Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Frankie Squire always has been able to score expect in the classroom. But the senior gradually matured, raising his average off the court.
By KEITH NIEBUHR
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 21, 2001
LECANTO -- The Frankie Squire coach Greg Hamilton sees does not resemble the one he was introduced to four years ago.
The Seven Rivers Christian player's jumpshot is the same, but little else is.
"When Frankie first moved into the school in the ninth grade, he was an academic problem," Hamilton said.
"He had to sit out his first semester and had a lot of attitude adjusting to do concerning authority," Hamilton said. "But as the years have gone by, he has matured and became a team leader."
Today, Squire is a problem only for opponents.
Off the court, he carries a B-average and has done well on standardized testing.
On the court, the 5-foot-8 senior guard averages a team-best 15 points per game. He leads the Warriors in steals and is among their leaders in assists.
A four-year starter, Squire's 1,265 points is a Seven Rivers record. In each season, he averaged at least 10 points a game, and in each of his two previous seasons he earned team MVP honors.
"He is somebody teams have to be mindful of," Hamilton said.
From the start, Hamilton saw talent in Squire. But the coach saw trouble.
"When he came to Seven Rivers he had lousy grades and he was just really down," Hamilton said. "There's a huge difference today in his overall attitude and his confidence -- on and off the court.
"It was something we hoped would happen, and he's grown into that. We're extremely proud of him."
Squire picked up basketball when he was in the seventh grade, just after his family moved to Inverness. Every day, he spent several hours shooting alone.
"There was nothing else to do," Squire said. "Our neighbors were miles away out here."
By the time Squire arrived at Seven Rivers, his game was solid.
At one of Squire's first practices, he was told by Hamilton to try to score against the Warriors' first-string offense. He did with ease -- on three consecutive possessions.
"He definitely stood out immediately as someone who had a lot of ability," Hamilton said.
Throughout his high school career, Squire has developed a reputation for his tenacity.
Teams that overlook him because of his lack of height have been burned. Then again, so has everybody else.
Squire always had a solid outside shot. Today, he has everything else.
"I've always had speed and jumping ability, but to be the player I wanted to be, I knew I had to have certain assets," Squire said.
"Over the summer, I worked on my game. I worked on the mid-range shots and being able to have the whole package," he said. "I think I've improved way beyond the way I played last year."
In Seven Rivers' two most recent games, Squire has been at his best.
Against Ocala School of the Kingdom, he scored 25 points to help the Warriors secure a berth in the Class A state playoffs.
Later in the week, he torched fifth-ranked Ocala Shores Christian for 28 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter, in a 70-57 loss.
"Frankie has become an extremely solid player and is just a great person to have around," Hamilton said. "His personality and his enthusiasm are contagious."
WHO: Seven Rivers Christian vs. The Rock.
WHEN: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Santa Fe Community College, Gainesville.