Hillsborough: News and notes

By JOE SMITH
Published December 4, 2007

On the Web: Dandy Dozen, video report

Check out the first installment of our weekly ranking of the top 12 boys basketball teams from the Tampa Bay area. Then tell us which teams we overlooked or overrated, all at highschool.tampabay.com. Also, check out the Times' football video report, Friday Night Rewind, which includes highlights, scores and expert analysis.

Hawks' Smith will be a Tiger

There will be few prep football players in the bay area with more interest in the Chick-fil-A Bowl than Armwood tailback Eric Smith.

Smith said he has narrowed his college choices to Auburn and Clemson; the two Tigers play in the New Years Eve bowl in Atlanta.

Smith (1,192 yards, 15 TDs), one of the state's top tailbacks, said in the preseason he was leaning toward Auburn - after all, his build (6 feet, 225 pounds) and running style make him an ideal fit for an Auburn back. But after taking a visit to Clemson's "Death Valley" a couple weeks ago, he said the ACC program has narrowed the gap between its SEC counterpart.

"It's really close," Smith said.

Smith said he plans to visit Auburn again in early January - although, it'd be hard to imagine he wouldn't be in attendance in Atlanta for the bowl game. The only question: Which sideline will he stand on?

Several stars to miss All-Star game

The Hillsborough County All-Star Game will be played Saturday at Raymond James Stadium at 7 p.m. There will be plenty of standouts, including Plant's Derek Winter, Chamberlain's Justin Bell and Brandon's Samir Baker.

But there will be some notable omissions, with Riverview tailback Jahleel Addae, a West Virginia-bound recruit with nearly 1,500 yards, skipping due to an upcoming hernia surgery.

On the West side, both Hillsborough defensive end Moses McCray and Middleton tailback Carlton Jones were late scratches, Sickles coach Pat O'Brien said.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. Tickets are $5, and the box office opens at 6 p.m. Parking is $2. For full rosters, head to blogs.tampabay.com/preps.

More points for Plant point guard

Plant junior guard Sheldon Cooley, one of the county's most explosive scorers, switched to point for the first few weeks of the season with starting guard Kevin James in the playoffs with the football team.

But Cooley has far from cooled off, averaging 28 points per game in the Panthers' four straight wins to start the season.

"Sheldon's been lighting it up," Plant coach Mike Phillips said. "He hasn't skipped a beat."

Numbers game

3 Wins by Middleton's boys basketball team that came by three points or fewer en route to a 4-1 start.

Check it out

There are several big games today. In girls soccer, Bloomingdale hosts Newsome at 6 p.m. In boys basketball, Tampa Prep will host St. Petersburg Catholic. In girls basketball, Plant (6-0) travels to Blake.

[Last modified December 4, 2007, 00:50:23]