Sickles’ Rembert becoming an elite player

Posted Feb 24, 2010 by Nick Williams

Updated Feb 24, 2010 at 01:19 PM

Before the season, longtime Florida Elite AAU coach Conrad Foss said to keep an eye on Sickles junior guard Rashawn Rembert.

Coming from the person who helps organize the annual Tampa Hoops Classic, which is quickly becoming one of the premier high school basketball tournaments in the nation, and is also the USSSA National Basketball President, that’s some pretty high praise.

But Foss knew what was on the horizon. This season, Rembert, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, has emerged as one of the top players in Hillsborough County. He currently averages 23.1 points per game for the 27-2 and No. 5 state-ranked Gryphons, who host Clearwater in the Class 5A Region 3 championship Saturday at 7 p.m.

Over the summer, Ohio and Liberty became the first college programs to officially offer, which are the first of many to come. Rembert has also been listed by ESPN as one of the top juniors in the state.

“I try not to pay attention to that,” Rembert said of the national exposure.

But the success he’s helped bring to Sickles might not have happened. Two years ago, Rembert’s house burned down just weeks after his freshman season. Fortunately, the family was able to rebuild on the same property.

“I would have helped rebuild it myself,” Sickles coach Renaldo Garcia joked.