Lakeland's Best

Back home after researching and calling twelve FHSAA high school state championship games in boys' and girls' basketball over a span of eight days. Don't know why I enjoy the annual trip to Lakeland so much, but I do. The workload is crushing -- preparation time outweighs actual game time by about five to one -- but the games rarely disappoint.

My all-Finals team for the boys:

1A: Thomas Austin, PG, Pine Castle Christian Academy (Orlando)

Pine Castle has some serious pressure heading into this game -- their girls team won the 1A title on the same floor just one week earlier. The small-school classification was blown wide open when defending champ Calusa Prep of Miami was disqualified from the tournament over an illegal transfer. MVP of the game is Austin, who fights off persistent cramping in his hamstrings to keep the Eagles intact with his play at the point. Watching him grimace as he walked the floor was straight-up Willis Reed. Honorable mention to his teammate, Eddie Piccinini, for having one of the coolest names in the tournament. And kudos to Pine Castle Christian Academy for doubling up as girls' and boys' champions, a claim that no other school in the state can make this year.

2A: Derek Kurnitsky, head coach, Port St. Joe

Coach Kurnitsky, a youthful 34-year-old Florida State alum, gets my vote for his sheer chutzpah. Knowing full well that his Tiger Sharks had no chance of running with the two-time defending 2A champs from Jacksonville Arlington Country Day, Kurnitsky's game plan was to stall. There's no shot clock in high school basketball, and the coach told us before the game that "if we win the opening tip, we'll play for the last shot of the quarter." In other words, he planned to hold the ball for eight minutes. It didn't quite work out that way -- turnovers plagued the Tiger Sharks, who lacked the size and speed of the Apaches -- but it came pretty close. Port St. Joe actually held a two-point lead in the second quarter, playing a style best described as "retro." While the Apaches ran away and hid in the second half, eventually winning a third consecutive title, I admired the guts and patience of the undermanned Port St. Joe squad. Also, the purple-and-gold striped socks -- their lucky footwear, a tribute to the school's glory days of the '50s and '60s -- were spectacular. You gotta love a team nicknamed "The Cats in the Hats."

3A: Rihards Kuksiks, F, Florida Air Academy (Melbourne)

Kuksiks (pronounced KOOK-sicks) was the most polished player I saw all weekend. He's Latvian, so he fits right in with the roster at Florida Air, which resembles a United Nations general assembly. You know how broadcasters use the phrase "he sees the game in slow motion"? Watching Kuksiks play was the best example I can imagine. He never seems to be in a hurry, yet he's a step ahead of everyone else on the floor. The game comes to him. Herb Sendek is getting a gem at Arizona State this fall. He's got every shot, and the size to boot. The Falcons, meanwhile, ripped Gainesville's PK Yonge for a 4th state championship since 2001. One of the most entertaining teams I saw all week.

4A: Raymond Taylor, PG, Monsignor Pace High School (Miami)

Facing a large and hostile crowd -- Pace's opponent in the 4A final was Lakeland Kathleen, a school just down the street from the Lakeland Center -- the Spartans delivered, riding the blinding quickness and deft handle of the 5'6" sophomore guard, Taylor. It's hard to get a steal when the kid is dribbling eight inches off the floor. With a smile that lit up the arena, Taylor destroyed the Red Devils, punching holes in the defense and finding open teammates. Monsignor Pace had lost in the state semifinals three years in a row since winning it all in 2003. While it was a bummer of an ending for the hometown kids from Kathleen, we saw a star born in Taylor. Think Earl Boykins with cornrows.

5A: Joey Rodriguez, PG, Lake Howell High School (Winter Park)

Sure, I have a soft spot for undersized guards, but as one poster at GatorCountry put it, "if Rodriguez was a few inches taller, he'd be a four-star recruit." Generously listed at 5'10", J-Rod is the motor that makes the Silver Hawk machine go. Nick Calathes and Chandler Parsons, the two UF recruits, delivered as advertised, rocking the gym with lobs and no-look passes that only come from years of playing together, but Rodriguez is the glue. He's physically tough -- a Jameer Nelson-type body -- but crazy fast, and good with the ball. Dominates a game without taking a shot, that kind of player. In case anyone was wondering, Lake Howell really is that good. Their backups got into the game late, surfing a big lead, and ran Steve Kohn's offense almost as well as the starters. With 9 seniors leaving campus this spring -- including Calathes, Parsons, and Rodriguez -- that was an encouraging sign for Lake Howell.

6A: Kenneth Boynton Jr., F, Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) and Chris Warren, G, Dr. Phillips (Orlando)

28 points for the sophomore, Boynton, before fouling out, and 38 for Warren, a senior. But that doesn't tell half the story. These two went head to head for much of the second half in what was, by far, the most competitive game of the weekend. Warren is a flat-out scorer, the kind of player who was seemingly born to put the ball in the hole. Fadeaways, layups in traffic, three-pointers, you name it. He's only 5'11", but was still signed by Ole Miss to play in the rugged SEC. If anyone saw Leemire Goldwire play in high school down at Palm Beach Dwyer, that's Warren. Boynton, on the other hand, is built like a fullback, and possesses a dogged determination to get to the basket that some might call "stubborn." He's only a sophomore, so cut him some slack. This was the best game of the week, taking a boisterous crowd to overtime before Ely knocked off the Panthers by three.

Many thanks to Mark Wise and the rest of the Sun Sports crew for all the hard work over these last two weeks, and thanks to all the coaches and players for making it so entertaining. Keep an eye on Sun Sports over the next two weeks as these games air on tape delay, and if you'd like to order DVD copies of any of the 12 championship games, you can do it here. And we'll see you in Lakeland next year.