single season record; 1,341: career points).
With his eight points, Dasher now has 909 points in his career and remains 91 away from reaching 1,000 career points and being the second active player to do so.
Other Suncoast Scores:
#2 FSW (26-1, 9-0 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (12-15, 2-8 Suncoast) 84-68. The Buccaneers will face Hillsborough (9-14, 1-7 Suncoast) Wednesday night, February 12 at 7 pm.
The Eagles will return to action to face St. Pete Saturday afternoon, February 15 at 4 pm.
Updated Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (26-1, 9-0 Suncoast)
2. Polk State (19-7, 6-3 Suncoast)
3. SCF (18-9, 4-5 Suncoast)
4. St. Pete (12-15, 2-8 Suncoast)
5. Hillsborough (9-14, 1-7 Suncoast)
Up Next:
The Manatees will look to try and break out of their slump as they travel to St. Pete to take on St. Pete College Wednesday night, February 12 at 7 pm.
2nd Herd Falls to FSW in Rematch
The SCF basketball team (18-8, 4-4 Suncoast) dropped their second straight conference game and lost their first game at home as they fell to #2 FSW (24-1, 7-0 Suncoast) 94-67. The Manatees still have yet to defeat the Buccaneers as they are now 0-12.
Offensively, the Manatees were led sophomore D'Moi Hodge and freshman Jordan Clark. Hodge led the team with 28 points (11-for-26 FG, 5-for-13 3PT, 1-for-1 FT), four rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks, while Clark finished with 15 points (5-for-8 FG, 6-for-7 FT), two rebounds and a steal.
Freshman Marshall Kearing had six points, six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Sophomore Christnoff Scarborough and Max Bell-Ramos each had five points. Scarborough led the Manatees in rebounding (6) to go along with two steals, while Bell-Ramos, who earned his second career start, added two rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Sophomore Remy Robert II (two points, three rebounds and a steal), redshirt freshmen Calvin McCutcheon (three points and one rebound) and Jaylen Jones (one rebound and one assist) and freshman Michael Gavin (three points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal) also contributed for the Manatees. Robert II earned his first start of the season.
Seven Buccaneers scored in double figures. Freshman Jermaine Marshall led the Buccaneers with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore Jalen Finch had a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists.
Freshman Hasahnn Reynolds had 12 points off the bench, while redshirt sophomore Ralph Bissainthe and sophomores Keon Ellis and Berrick JeanLouis had 11 points each. Sophomore Simeon Kirkland rounded out the Buccaneers with 10 points.
Notes:
The Manatees were without sophomore Isiah Dasher in the lineup for the second straight game due to an ankle injury in the game against SPC. Dasher still remains 99 points away from reaching 1,000 career points.
With his 27 points, Hodge now has 662 points this season and 1,260 in his career. Hodge is 101 points away for most points in a single season and 81 away for most career points. Both record were held by James Life (762: single season record; 1,341: career points).
Other Suncoast Scores:
Polk State (18-6, 5-2 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (9-13, 1-6 Suncoast) 74-70. The Hawks will return to action to face St. Pete College Wednesday night, February 5 at 7 pm.
St. Pete College (11-14, 2-6 Suncoast) defeated Impact Academy 99-66.
Up Next:
The Manatees hope to bounce back from their slump as they welcome Polk State Saturday afternoon, February 8 at 4 pm. The game will be dubbed as 'Mentor Appreciation Night'.
Offensively, the Manatees were led sophomore D'Moi Hodge and freshman Jordan Clark. Hodge led the team with 28 points (11-for-26 FG, 5-for-13 3PT, 1-for-1 FT), four rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks, while Clark finished with 15 points (5-for-8 FG, 6-for-7 FT), two rebounds and a steal.
Freshman Marshall Kearing had six points, six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Sophomore Christnoff Scarborough and Max Bell-Ramos each had five points. Scarborough led the Manatees in rebounding (6) to go along with two steals, while Bell-Ramos, who earned his second career start, added two rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Sophomore Remy Robert II (two points, three rebounds and a steal), redshirt freshmen Calvin McCutcheon (three points and one rebound) and Jaylen Jones (one rebound and one assist) and freshman Michael Gavin (three points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal) also contributed for the Manatees. Robert II earned his first start of the season.
Seven Buccaneers scored in double figures. Freshman Jermaine Marshall led the Buccaneers with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore Jalen Finch had a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists.
Freshman Hasahnn Reynolds had 12 points off the bench, while redshirt sophomore Ralph Bissainthe and sophomores Keon Ellis and Berrick JeanLouis had 11 points each. Sophomore Simeon Kirkland rounded out the Buccaneers with 10 points.
Notes:
The Manatees were without sophomore Isiah Dasher in the lineup for the second straight game due to an ankle injury in the game against SPC. Dasher still remains 99 points away from reaching 1,000 career points.
