Strawberry Crest boys hoops ready to surprise

Posted Nov 2, 2011 by Nick Williams

Updated Nov 2, 2011 at 10:23 AM

It’s going to be hard not to consider Strawberry Crest as one of the top boys basketball teams in Hillsborough County this season, despite the program going 9-17 last season

Though the Chargers graduated their top scorer in point guard Reggie Burke, they received two transfers over the summer that will certainly fill those shoes. Brandon and Malik Channer, brothers who transferred in from Blake and Tampa Prep, will give Strawberry Crest a player who can score at will and a true point guard. Brandon, a 6-foot-3 senior shooting guard, was the second leading scorer at Blake last season, which reached the Class 4A state semifinals as the top ranked team in the 4A state poll. Channer, who averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season, will make his college decision on Friday and choose between Jacksonville, Loyola Marymount, UTEP, Murray State and La Salle. Brandon said he’s 90 percent sure of where he’s going to go.

Brandon is currently rehabbing a strained PCL, but said he’ll be ready for the season opener.

“I think we’ll surprise a lot of people,” Brandon said. “We’ll make a lot of noise.”

Malik, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, was the backup point guard to Josh Heath last year at Tampa Prep, which reached the 2A state semifinals. Malik averaged 2.1 points and 1.3 assists, but Strawberry Crest head coach Andre Lewis said he’s poised for a breakout year.

“Malik will make everyone better,” he said.

Strawberry Crest also returns its second leading scorer from last season in junior guard Devin Diggs, who averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Diggs, in his first year participating in the sport, reached the state finals in track and field last season. Diggs and the Channer brothers will form one of the better backcourts in the county, and with 6-4 sophomore forward Austin Griffin, Lewis will be looking to go small but fast.

“We’re a run and gun team,” Diggs said. “We like to get it out and go. We have a lot of guards.”