Rivals turned teammates

By JOE SMITH
Published June 26, 2007

They competed against each other for a couple of years in one of the county's fiercest basketball rivalries. Both Largo point guard Ben O'Donnell (bottom) and his counterpart at Clearwater, rising senior Luke Loucks, shared many spirited battles throughout their two or three meetings per season.

One year from now, the duo will share Seminole garnet and gold uniforms. Loucks, a four-star recruit, orally committed last month to play for Florida State in 2008. A few weeks later, O'Donnell - a fellow Times first-team all-county selection - agreed to become a preferred walk-on with FSU this fall.

"That's awesome, " Loucks said in a text message, upon hearing the news. "I'm gonna call him right now." The duo is apparently good friends, which is more than we can say for some of these other notable rivals who became teammates.

NASCAR: Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon

These two hotheads first came at odds just three weeks before they became teammates in 2001. Then, a lapped Harvick spun the race-leading Gordon with 14 laps left, allowing Tony Stewart to grab the win.

The two openly argued while teammates for Richard Childress Racing - Gordon got Harvick back in 2003 by passing him under caution with 10 laps to go - before the team owner and Gordon made an awkward split in 2004.

Golf: Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods

Two of the world's greatest golfers, Mickelson and Woods have swapped swing doctors and green jackets while maintaining unfriendly terms.

The two were teammates for the Ryder Cup and likely will be again in September 2008. But a potential pairing of the two got a bit more testy with Mickelson recently going public about working with Butch Harmon, Tiger's former coach.

MLB: Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter

They were friends through the minor leagues - Rodriguez has said they even used to be "blood brothers." But the relationship cooled in 2001 when Rodriguez took a few shots at Jeter in GQ magazine.

When Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees in 2004, the six-time All-Star shortstop moved to third, with Jeter staying at short. The two may stand next to each other on baseball's most famous field, but Rodriguez won't likely be crashing at Jeter's pad any time soon.

[Last modified June 25, 2007, 22:11:46]