With his 27 points, Hodge now has 662 points this season and 1,260 in his career. Hodge is 101 points away for most points in a single season and 81 away for most career points. Both record were held by James Life (762: single season record; 1,341: career points).
Other Suncoast Scores:
Polk State (18-6, 5-2 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (9-13, 1-6 Suncoast) 74-70. The Hawks will return to action to face St. Pete College Wednesday night, February 5 at 7 pm.
St. Pete College (11-14, 2-6 Suncoast) defeated Impact Academy 99-66.
Up Next:
The Manatees hope to bounce back from their slump as they welcome Polk State Saturday afternoon, February 8 at 4 pm. The game will be dubbed as 'Mentor Appreciation Night'.
SCF Falls to HCC
The SCF basketball team (18-7, 4-3 Suncoast) will settle their series with a rubber match as they fell to Hillsborough (9-12, 1-5 Suncoast) 90-79. With the loss, the Manatees are now 14-17 against the Hawks. Additionally, the loss put the Manatees in third in the Suncoast.
Offensively, only two players on the Manatees reached double digit scoring. It was sophomore D'Moi Hodge that led the team as he finished with 32 points (12-for-21 FG, 6-for-11 3PT, 5-for-7 FT), five rebounds, three assists, four steals and three blocks. Freshman Jordan Clark followed with 12 points (3-for-7 FG, 6-for-6 FT), three rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Sophomore Remy Robert II and freshman Marshall Kearing were the next closest to reach double digit scoring. Robert finished with nine points (4-for-7 FG, 1-for-3 3PT), two assists and a steal, while Kearing had eight points (3-for-8 FG, 2-for-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Sophomores Christnoff Scarborough and Max Bell-Ramos and freshman Michael Gavin had four points each, while redshirt freshman Jaylen Jones had three points. Scarborough added four rebounds, two steals and a block, Bell-Ramos added five rebounds and an assist and Gavin added three rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Jones added a rebound, an assist and a steal.
Sophomore Michael Cole led the Hawks offensively as he finished with a double-double of 34 points and 11 rebounds. Classmate Derrick White Jr. followed with 22 points and five rebounds, while classmate Joshua Jackmon rounded out the lineup with 16 points and nine assists.
The game started with a 6-0 run by the Hawks until a Hodge dunk put the Manatees on the board. Six minutes min into the first half, Hodge was able to cut the Hawks lead to one after a 3-pointer before Hodge gave the Manatees a 13-12 lead which was followed by a Clark floater for a 15-12 SCF lead.
The Hawks would then regain the lead and go ahead 27-19 before the Manatees started to try and creep up to cut the deficit. Eventually, the Hawks would take the first half 36-32.
At the start of the second half, the Hawks started to mount a double digit lead. The Manatees did try and continue to fight, but unfortunately the fight wasn't enough as the Manatees dropped a heart breaker.
Notes:
The team was without sophomore Isiah Dasher in the lineup. Dasher suffered an ankle injury during the game against St. Pete College. Dasher is still 99 points away from reaching 1,000 career points.
With his 32 points, Hodge now has 631 points this season and 1,228 points in his career. Hodge is 132 points away for most points in a single season and 114 away for most career points. Both record were held by James Life (762: single season record; 1,341: career points).
Other Suncoast Scores:
Polk State (17-6, 4-2 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (10-14, 1-6 Suncoast) 95-86. The Eagles will return to action to take on Hillsborough (9-12, 1-5 Suncoast), while the Titans return home to face Impact Academy.
Updated Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (23-1, 6-0 Suncoast)
2. Polk State (17-6, 4-2 Suncoast)
3. SCF (18-7, 4-3 Suncoast)
4. Hillsborough (9-12, 1-5 Suncoast)
5. St. Pete (10-14, 1-6 Suncoast)
Up Next:
The Manatees return home for the next two home games as they welcome #2 Florida Southwestern to Hal Chasey Gymnasium. The game is dubbed as Meal Sponsor Recognition Night.
Offensively, only two players on the Manatees reached double digit scoring. It was sophomore D'Moi Hodge that led the team as he finished with 32 points (12-for-21 FG, 6-for-11 3PT, 5-for-7 FT), five rebounds, three assists, four steals and three blocks. Freshman Jordan Clark followed with 12 points (3-for-7 FG, 6-for-6 FT), three rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Sophomore Remy Robert II and freshman Marshall Kearing were the next closest to reach double digit scoring. Robert finished with nine points (4-for-7 FG, 1-for-3 3PT), two assists and a steal, while Kearing had eight points (3-for-8 FG, 2-for-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Sophomores Christnoff Scarborough and Max Bell-Ramos and freshman Michael Gavin had four points each, while redshirt freshman Jaylen Jones had three points. Scarborough added four rebounds, two steals and a block, Bell-Ramos added five rebounds and an assist and Gavin added three rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Jones added a rebound, an assist and a steal.
