Spartans duo stick to same college path

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published June 23, 2005

Lakewood's tandem of Mario Telfair and Sean Morrison, who led the Spartans to the Class 4A state championship this year, will continue their basketball careers at Santa Fe Community College next season.

The Spartans will be joined in the junior college ranks by fellow Times' all-county picks Darius Hart and Trevor Lee of Clearwater and honorable mention picks Alex Arias of Oldsmar Christian and Vince Miller of Clearwater.

Telfair and Morrison were teammates for three seasons at Lakewood, winning more than 70 games at the high school level. Both were all-county, all-Suncoast and all-state this past season.

Morrison, a 6-4 guard and forward, also played varsity as a freshman, playing the role of sixth man on the 2002 Lakewood team that won a state title. Morrison, one of a few county players to win two state titles, led Lakewood in scoring last season with 17.9 points a game.

Telfair, a 6-5 forward, led in rebounding and was second in scoring. At the state tournament, Telfair was the MVP after scoring 39 points and grabbing 21 rebounds in two wins. Both players hope to use SFCC as a springboard to a bigger school. The Saints were 25-4 last year, and seven players signed with four-year schools.

Arias, one of the county's leaders in assists, is signing with Ohlone Junior College, then is expected to transfer after one or two years to Division I-A California-Riverside, according to Oldsmar assistant coach Ryan Pannone.

Lee, a second-team all-county pick, will attend Pasco-Hernando CC. Lee was a key player for Clearwater's Class 5A runnerup team, leading in shooting and gaining a reputation for his solid defense and rebounding.

Hart emerged as one of the county's best point guards, earning a chance to play at Florida Community College in Jacksonville. He was instrumental in the Tornadoes' playoff run, scoring 24 in a region quarterfinal, then 44 in a semifinal against Fort Myers. For the season, Hart scored a team-best 15 points per game. His ball-handling, shooting and defense led Clearwater to its best season since 1981's state championship year.

Miller, an all-tournament pick at the Class 5A tournament, will attend Onondaga CC in Syracuse. Jesse Rodriguez, one of the county's leading scorers and rebounders for Oldsmar Christian in 2003-04 before being declared ineligible midway through the season, is expecting to sign with Coastal Georgia CC.

[Last modified June 23, 2005, 00:47:00]