DR. PHILLIPS NEWS & NOTES

May 14, 2009 - Dr. Phillips men's athletics is #1 in the Metro Conference.  Spurred by your own men's basketball team which won the district championship, the men's athletic teams finished #1 overall in the Metro Conference standings for the second time in the last three years!  Football and Track and Field also added district championships which helped propel the Panthers to the top of the overall athletic standings for men's sports in the entire Metro Conference.  Congratulations to the basketball team and all of the men's programs at Dr. Phillips for earning the prestigious honor.

May 13, 2009 - Athletic Physical Information - Dr. Phillips High School is hosting their annual Athletic Physical Night Wednesday May 27^th at 6:30 PM in the gym.  The cost is just $20 per physical (cash or check) and is open to student-athletes of all schools and grade levels.  It is NOT necessary to show up exactly at 6:30...we do put every student on a numbered list but the list moves rapidly.  You can easily show up at 7:15 and walk right in.  Any student-athlete(including incoming 9^th graders) interested in participating in summer conditioning for any sport or trying out for a team next season MUST have an athletic physical on file with our athletic trainer, Cassie Gross.  This is an excellent opportunity to take care of this requirement and be cleared to play through the end of the school year 2009-2010.  Physicals are conducted by our team physician, Dr. Paul Maluso, and his staff from West Orange Orthopaedics.  Blank physical forms can be picked up from room 618 (Athletic Training room) or downloaded from our website, http://www.dpathletics.net/forms.asp (download ALL forms).  All information must be completed and checked off by Cassie Gross to be cleared to participate in athletics. 

April 27, 2009 - The Panthers commit to participate in two of the nation's elite holiday tournaments over the next two years!    The Dr. Phillips basketball program is proud to announce the Panthers participation in two of the greatest boys basketball tournaments in the country.  In December of 2009 (this season) the Panthers have committed to play in the McDonald's Tampa Hoops Classic.  The 2009 field includes Jersey City St. Anthony, coached by legendary Bob Hurley, Baton Rouge Christian Life (La.) who won the Kingdom of the Sun and return virtually their entire roster, Norfolk Christian (Va.) and Philadelphia Northeast Catholic (Pa.), who feature national top 10 juniors-to-be James McAdoo and Rakeem Christmas, respectively, Miami big-school powerhouses Dr. Krop and Norland, five time defending state champion Jacksonville Arlington Country Day and your Dr. Phillips Panthers who have won 20+ games for 16 consecutive years!  It will be a tourney with some of the best teams in the country....a great way to prepare the Panthers for hopefully a deep playoff run.

And in December of 2010 the Panthers will be returning to Hawaii to play in the prestigious Iolani Classic in Honolulu!  The Iolani Classic always has the country's premier programs usually with 4 to 5 nationally ranked teams.  This will be the Panthers second trip to the Iolani Classic.  DP also participated in the 2003 Iolani which was Jason Rich's senior season (Chris Warren's freshman season).  Dr. Phillips is one of just eight teams from the mainland to get to play in the tournament and one of just a handful of school's from Florida that have ever participated.  The Panther team had a wonderful experience in 2003 going to Pearl Harbor, Waikiki beach,  a luau, the North Shore, as well as a bunch of other beautiful Hawaii sites and the 2010 team will be treated to the same excitement as well as the highest level high school basketball in the country.  Congratulations to the Panthers for being in the great position of being selected to play in such high level tournaments!