Sophomore Michael Cole led the Hawks offensively as he finished with a double-double of 34 points and 11 rebounds. Classmate Derrick White Jr. followed with 22 points and five rebounds, while classmate Joshua Jackmon rounded out the lineup with 16 points and nine assists.
The game started with a 6-0 run by the Hawks until a Hodge dunk put the Manatees on the board. Six minutes min into the first half, Hodge was able to cut the Hawks lead to one after a 3-pointer before Hodge gave the Manatees a 13-12 lead which was followed by a Clark floater for a 15-12 SCF lead.
The Hawks would then regain the lead and go ahead 27-19 before the Manatees started to try and creep up to cut the deficit. Eventually, the Hawks would take the first half 36-32.
At the start of the second half, the Hawks started to mount a double digit lead. The Manatees did try and continue to fight, but unfortunately the fight wasn't enough as the Manatees dropped a heart breaker.
Notes:
The team was without sophomore Isiah Dasher in the lineup. Dasher suffered an ankle injury during the game against St. Pete College. Dasher is still 99 points away from reaching 1,000 career points.
With his 32 points, Hodge now has 631 points this season and 1,228 points in his career. Hodge is 132 points away for most points in a single season and 114 away for most career points. Both record were held by James Life (762: single season record; 1,341: career points).
Other Suncoast Scores:
Polk State (17-6, 4-2 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (10-14, 1-6 Suncoast) 95-86. The Eagles will return to action to take on Hillsborough (9-12, 1-5 Suncoast), while the Titans return home to face Impact Academy.
Updated Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (23-1, 6-0 Suncoast)
2. Polk State (17-6, 4-2 Suncoast)
3. SCF (18-7, 4-3 Suncoast)
4. Hillsborough (9-12, 1-5 Suncoast)
5. St. Pete (10-14, 1-6 Suncoast)
Up Next:
The Manatees return home for the next two home games as they welcome #2 Florida Southwestern to Hal Chasey Gymnasium. The game is dubbed as Meal Sponsor Recognition Night.
2nd Herd Travels to Hillsborough
The SCF basketball team (18-6, 4-2 Suncoast) will return on the road for Suncoast as they travel to Tampa to take on Hillsborough (8-12, 0-5 Suncoast) at the Dale Mabry Campus Wednesday night, January 29 at 7 pm.
Before I get into the preview, I want to first want to give my consolodents to the family of the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna after their death in a helicopter crash. I send my prayers out to the Bryant family and for all he did to inspire many people to be who they want to be in life with his positive messages. Rest In Peace Kobe.
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off a win over St. Pete College at home where the Manatees won 79-73. This was the first series the Manatees won this season in Suncoast play so far. The Manatees are currently in second place in the Suncoast.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (23-1, 6-0 Suncoast)
2. SCF (18-6, 4-2 Suncoast)
3. Polk State (16-6, 3-2 Suncoast)
4. SPC (10-13, 1-5 Suncoast)
5. HCC (8-12, 0-5 Suncoast)
Hodge is Ball:
For sophomore D'Moi Hodge, he's already on pace for two scoring records held by James Life: most points in a single season (762) and most career points (1,341). Hodge has 599 points this season and 1,196 in his career. Hodge need 146 points to get the all-time record and 164 for the single season record.
At the moment, the upcoming Cleveland State transfer is averaging 26 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.2 blocks and 2.7 steals per game. Hodge had 22 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, one block and seven steals against SPC.
Dashing to 1,000:
Sophomore Isiah Dasher had five points, one rebound, one assist and two steals in the game against SPC, but paid a price after an ankle injury stopped him for the rest of the game. Nevertheless, Dasher is still averaging 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and four assists per game.
After getting the five points, the Jersey City native has 901 career points and needs 99 to become the third player to reach 1,000 career points and the second active member this season (Hodge was the first).
Big Time, Big Guys:
The duo of freshman Marshall Kearing and sophomore Christnoff Scarborough continue their path playing their roles as the big men.
Kearing is averaging 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, while Scarborough is averaging 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Against SPC, Kearing had 16 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a new season-high eight blocks. while Scarborough had 11 points and six rebounds. Kearing currently has six double-doubles in his name.
Fresh First Start:
After be inactive for the games for four straight games due to a personal reason, freshman Michael Gavin earned his first start of the season against SPC. Gavin had 12 points, two assists and two steals. Currently Gavin is averaging 5.8 points per game.
En Guard:
freshman Jordan Clark, redshirt freshman Calvin McCutcheon and sophomore Max Bell-Ramos continue to do their roles in the rotation.
Clark is currently averaging 11.7 points, four rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Clark had 11 points, one rebound and two assists against SPC.
McCutcheon did not play against SPC, but is still averaging 5.3 points and 3.5 assists per game.
Bell-Ramos is currently averaging 3.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Bell-Ramos had two points and one rebound against SPC.
Scouting Hillsborough:
The Hawks are coming off of a 94-71 loss to #2 FSW. They currently sit in last place in the Suncoast.
Sophomore Michael Cole leads the team averaging 15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Cole had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds and one block.
