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Guard is on court patrol

Largo High's Ben O'Donnell shows how big things can come in small packages.

By JOE SMITH
Published February 20, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Ted McLaren] Largo's Ben O'Donnell goes up against Chamberlain's Mike Plummer during the region quarterfinals last week. Largo came from a 16-point deficit to win 37-34.

LARGO - A wrestling mat once completely covered a bedroom floor in the O'Donnell home.

Legend has it, best bets were on the little guy.

Even as a 5-year-old, Largo High School senior guard Ben O'Donnell would whip on his big brother Mike, who is nearly four years Ben's elder.

Then Ben would take on his dad, Dan, a former high school wrestler.

"If he wanted to, he could rip me in two," said Mike, now a junior guard at the University of Central Florida. "That's Ben's mentality - 100 mph, no matter what.

"He's like a wrecking ball."

O'Donnell, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound ball of energy, is a big reason why the Packers 23-5 are in the region boys basketball semifinals tonight against Lakewood (26-2).

The shaggy-haired senior, who plays nearly every minute of every game, will need to be at his best against the Spartans' swarming full-court press.

"O'Donnell is the best point guard in the area, maybe even the region," Lakewood coach Dan Wright said. "He's got such a big heart. He's smart, he's unselfish. He's strong defensively.

"If O'Donnell was 6-5, he'd be a first-team All American."

O'Donnell was born big, a healthy 11-pounder, and typically kept a short but thick build throughout childhood. He's always loved lifting weights, like his uncle Tom, a former world powerlifting champion.

O'Donnell said he learned a ton from Mike, a four-year starting guard at Largo and 2003 Times Player of the Year. The two would play one-on-one in the family's half-court slab of concrete in the back yard.

Mike, thinner and three inches taller, was more polished offensively; a savvy sharp-shooting style compared to Ben's blend of fundamentals meets physicality.

"Ben uses his size to his advantage," Mike said. "I've only played against a few guards in college who are as quick with the ball as Ben is."

The brothers' differences extend to their personalities: Mike is a basketball junkie; Ben is an avid skim-boarder who plays the drums and used to wear his surf shorts to AAU basketball practice.

The biggest similarity between the two - their work ethic - is most striking, says their mother, Kathy O'Donnell. While Mike would lose 20 pounds during a season, Ben goes through 20 pairs of wrist bands; sweat soaks them until they fell apart.

From watching O'Donnell, a picture of perpetual motion on the court, one can see why.

O'Donnell's feet are as quick as egg beaters, his floppy hair flaps in his wake as his short but stocky frame soars through the air - or dives on the floor for loose balls.

O'Donnell's longest breaks on the bench are 10 to 15 seconds; the Packers' starters play 90 percent of the minutes.

"He's like a bull," Largo senior forward Charlie Lytle said. "When you see your leader, your floor general, playing like that, you have to follow."

O'Donnell, who averages 15 points and six assists, has followed his brother's winning tradition; the Packers have won back-to-back district championships and are vying for their second-consecutive region final appearance. "Ben's the glue to their team," Wright said. "Largo isn't Largo without O'Donnell."

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com or at (727) 893-8129.

If you go

On the floor

What: Largo (23-5) at Lakewood (26-2), 5A Region Semifinal.

When: Tonight at 7.

Where: Lakewood High School, 1400 54th Ave. S, St. Petersburg.

Tickets: Pre-sold at Lakewood (8 a.m.) and Largo (2 p.m.). Others sold at Lakewood at 6.

Skinny: Lakewood has beaten Largo twice this season, including the Pinellas County Athletic Conference championship game. But all the Spartans remember is last year's region semis, when Largo knocked them out, 56-50.

[Last modified February 20, 2007, 07:12:36]