March 13, 2009 - Dr. Phillips finishes #14 in Florida in Breakdown's Final All Classes Poll.  Florida's Breakdown Magazine just released their final 'Florida Top 25' poll which is inclusive of all schools in the state regardless of class and the Panthers checked in at the #14 spot.  Not bad for a team that returned just one starter from the previous year.  Congratulations to the Panthers on their ranking.  Here is the entire poll for the 2008-09 season.  1. Coral Reef (27-4 - Class 6A State Champs);  2.  Olympia (28-5 - Class 6A Runner-up);  3. Orlando Christian Prep (28-2 - 1A State Champs);  4. ACDS (24-7 - 2A State Champs);  5. Santaluces (25-4 - 6A Final 4);  6. Ely (24-6 - 6A);  7. Boyd Anderson (25-3 - 6A);  8. Florida Air Academy (20-1 - 2A);  9. Gainesville (28-3 - 5A State Champs);  10. Clearwater (28-4 - 5A Runner-up);  11. Dillard (22-7 - 5A);  12. Pine Crest (22-4 - 3A State Champs);  13. American Heritage (21-6 - 3A);  14. Dr. Phillips (27-3 - 6A);  15. Dwyer (22-8 - 5A Final 4);  16. Montverde (Independent);  17. Winter Park (24-8 - 6A Final 4);  18. Providence (29-2 - 2A);  19. Winter Springs (19-5 - 6A);  20. Martin County (24-3 - 5A);  21. Cocoa (4A State Champs);  22. Lakeland (24-4 - 6A);  23. Springstead (31-1 - 4A Runner-up);  24. Bartow (22-7 - 4A Final 4);  25. Sickles (24-5 - 6A).

March 12, 2009 - The Panthers finish #3 in the Orlando Sentinel's final 'Super 16' poll.  The poll includes all central Florida teams regardless of classification.  Dr. Phillips defeated more teams in the Super 16 than any other team (including those ranked above them) proving the strength of their schedule.  The Panthers defeated an amazing 9 of the top 16 teams and went 10-2 overall against the top 16.  DP defeated #1 Olympia, #4 Winter Park, #6 Jones, #8 Oviedo, #9 Seabreeze, #11 Ocoee, #12 Osceola, #13 Timber Creek, and #16 East Ridge.  Wow!  Congrats again on your fantastic 27-3 season.

March 6, 2009 - The Panthers put two on the All-Metro Conference team.  Congratulations to Panther senior Chuck Ford and DP sophomore Shane Larkin for being named to the 2008-09 All-Metro Conference team as selected by the head coaches in the Metro Conference.  Chuck Ford was named to the first team and Shane Larkin was named to the second team.  Congratulations on the honor and a job well done.  This honor means a lot as it is chosen by the coaches in the conference who have the challenging task of containing these great players.  Here are the entire squads (in order of votes received).  1st Team All-Metro - Austin Rivers (Winter Park);  Dexter Fields (Olympia);  Chuck Ford (Dr. Phillips);  Martell Buie (Olympia);  and Darrick Brown (University).  2nd Team All-Metro - John Thompson (Jones);  Shane Larkin (Dr. Phillips);  Cady Lalane (Oak Ridge);  Sherwood Brown (Olympia);  and Darius Morales (Timber Creek).

Chuck Ford - 1st Team               Shane Larkin - 2nd Team

All-Metro - 20.8 ppg,                   All-Metro - 13.0 ppg,

4.2 apg, 2.9 rpg, 1.7 spg               6.0 apg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 spg

February 24, 2009 - Dr. Phillips 53  -  Olympia 57.  The Panthers fall in the regional semifinals to the Titans.  Unfortunately one of the best seasons in Dr. Phillips history came to an end as Olympia defeated Dr. Phillips to advance to the regional finals.  It was the third time the two powerhouses played this season.  Olympia took the first game by four points, DP took the district title game by four points, and Olympia took the rubber match by four points.  Just what you would expect when two great teams are going toe to toe.  The difference in the game was a few empty DP possessions late in the fourth quarter and Olympia capitalized and scored on several of their last possessions.  Damani Cade was the MVP of the game for the Panthers with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal.  Victor Gray added 10 points and 8 rebounds, but no other Panther scored double figures in the defensive struggle.  There's no shame in losing to a quality team like Olympia.  They currently have four seniors already with Division I basketball scholarships - more than the rest of the entire Metro Conference combined.  They are a very talented squad.  Dr. Phillips finishes the season with several noteworthy accomplishments.  After starting the season outside of the top 10 in the state polls, the Panthers finished the season #1 in the state - the first time in school history that a DP team finished the season ranked #1 in the final poll.  DP also cracked into the ESPN Rise 'Fab 50' topping out at #42, the first time a DP team has been nationally ranked.  The Panthers won their 7th district championship over Olympia in a game that most thought DP would lose.  The final record of 27-3 was the best winning percentage in school history and the team broke the school record for most three point baskets in a season.  It was a great season where the team surpassed everyone's expectations.  What a wonderful group.  Thank you very much to the seniors who were the guiding force behind the team - Chuck Ford, Victor Gray, Darius Donaldson, Andre Swain, Andy Lin, and Tavarus Stevens.  Great job!  It was a truly great season that all Panthers will look back upon with fond memories.  Thank you to the entire team for your dedication and commitment and continuing the tradition of excellence of the Dr. Phillips boys basketball program.
Post Script:  Olympia would go on to finish as the Class 6A state runner-up.