Despite being held to two points and five assists against FSW, sophomore Derrick White Jr. follows averaging 9.7 points and 3.1 assists per game.
Series History:
The Manatees are 14-16 against the Hawks. The Manatees played HCC earlier in the season at home winning by a score of 91-84.
How to Keep Up:
Fans can also keep up with both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
HCC: @HCCFLAthletics
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off a win over St. Pete College at home where the Manatees won 79-73. This was the first series the Manatees won this season in Suncoast play so far. The Manatees are currently in second place in the Suncoast.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (23-1, 6-0 Suncoast)
2. SCF (18-6, 4-2 Suncoast)
3. Polk State (16-6, 3-2 Suncoast)
4. SPC (10-13, 1-5 Suncoast)
5. HCC (8-12, 0-5 Suncoast)
Hodge is Ball:
For sophomore D'Moi Hodge, he's already on pace for two scoring records held by James Life: most points in a single season (762) and most career points (1,341). Hodge has 599 points this season and 1,196 in his career. Hodge need 146 points to get the all-time record and 164 for the single season record.
At the moment, the upcoming Cleveland State transfer is averaging 26 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.2 blocks and 2.7 steals per game. Hodge had 22 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, one block and seven steals against SPC.
Dashing to 1,000:
Sophomore Isiah Dasher had five points, one rebound, one assist and two steals in the game against SPC, but paid a price after an ankle injury stopped him for the rest of the game. Nevertheless, Dasher is still averaging 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and four assists per game.
After getting the five points, the Jersey City native has 901 career points and needs 99 to become the third player to reach 1,000 career points and the second active member this season (Hodge was the first).
Big Time, Big Guys:
The duo of freshman Marshall Kearing and sophomore Christnoff Scarborough continue their path playing their roles as the big men.
Kearing is averaging 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, while Scarborough is averaging 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Against SPC, Kearing had 16 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a new season-high eight blocks. while Scarborough had 11 points and six rebounds. Kearing currently has six double-doubles in his name.
Fresh First Start:
After be inactive for the games for four straight games due to a personal reason, freshman Michael Gavin earned his first start of the season against SPC. Gavin had 12 points, two assists and two steals. Currently Gavin is averaging 5.8 points per game.
En Guard:
freshman Jordan Clark, redshirt freshman Calvin McCutcheon and sophomore Max Bell-Ramos continue to do their roles in the rotation.
Clark is currently averaging 11.7 points, four rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Clark had 11 points, one rebound and two assists against SPC.
McCutcheon did not play against SPC, but is still averaging 5.3 points and 3.5 assists per game.
Bell-Ramos is currently averaging 3.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Bell-Ramos had two points and one rebound against SPC.
Scouting Hillsborough:
The Hawks are coming off of a 94-71 loss to #2 FSW. They currently sit in last place in the Suncoast.
Sophomore Michael Cole leads the team averaging 15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Cole had a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds and one block.
Despite being held to two points and five assists against FSW, sophomore Derrick White Jr. follows averaging 9.7 points and 3.1 assists per game.
Series History:
The Manatees are 14-16 against the Hawks. The Manatees played HCC earlier in the season at home winning by a score of 91-84.
How to Keep Up:
Fans can also keep up with both teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
HCC: @HCCFLAthletics
2nd Herd Claims Series Over SPC on Alumni Weekend
Making up for their two straight losses, the SCF basketball team (18-6, 4-2 Suncoast) pulled away with a tight knit win over St. Pete College (10-13, 1-5 Suncoast) 79-73. With the win, the Manatees are now 8-20 against the Titans and have claimed the series.
"Anytime you can claim a series over St. Pete College, that a feat in itself," said head coach Tom Parks. "Yet if you look at their record and think that they are not a good team, then you would be a fool because they are good. They have three very good guards and two bigs that will not stop rebounding no matter what. I'm surprised that they are not in the gym rebounding after the game ended. In the end it was a great job getting the series win even though it was not the best of both worlds."
"It was a good win and we came out to play," said freshman Michael Gavin on the win. "A lot of guys stepped up and it was a hard fought game, but overall we played good and executed down the stretch for the win."
"Obviously we wanted to win this game since we played them earlier in the season," said freshman Marshall Kearing. "We're thankful to claim the series over St. Pete and hopefully we'll go 3-0 against them."
Even after the win, Parks spoke high praise on St. Pete's head coach Earnest Crumbley, who enters his 21st season with the Titans.
"Earnest Crumbley can coach basketball," said Parks on Crumbley. "He is very humble, genuine, honest and will tell you how it is, but in a day he is such an unbelievable man and I wish I could have been there for the last 20 years to learn from him, but I'm glad I didn't have to coach against him for 20 years and hopefully not for another 20."
Alumni Weekend Events:
Before the game began, the SCF tennis, softball and baseball teams had their annual alumni games where alumni from different times played against the current teams. It was also a way for the alumni to get to know the current team and share their experiences with SCF.
