By: Ross Van De Griek
Some of you may ask what is the Ulrich Family Classic? The Ulrich Classic is a day out of the year, we honor a former student, cheerleader & huge fan. Lexi Ulrich, along with her sister & parents were tragically killed in a plane crash on June 11, 2010 in Arizona. Lexi has a scholarship in her name that is given to a senior each year, for their spirit & dedication to Wiregrass Ranch High School athletics. This year we will have more teams than we've had in the previous 8 years of the event.
Leto vs Bishop McLaughlin, 12pm
Leto: Making their 1st Ulrich Family Classic Appearance
Bishop McLaughlin: Making their 2nd Ulrich Family Classic Appearance (0-1 Record)
Players to watch for Leto: 2020 guard Saizon Stephens (10.6 points per game, 1.8 steals per game), 2021 forward Gerald Mena, 2020 forward Jordin Taveras
Players to watch for Bishop McLaughlin: 2021 forward Dylan Figueroa (12 points per game), 2022 guard/forward Myles Morgan (5.7 rebounds per game)
Leto Head Coach: Daniel Delgardo (1st Season)
Bishop McLaughlin Head Coach: James Mason (4th Season)
Clearwater Central Catholic vs Gulf, 1:30pm
Clearwater Central Catholic: Making their 3rd Ulrich Family Classic Apperance (2-0 Record)
Gulf: Making their 2nd Ulrich Family Classic Appearance (1-0 Record)
Players to watch for Clearwater Central Catholic: 2021 forward Trey Johnson (15.6 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game), 2020 forward Johnny Newton (Illinois football commit) (12.1 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game) & 2021 guard Fidel Galaura (11.1 points per game, 4.8 assists per game & 2.9 steals per game)
Players to watch for Gulf: 2020 forward Ty Diggins (23 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game), 2020 guard Evan Sims (17 points per game, 3 rebounds per game, 2.9 assists per game) & 2020 forward Antonio Papanikis (5.3 rebounds per game)
Clearwater Central Catholic Head Coach: Mike Wasilenko (4th Season)
Gulf Head Coach: Romello Brockett (1st Season)
Armwood vs Mitchell, 3:00pm
Armwood: Making their 1st Ulrich Family Classic Appearance
Mitchell: Making their 5th Ulrich Family Classic Appearance (1-3 Record)
Players to watch for Armwood: No stats available
Players to watch for Mitchell: 2021 guard Khamari Smith (19.6 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game), 2020 guard Austin Wilson (11 points per game, 4 rebounds per game), 2020 forward Efe Kadioglu (9.6 points per game & 5.3 rebounds per game)
Armwood Head Coach: Jamie Turner (1st Season)
Mitchell Head Coach: Jason Vetter (2nd Season at Mitchell, 18th overall season)
Steinbrenner vs Wesley Chapel, 4:30pm
Steinbrenner: Making their 3rd Ulrich Family Classic Apperance (0-2 Record)
Wesley Chapel: Making their 4th Ulrich Family Classic Apperance (2-1 Record)
Players to watch for Steinbrenner: No stats available
Players to watch for Wesley Chapel: 2020 forward Ethan Jones (10.4 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game), 2021 forward Sam Lowe (10.4 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game), 2020 forward Jeremy Young (6.4 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game)
Steinbrenner Head Coach: JR Allen (5th Season)
Wesley Chapel Head Coach: Doug Greseth (17th Season at Wesley Chapel, 31st overall season)
Tampa Prep vs Land O'Lakes, 6:00pm
Tampa Prep: Making their 1st Ulrich Family Classic Appearance
Land O'Lakes: Making their 9th Ulrich Family Classic Appearance (4-4 Record)
Players to watch for Tampa Prep: 2020 guard Gabriel Sharp (15.4 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game), 2020 forward Jaden Gray (12.4 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists per game), 2021 forward Valentino Hart (9.6 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game) & 2020 guard Isaac Ward (7.6 assists per game & 1.9 steals per game)
Players to watch for Land O'Lakes: 2020 guard Mekhi Perry (20.3 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game), 2020 forward Chase Farmer (17.9 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game & 2.9 assists per game), 2022 guard Jeremiah Cribbs (12.6 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, 2.3 steals per game)
Tampa Prep Head Coach: Joe Fenlon (37th Season)
Land O'Lakes Head Coach: David Puhalski (31st Season)
Countryside vs Wiregrass Ranch, 7:30pm
Countryside: Making their 7th Ulrich Family Classic Appearance (4-2 Record)
Wiregrass Ranch: Making their 9th Ulrich Family Classic Appearance (3-5 Record)
Players to watch for Countryside: 2021 guard Mikey Shane (15.4 points per game, 3.8 assists per game), 2021 guard Anthony Bittar (13.5 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 3.5 assists per game), 2020 guard Noah Tran (12.9 points per game, 2.5 steals per game)
Players to watch for Wiregrass Ranch: 2021 guard Quincy Smith (11.6 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game), 2020 forward Jacob McCaslin (10.7 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game), 2020 guard/forward Lucas Pelt (6.5 rebounds per game, 2.2 steals per game) & 2020 guard Brian Parker (9.1 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game)
Countryside Head Coach: Jeff Powers (7th Season)
Wiregrass Ranch Head Coach: Jeremy Calzone (14th Season)