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Bodden heads to Santa Fe

Chase Bodden, an honorable mention all-county selection from Dunedin, has signed to play basketball at Santa Fe Community College.

Bodden, a 6-foot, 9-inch forward, left last weekend for the Gainesville school for summer workouts. After trying out in April, Bodden was awarded a full scholarship in May. Friday, the two-time All-PCAC first-teamer joined his team-to-be.

"He's real excited about that," said Kevin Hendrick, the new coach at Dunedin. "That and his brother, Josh, plays at Central Florida, so they'll be close so their parents can come watch them play."

Bodden led Dunedin in scoring and rebounding this season and helped the Falcons to the region quarterfinals, where he hurt his knee and played only two quarters in a season-ending loss to Fort Myers Lehigh.

Bodden comes from one of Pinellas County's true basketball families. Josh, a 6-9 forward who graduated in 2000, left as Dunedin's all-time leading scorer. Gene Bodden, the boys' father, was a 6-10 standout at Clearwater and played at McNeese State and Houston. He holds the state record for most rebounds in one game with 41, set in the 1968-69 season.

TOPPING TO SEMINOLE: Seminole has hired Tom Topping to be its boys basketball coach.

Topping, who coached at Dixie Hollins the past three seasons and is active in the summer league circuit, was at Dixie for two seasons after succeeding Mike McPherson in May of 1999.

Dixie Hollins had one of the county's best teams in Toppings' first season but never developed the consistency to be a serious postseason threat. Topping, 34, also saw two of his best players dismissed, one for grades and another for discipline, the past two seasons. In three years, he compiled a 40-30 mark. At Seminole, he replaces Terry Walker, whose Warhawks ended the Rebels' season in the district playoffs.

"It's just a much better situation as far as the basketball job," Topping said. "It's a total basketball program there.

"Between having a booster club and having a Hall of Fame, the kids are very committed to playing. There's a a lot of enthusiasm for sports over there in general, and they have been very successful. And the idea of teaching at Seminole interested me, too."

Topping said he also switched jobs with an eye on the future.

"I also think that school choice is going to play a big part in the future and will kind of change the face of basketball in Pinellas County," he said. "Seminole is obviously going to be a place where kids want to go to school. It's one of the top academic schools in the county."

LAMPLEYS LEAVING BOGIE: Tommy and Lewis Lampley, two rising talents in Pinellas County, are leaving Boca Ciega.

Tommy Lampley Sr., the father of the players, said his sons were enrolling at Admiral Farragut. While they have not officially done so, Lampley said he has already filed the necessary financial aid papers and expects to be fully enrolled by the end of the week.

Tommy, a junior, and Lewis, a highly-touted sophomore, were part-time starters last season as the Pirates went 27-5 and advanced to the Class 5A final four.

Their father said the two were transferring for academic and personal reasons.

"Initially, they would have preferred to stay with their friends and continue to play for Randy Shuman, but we kind of thought it was best to move on," Tommy Sr. said.

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