The women's tennis team began with two returning alumni, Abby Hincker (nee Martinez) (20112-13) and Ava Schultz (2017-18). The two alum, as well as head coach Chloe Murphy (2012-14) rotated around and faced off in several double matches playing with and against the current players.
"It was awesome having people come back and past players I played with and with players I coached," said Murphy. "It was really cool to have them come out and play with the current team."
The tennis team, who finished last season 6-7 overall with a 4-6 record in conference, will begin their season at home and welcome NAIA Southeastern University.
"We're excited to start our season off at home," said Murphy on the season opener. "First couple of matches are always building to get the nerves out the girls and see what works for us and what the lineup should be like while trying to work on things that we did in practice and bringing it into the match."
Following the second annual alumni tennis match, the softball team held their annual game where the alum faced off against the current team, who finished last season 45-16 overall with a 16-4 in the Suncoast.
The alumni that came were as listed: Jaclyn Cokeroft (2012-13), Brandi Bunker (2015-16), Kassidy Neptune (2015-16), Nikki Sedivy (2015-16), Alisa 'AJ' Jackson (2015), Kayleigh Walters (2016-18), Haley McFadden (2018-19), Megan Seeds (2018-19), Sydney Parks (2018-19), Nicci Palumbo (2018-19) and SarahBeth Wengerd (2017).
Normally, the current team would usually win, but this year the alumni won winning by a score of 10-2 (yes I did keep count). I even got to partake in the softball game where I went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
"It was always fun to get together with everyone and have a good time, laugh and reminisce on the past," said Neptune.
"It was good and I was looking forward to it for a good while," said sophomore Madi LoCastro. "Me being a sophomore, I played with a lot of people that came back and I knew they were going to come back to do this. It always fun to do a loose fun game that you get to do with people that were in your shoes once and it was cool to hear their experiences with SCF and vice versa on our experiences throughout the day, which was fun."
The softball team will open their season at the two-day JUCO Kickoff Classic (January 31-February 1).
The baseball team closed with the final alumni game welcoming the baseball team from the 1970-71 school year. The baseball team, who finished 38-20 overall with a 20-11 record in the Suncoast, will open their season on neutral grounds against Florida Southwestern at CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida (January 28).
"It was definitely a highlight of the year with the tradition that we have here that was second to none," said head coach Tim Hill II. "To be able to have our alums know that it's a special place and to hear them when they come back, the place meant more to them than anywhere else they been and to have them come back is such a special time as a great way to start the season."
With the festivities over with all the alum, let's fast forward to the basketball game with SCF and St. Pete in front of several Manatee Maniacs and fans in attendance, including the SCF president Dr. Carol Probstfeld.
Five players scored in double figures and it was sophomore D'Moi Hodge that led the Manatees as he finished with 22 points (7-for-22 FG, 3-for-9 3PT, 5-for-6 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists, seven steals and a block.
Kearing followed with 16 points (7-for-8 FG, 1-for-1 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a new season-high eight blocks.
"I started off slow in the first half because I wasn't in my routine to get ready," said Kearing on his performance. "It changed up a bit before the game, but obviously I got into a groove before the end of it. The second half, it was a close game and we had to push it and I had to step up a lot more to become more aggressive.
Sophomore Christnoff Scarborough had 11 points (5-for-8 FG, 1-for-2 FT), six rebounds and two steals off the bench.
"I think I played my role really well," said Scarborough. "I rebounded and scored when I needed to."
Freshman Michael Gavin, who earned his first career start, had 12 points (5-for-12 FG, 1-for-5 3PT, 1-for-1 FT), two assists, a steal and a block. Gavin was not in attendance the last three games due to personal reasons.
"It felt great just getting in the rhythm," said Gavin on his first start. "I got to set up my teammates, get a couple of buckets and just do whatever I can to help out the team."
"Overall I had a solid game," continued Gavin. "I did have some nice plays, key passes, a couple of layups and did what coach Parks wanted me to do and I executed it."
"After the Polk loss, I found myself saying a lot of things out loud about when to take shots," said Parks. "If I'm asking D'Moi (Hodge) to pass the ball more, then other guys need to be ready to shoot and need to get into the gym and making shots."
"Mike (Gavin) is probably the only person on this team that has not gotten a fair chance," said Parks on staring Gavin. "It's not because he did anything wrong, it's because I have 200 minutes in the game and I have to figure out where to disperse those 200 minutes and when you have players like D'Moi Hodge, who take up a fifth of those minutes every single night, it doesn't leave a lot of minutes from the guards standpoint. Mike has all the tools to be a threat offensively. He's got very good range and can create his own shot, but he is also a sneaky passer. Not many can realize that he can pass, especially when he made a pass to D'Moi in the corner, which was beautiful. I'm happy he stepped up regardless and keep going with him."
