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Top coach is taking shot at new girls basketball team

A former high school standout and current basketball coach will help build an AAU girls basketball team.

By JON WILSON
Published February 12, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Necole Tunsil, the most dominating female basketball player ever to come out of Pinellas County, has joined a veteran youth sports coach to build an AAU girls basketball team.

Tunsil, who is the girls coach at Lakewood High School, will lead the Tampa Bay Ballerz's 16-under team under the umbrella of the Lightning Bolt Youth Sports Academy. There also will be a 15-under team.

Tryouts are 2:30-5 p.m. today and 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday at Clearwater's Ross Norton recreation center, 1426 S Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

The Sports Academy director is Garlynn Boyd, who for 20 years has coached the Lightning Bolt track club to state and national success. About four years ago, Boyd decided to branch into other sports.

The academy offers flag football in addition to track and basketball, and Boyd said she is working to organize golf, tennis, boxing and wrestling programs. Youngsters 3 to 18 years old can participate.

Tunsil, 35, led Lakewood to a state championship in 1989. During her high school career, she she was twice named a Parade magazine All-America and in 1989 was considered one of the nation's top five prep players. She went on to earn college All-America honors at Iowa and later played professionally.

She became head coach at Lakewood last year, earning county coach of the year honors. This year, she has the Spartans in the playoffs. They play Clearwater in a regional semifinal Tuesday.

Boyd approached her about a Sports Academy basketball program at the beginning of this year year, Tunsil said.

"We're trying to get these young ladies some national exposure to big-time colleges," Tunsil said. The route to such exposure often goes through national events such as the Adidas Tournament of Champions, she said.

The Ballerz will tip off their season March 15-17 at the March Madness Shootout in Altamonte Springs, Tunsil said.

Meanwhile, Boyd will take several girls to the National Scholastic Indoor Track and Field Championships March 10-12 in New York City.

Jazmyn Shorter, Kquanise Byrd, Innekia Reedy, Shannon Simpson, Jasmine Hill and Davisha Robinson will make the expense-paid trip.

Boyd, 40, has been a force in Pinellas County athletics since her days at Dixie Hollins High School, where in 1983 she won a state shot put championship. She was inducted into the school's sports hall of fame in 2003.

Boyd is an assistant coach at Lakewood and a Family Resources youth care worker.

[Last modified February 12, 2006, 00:26:20]