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County's private schools not short on top talent

Three county teams are ranked in the top 10 in the Class A state poll: Indian Rocks Christian (No. 2), Northside Christian (No. 3) and Admiral Farragut (No. 10). It's getting hard to dismiss those rankings based on small-school status and weak competition.

"I think you're getting some good teams in Pinellas that are pretty serious about athletic success and that's reflected in the wins and losses," said Admiral Farragut coach Mike Wells, who won his 500th game Monday night.

Wells' Blue Jackets are 12-4 and last week beat Northside Christian, which was ranked No. 1. The Mustangs are 16-2, with their only other loss coming to a bigger school in a holiday tournament final.

Indian Rocks is 16-2. One of the teams to beat the Golden Eagles is another Pinellas private school off to a good start: Class 2A St. Petersburg Catholic. The Barons aren't ranked in the top 10, but they are the top team among those also receiving votes.

The Barons might also be the poster team when it comes to shaking what coach Mike Moran says is the "small-school complex."

This season, St. Petersburg Catholic played Class 5A East Lake down to the wire, holding a 13-point halftime lead before losing 72-69. The Barons have also lost to Class 3A Jesuit and Class 5A, No. 1-ranked Largo, and play Class 5A Gibbs on Thursday night.

"I'd put our top six to seven guys up against most of the schools in this area," Moran said. "Not Largo, and not Lakewood, but the others, yes."

The reason? Under-appreciated but solid players.

The list includes Barons guard Dave Lopez, Admiral Farragut 6-foot-9 sophomore center Vitor Boccardo (the county's leading scorer and a certain Division I talent), Indian Rocks Christian junior guard Gabe McMillen (on pace to become the county's all-time leading scorer), Northside Christian junior guards Deon Troupe and Justin Barnaky, and Keswick backcourt leader Joey Dunn.

Throw in Oldsmar Christian's Larry Bache (21.7 points per game) and the top five scorers in the county are private school players.

"I think Joey Dunn is an awfully good point guard and would be a perfect fit (at a lot of schools)," Wells said. "Boccardo would hold his own on any team. McMillen, I think he's a Mike O'Donnell-type player. (O'Donnell plays for Largo). Troupe, it'll be interesting to see if he can grow a little (and become a Division I prospect)."

None of the smaller, private school coaches think their teams can run with the Lakewoods and Largos of the world, but they do think the best Class A and 2A players shouldn't be disregarded.

"I think depth, the sheer numbers, is really what separates the bigger schools from the smaller schools," Moran said. "Here, we have maybe 300 boys versus 600 to 700 kids at a (bigger) school. Mathematically, you just end up with a few more good athletes than you might get at a smaller school. But there are some great individual players at the smaller schools."

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