Freshman Jordan Clark rounded out the lineup with 11 points (3-for-8 FG, 1-for-3 3PT, 4-for-7 FT), one rebound, six assists and two steals.
Despite injuring his ankle and not being able to finish the rest of the game, sophomore Isiah Dasher was still able to finish with five points (2-for-6 FG, 1-for-3 3PT), one rebound, two assists and a steal.
Sophomores Max Bell-Ramos (two points and two rebounds) and Remy Robert II (one rebound). Bell-Ramos was one of the only two players off the bench to score (Scarborough was the other).
For the Titans, four players scored in double figures. Freshman Damon Davis led the way with 21 points and seven steals before fouling out in the second half. Sophomore Kobie Johnson followed with 17 points and four rebounds, while classmate Bryan Williams added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Keondre Jackson rounded out the lineup with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Freshman Teddy Bayi Ba Mandeng was held to five points but added 13 rebounds, while classmate Jaylen Bates was the only player off the bench that scored as he had five points.
The game started with Gavin opening the scoreboard with a layup off of a steal and assist by Hodge which was then followed by a Dasher 3-pointer for a 5-0 lead until a 3-pointer by Johnson opened the gates for the Titans and soon a layup by Jackson gave the Titans a 7-5 lead.
For the remaining 15 minutes, both teams went back and forth tying and regaining the lead. In the final possession of the first half, Hodge was fouled at the 3-point and made a successful 3-pointer but was unable to convert the and-one as the Titans took the lead in the first half 36-35.
"Parks got on me about being a good player," said Kearing on halftime. "He said he was going to make me play outside and show my true talent when I play and that helped me realize how I was suppose to play to my potential."
At the start of the second quarter, Dasher gave the Manatees the lead with a mid-range shot before both teams yet again exchanged ties and lead changes throughout the game and then around 13 minutes left in the game, Dasher injured his ankle and did not return for the rest of the game.
"Zay (Dasher) is a really tough individual," said Parks on Dasher. "I can tell on his face that he's hurt because if he wasn't hurt, he would have enjoyed this more, but I know he was hurt and I know he wasn't enjoying this win as much because he's worried he does not when he's going to be back."
*Side Note: This led to the Manatees turnaround of when one of the key players gets hurt, they retaliate by fighting for that key players.
Around 10 minutes, with the score 53-52 SCF, Kearing would make a big block before the Titans tried to take advantage off a steal by Davis only to be chase blocked by Hodge. After a Jackson rebound and put back attempt, it was blocked by Gavin.
"We had to lock in defensively," said Gavin on the turnaround of the game. "We were going back and forth with St. Pete and then we focused in a couple plays, got a couple of buckets and stops that gave us a little breathing room at the end for the win."
Even with Dasher out, Parks was able to utilize his big men in Kearing and Scarborough with their constant rebounding and Hodge adding three free throws, the Manatees were able to get the win for the series.
"The game was a physical and rough game," said Scarborough on the game. "It felt more like a rebounding game though."
Notes:
With his 22 points, Hodge has now pushed his season scoring amount to 599 and 1,196 career points. Hodge is 164 away from breaking the all-time single season record and 145 away from having the most career points in program history. Both records were held by James Life (762, single season; 1,341, career). The double-double was his fourth this season and 11th of his career.
Despite having only five points before getting injured, Dasher now has 901 in his career and is 99 away from reaching 1,000 career points and being the second active player this season to do so.
Parks confirmed that he had signed five players for the next season: Kwo Agwa, Michael Hatcher, DK Kelly, Javon Bell and Hunter Madden.
Other Suncoast Scores:
#2 FSW (23-1, 6-0 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (8-12, 0-5 Suncoast) 94-71. The Buccaneers will play SCF February 1 at 4 pm.
Polk State (16-6, 3-2 Suncoast) defeated Impact Academy 107-65. The Eagles will SPC Wednesday night, January 29 at 7 pm.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (23-1, 6-0 Suncoast)
2. SCF (18-6, 4-2 Suncoast)
3. Polk State (16-6, 3-2 Suncoast)
4. SPC (10-13, 1-5 Suncoast)
5. HCC (8-12, 0-5 Suncoast)
Up Next:
The Manatees will return on the road for Suncoast play as they travel to Tampa to take on Hillsborough Wednesday night, January 29 at 7 pm.
"Anytime you can claim a series over St. Pete College, that a feat in itself," said head coach Tom Parks. "Yet if you look at their record and think that they are not a good team, then you would be a fool because they are good. They have three very good guards and two bigs that will not stop rebounding no matter what. I'm surprised that they are not in the gym rebounding after the game ended. In the end it was a great job getting the series win even though it was not the best of both worlds."
"It was a good win and we came out to play," said freshman Michael Gavin on the win. "A lot of guys stepped up and it was a hard fought game, but overall we played good and executed down the stretch for the win."
"Obviously we wanted to win this game since we played them earlier in the season," said freshman Marshall Kearing. "We're thankful to claim the series over St. Pete and hopefully we'll go 3-0 against them."
