When Josh Postorino (Clearwater/Dayton) played basketball, he ruled the floor with passion and intensity.
Postorino, 26, now coaches the game with the same zeal.
The 1999 University of Dayton graduate and three-year assistant at his alma mater recently was hired as an assistant at Clemson University.
Oliver Purnell, a 15th-year NCAA Division I coach who had been at Dayton the past nine seasons, didn't hesitate to ask Postorino to follow him to the Tigers' program.
"Josh was my first recruit when I came to Dayton in 1994," Purnell said. "He represents everything I respect in a player and person.
"Josh is a fierce team competitor. There's no doubt he'll be a head coach one day," Purnell said.
Postorino's transition from player to coach came a little earlier than he expected.
During his junior year at Dayton, Postorino learned he had a cyst on a membrane that covered his brain. Surgery eliminated the problem, but his playing days were drastically reduced.
His freshman year, Postorino played 29 games, including the team's first win over LSU. He made 26 appearances on the court as a sophomore, 19 in his junior season and one as a senior. Purnell started Postorino in the final home game of the player's last year.
"It was tough, definitely, but coach kept me on the bench my senior year and I was still on scholarship," Postorino said.
"It was during my senior year that I actually started to make the transition to coaching."
With a degree in marketing and sales, Postorino left the sport to work in the business world.
But he soon was offered the Coordinator of Basketball Operations position at Dayton in 2000 and was an assistant coach the past two seasons.
Postorino played all the sports as a youth. At Clearwater High School, he competed in baseball and basketball. His basketball skills landed him the Times' player of the year honor in 1994.
"My dad has been my biggest influence in all sports, and particularly in basketball," Postorino said. "My dad coached a lot of the teams I was on, and some of those were state champions.
"I remember attending the "Pistol Pete" Maravich basketball camp in Clearwater and playing on a 13-and-under AAU team when I was 9 years old," Postorino said. "I love the competition and especially get excited about team competition."
Developing a group of individuals into a cohesive squad intrigued Postorino as a player and especially does as a coach.
"Rudy Coffin was an outstanding coach with the ability to pull players together and get them to jell," Postorino said.
"Our Clearwater team was sometimes able to do things that perhaps we didn't really have the talent to do but were able to achieve because we played together and worked as one team."
With Postorino playing guard, the 1995 Tornadoes reached the state semifinals for the first time since 1981.
Postorino's duties at Clemson range from individual instruction to organizing practice and travel schedules to recruiting.
This weekend, he began his job as director for high school squads attending week-long camps on campus.
"My time here at Clemson provides me an opportunity to gain some great experience," Postorino said. "I would definitely like to be a head coach some day.
"Right now, being 26 and in the position I am in is outstanding," he said. "I have so much to learn and plan to take advantage of every opportunity."
Postorino says his coaching style will reflect a combination of what he has learned from others and how he played the game himself.
"I'm a go-getter and a hard-worker. That's how I played, and that's how I coach," Postorino said.
"Players that have heart and love the game can play above themselves."
VOLLEYBALL: Catherine Dupont (St. Petersburg Catholic) was named to the Verizon Academic All-American Volleyball Team after accumulating a 4.0 GPA her sophomore season at Rice University.
The four-time high school MVP produced 205 kills to help the Owls to a No. 1 standing in the Western Athletic Conference Eastern Division.
TRACK: Alexis McGaffagan (Largo) and Jimmy Baxter (Boca Ciega) were among four South Florida athletes advancing to the NCAA Championships with top-five performances in the East Regional. McGaffagan was fifth in the high jump, and Baxter took third. It's the third consecutive trip to nationals for Baxter.
Paul Condron (Clearwater Central Catholic) won the Southeastern Conference pole vault championship for Florida with a 17-23/4 showing.
Condron outjumped the defending champ from Tennessee. Florida finished fifth overall in the meet.
TENNIS: Kelly McCain (Canterbury/Saddlebrook Prep) is among four players nominated for the prestigious Tennis Honda Award.
McCain, this year's Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, was 35-3 in the No. 1 position for Duke. The sophomore was selected a second straight year as an International Tennis Federation (ITF) All-American in singles.
The University of Georgia's Lori Grey (Seminole) finished her four-year career atop the doubles in the ITF Omni Hotels Tennis Rankings.
The three-time All-American was 20-4 with Agata Cioroch, including 14-4 against nationally-ranked opponents.
Grey was No. 1 in 2000 with Palm Harbor's Marissa Catlin.
BASEBALL: Pitcher Justin Cerrato (Clearwater/Central Florida) completed his junior year at North Florida with a 1.84 ERA, 5-1 record and 10 saves.
The right-hander was a second-team All-American.
In this past week's Major League Baseball draft, the Philadelphia Phillies chose Cerrato in the 29th round.
Warren Wood (Canterbury/St. Petersburg) was picked for the Georgia Independent School Association Region 1-AAA team for his play at Riverside Military Academy in Georgia.
Palm Harbor's Brian Gladysz (Berkeley Prep) finished his four-year career at Washington and Lee ranked fourth on the team in batting average (.358) and second in RBIs (33) and doubles (12). He set a single-season school record for walks (31).
Ben Krentzman (Clearwater) helped Bucknell capture its third Patriot League Championship. Stetson's Ian Church (Osceola) was named to the All-Atlantic Sun Conference second team.
Ryan Snare (East Lake/North Carolina) combined with two other Carolina League pitchers for the second no-hitter in Mudcats history.
Matt Bowser (Tarpon Springs/Central Florida) is leading the Modesto high A Oakland team with a .316 average.
Patrick Boyd (Clearwater Central Catholic/Clemson) hit four home runs in 49 at-bats to start his second season with the Rangers' high A Stockton club. Second baseman Andrew Beattie (Clearwater) is among the top hitters for the Reds' AA Chattanooga team. The switch-hitter has a .287 average.
Other area players in the minors include Ben Kozlowski (Seminole), with the Rangers' AA Frisco Roughriders; Chris Heintz (Countryside/South Florida) and Clint Chrysler (Boca Ciega/Stetson), Pirates' AA Altoona Curve; Boof Bonser (Gibbs), San Diego AA Norwich; and Aaron Sobieraj (Dunedin/Florida), Giants' high A San Jose squad.