Even after the win, Parks spoke high praise on St. Pete's head coach Earnest Crumbley, who enters his 21st season with the Titans.
"Earnest Crumbley can coach basketball," said Parks on Crumbley. "He is very humble, genuine, honest and will tell you how it is, but in a day he is such an unbelievable man and I wish I could have been there for the last 20 years to learn from him, but I'm glad I didn't have to coach against him for 20 years and hopefully not for another 20."
Alumni Weekend Events:
Before the game began, the SCF tennis, softball and baseball teams had their annual alumni games where alumni from different times played against the current teams. It was also a way for the alumni to get to know the current team and share their experiences with SCF.
The women's tennis team began with two returning alumni, Abby Hincker (nee Martinez) (20112-13) and Ava Schultz (2017-18). The two alum, as well as head coach Chloe Murphy (2012-14) rotated around and faced off in several double matches playing with and against the current players.
"It was awesome having people come back and past players I played with and with players I coached," said Murphy. "It was really cool to have them come out and play with the current team."
The tennis team, who finished last season 6-7 overall with a 4-6 record in conference, will begin their season at home and welcome NAIA Southeastern University.
"We're excited to start our season off at home," said Murphy on the season opener. "First couple of matches are always building to get the nerves out the girls and see what works for us and what the lineup should be like while trying to work on things that we did in practice and bringing it into the match."
Following the second annual alumni tennis match, the softball team held their annual game where the alum faced off against the current team, who finished last season 45-16 overall with a 16-4 in the Suncoast.
The alumni that came were as listed: Jaclyn Cokeroft (2012-13), Brandi Bunker (2015-16), Kassidy Neptune (2015-16), Nikki Sedivy (2015-16), Alisa 'AJ' Jackson (2015), Kayleigh Walters (2016-18), Haley McFadden (2018-19), Megan Seeds (2018-19), Sydney Parks (2018-19), Nicci Palumbo (2018-19) and SarahBeth Wengerd (2017).
Normally, the current team would usually win, but this year the alumni won winning by a score of 10-2 (yes I did keep count). I even got to partake in the softball game where I went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
"It was always fun to get together with everyone and have a good time, laugh and reminisce on the past," said Neptune.
"It was good and I was looking forward to it for a good while," said sophomore Madi LoCastro. "Me being a sophomore, I played with a lot of people that came back and I knew they were going to come back to do this. It always fun to do a loose fun game that you get to do with people that were in your shoes once and it was cool to hear their experiences with SCF and vice versa on our experiences throughout the day, which was fun."
The softball team will open their season at the two-day JUCO Kickoff Classic (January 31-February 1).
The baseball team closed with the final alumni game welcoming the baseball team from the 1970-71 school year. The baseball team, who finished 38-20 overall with a 20-11 record in the Suncoast, will open their season on neutral grounds against Florida Southwestern at CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida (January 28).
"It was definitely a highlight of the year with the tradition that we have here that was second to none," said head coach Tim Hill II. "To be able to have our alums know that it's a special place and to hear them when they come back, the place meant more to them than anywhere else they been and to have them come back is such a special time as a great way to start the season."
With the festivities over with all the alum, let's fast forward to the basketball game with SCF and St. Pete in front of several Manatee Maniacs and fans in attendance, including the SCF president Dr. Carol Probstfeld.
Five players scored in double figures and it was sophomore D'Moi Hodge that led the Manatees as he finished with 22 points (7-for-22 FG, 3-for-9 3PT, 5-for-6 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists, seven steals and a block.
Kearing followed with 16 points (7-for-8 FG, 1-for-1 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), five rebounds, five assists, three steals and a new season-high eight blocks.
"I started off slow in the first half because I wasn't in my routine to get ready," said Kearing on his performance. "It changed up a bit before the game, but obviously I got into a groove before the end of it. The second half, it was a close game and we had to push it and I had to step up a lot more to become more aggressive.
Sophomore Christnoff Scarborough had 11 points (5-for-8 FG, 1-for-2 FT), six rebounds and two steals off the bench.
"I think I played my role really well," said Scarborough. "I rebounded and scored when I needed to."
Freshman Michael Gavin, who earned his first career start, had 12 points (5-for-12 FG, 1-for-5 3PT, 1-for-1 FT), two assists, a steal and a block. Gavin was not in attendance the last three games due to personal reasons.
"It felt great just getting in the rhythm," said Gavin on his first start. "I got to set up my teammates, get a couple of buckets and just do whatever I can to help out the team."
"Overall I had a solid game," continued Gavin. "I did have some nice plays, key passes, a couple of layups and did what coach Parks wanted me to do and I executed it."
"After the Polk loss, I found myself saying a lot of things out loud about when to take shots," said Parks. "If I'm asking D'Moi (Hodge) to pass the ball more, then other guys need to be ready to shoot and need to get into the gym and making shots."
"Mike (Gavin) is probably the only person on this team that has not gotten a fair chance," said Parks on staring Gavin. "It's not because he did anything wrong, it's because I have 200 minutes in the game and I have to figure out where to disperse those 200 minutes and when you have players like D'Moi Hodge, who take up a fifth of those minutes every single night, it doesn't leave a lot of minutes from the guards standpoint. Mike has all the tools to be a threat offensively. He's got very good range and can create his own shot, but he is also a sneaky passer. Not many can realize that he can pass, especially when he made a pass to D'Moi in the corner, which was beautiful. I'm happy he stepped up regardless and keep going with him."
Freshman Jordan Clark rounded out the lineup with 11 points (3-for-8 FG, 1-for-3 3PT, 4-for-7 FT), one rebound, six assists and two steals.
Despite injuring his ankle and not being able to finish the rest of the game, sophomore Isiah Dasher was still able to finish with five points (2-for-6 FG, 1-for-3 3PT), one rebound, two assists and a steal.
Sophomores Max Bell-Ramos (two points and two rebounds) and Remy Robert II (one rebound). Bell-Ramos was one of the only two players off the bench to score (Scarborough was the other).
For the Titans, four players scored in double figures. Freshman Damon Davis led the way with 21 points and seven steals before fouling out in the second half. Sophomore Kobie Johnson followed with 17 points and four rebounds, while classmate Bryan Williams added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Keondre Jackson rounded out the lineup with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Freshman Teddy Bayi Ba Mandeng was held to five points but added 13 rebounds, while classmate Jaylen Bates was the only player off the bench that scored as he had five points.
The game started with Gavin opening the scoreboard with a layup off of a steal and assist by Hodge which was then followed by a Dasher 3-pointer for a 5-0 lead until a 3-pointer by Johnson opened the gates for the Titans and soon a layup by Jackson gave the Titans a 7-5 lead.
For the remaining 15 minutes, both teams went back and forth tying and regaining the lead. In the final possession of the first half, Hodge was fouled at the 3-point and made a successful 3-pointer but was unable to convert the and-one as the Titans took the lead in the first half 36-35.
"Parks got on me about being a good player," said Kearing on halftime. "He said he was going to make me play outside and show my true talent when I play and that helped me realize how I was suppose to play to my potential."
At the start of the second quarter, Dasher gave the Manatees the lead with a mid-range shot before both teams yet again exchanged ties and lead changes throughout the game and then around 13 minutes left in the game, Dasher injured his ankle and did not return for the rest of the game.
"Zay (Dasher) is a really tough individual," said Parks on Dasher. "I can tell on his face that he's hurt because if he wasn't hurt, he would have enjoyed this more, but I know he was hurt and I know he wasn't enjoying this win as much because he's worried he does not when he's going to be back."
*Side Note: This led to the Manatees turnaround of when one of the key players gets hurt, they retaliate by fighting for that key players.
Around 10 minutes, with the score 53-52 SCF, Kearing would make a big block before the Titans tried to take advantage off a steal by Davis only to be chase blocked by Hodge. After a Jackson rebound and put back attempt, it was blocked by Gavin.
"We had to lock in defensively," said Gavin on the turnaround of the game. "We were going back and forth with St. Pete and then we focused in a couple plays, got a couple of buckets and stops that gave us a little breathing room at the end for the win."
Even with Dasher out, Parks was able to utilize his big men in Kearing and Scarborough with their constant rebounding and Hodge adding three free throws, the Manatees were able to get the win for the series.
"The game was a physical and rough game," said Scarborough on the game. "It felt more like a rebounding game though."
Notes:
With his 22 points, Hodge has now pushed his season scoring amount to 599 and 1,196 career points. Hodge is 164 away from breaking the all-time single season record and 145 away from having the most career points in program history. Both records were held by James Life (762, single season; 1,341, career). The double-double was his fourth this season and 11th of his career.
Despite having only five points before getting injured, Dasher now has 901 in his career and is 99 away from reaching 1,000 career points and being the second active player this season to do so.
Parks confirmed that he had signed five players for the next season: Kwo Agwa, Michael Hatcher, DK Kelly, Javon Bell and Hunter Madden.
Other Suncoast Scores:
#2 FSW (23-1, 6-0 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (8-12, 0-5 Suncoast) 94-71. The Buccaneers will play SCF February 1 at 4 pm.
Polk State (16-6, 3-2 Suncoast) defeated Impact Academy 107-65. The Eagles will SPC Wednesday night, January 29 at 7 pm.
Suncoast Standings:
1. #2 FSW (23-1, 6-0 Suncoast)
2. SCF (18-6, 4-2 Suncoast)
3. Polk State (16-6, 3-2 Suncoast)
4. SPC (10-13, 1-5 Suncoast)
5. HCC (8-12, 0-5 Suncoast)
Up Next:
The Manatees will return on the road for Suncoast play as they travel to Tampa to take on Hillsborough Wednesday night, January 29 at 7 pm.
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