Victor Gray looks to pass in the regional playoff win over Osceola.

February 13, 2009 - DP is ranked #3 in the Orlando Sentinel 'Super 16'.  Today the Orlando Sentinel released their most recent rankings.  The Panthers are at the #3 spot.  They have certainly earned their way to the position.  The Panthers have beaten more teams in the 'Super 16' than any other team in it.  DP has defeated #4 Jones, #6 Winter Park, #8 Ocoee, #9 Oviedo, #12 Evans, #13 Seabreeze, and #16 Timber Creek in the poll!  Great job Panthers!  Good luck in the district semifinals against Ocoee!

February 11, 2009 - The Panthers stay at #3 in the most recent Class 6A rankings.  The Florida Sports Writers Association released their end of the regular season state rankings today and the Panthers stayed at #3 in the state with their impressive 24-2 ranking.  Here is the entire Class 6A rankings:  1. Boyd Anderson (24-1);  2. Olympia (22-3);  3. Dr. Phillips (24-2);  4. Ely (20-5);  5. Sickles (21-4);  6. Lakeland (20-3);  7. Miami Krop (19-4);  8. Winter Park (18-7);  9. Sarasota Riverview (21-4);  10. Melbourne (23-2).  It certainly appears that Region 2, the region the Panthers are in, is by far the most difficult of the four regions.  There are an amazing 5 teams from region 2 in the top 10 in the state - #2 Olympia, #3 Dr. Phillips, #5 Sickles, #6 Lakeland, and #10 Melbourne!  Wow!  Whomever comes out of region 2 will certainly be battle tested!  The Panthers two losses are to #2-6A Olympia and #1-3A American Heritage.  DP owns victories over #6-6A Lakeland, #8-6A Winter Park, #13-4A Bishop Kenny, #3-3A Jones, and #9-3A Williston so far this season.

February 10, 2009 - Dr. Phillips 89  -  West Orange 62.  The Panthers advance to the district semifinal with a win over the Warriors.  Dr. Phillips finished its most successful regular season in school history with a 23-2 record, but it is playoff time now and everyone is 0-0.  The Panthers came out with a lot of intensity and jumped on West Orange early in the district quarterfinal matchup.  DP led 27-14 after the first quarter and never looked back as they cruised to the 89-62 win.  Shane Larkin led the Panthers with 20 points, 5 three's, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds.  Pat Ryan had 18 points and 4 rebounds.  Damani Cade was the stat stuffer on this night with 15 points, 6 assists, 4 steals, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks.  Victor Gray nearly had a double-double with 14 points and 9 rebounds.  Darius Donaldson had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.  All 5 Panther starters scored in double figures which gave DP a very balanced attack on offense.  Tavarus Stevens also contributed 5 points and 5 rebounds.  DP improves to 24-2 on the season and is ranked #3 in the state in the Class 6A poll.  The Panthers advance to the semifinals of the tournament where they will take on the winner of the Ocoee/Apopka game.  Ocoee and Apopka play on Wednesday at 5:30 pm.  The district semifinal game will be on Friday at 8:00 pm.  Congrats to the Panthers on advancing in the tournament and good luck on Friday.  We need the entire 'Panther Nation' at DPs gym on Friday supporting the Panthers in this big game.

February 6, 2009 - Dr. Phillips 67  -  Timber Creek 59.  The Panthers finish out the regular season with the highest single season winning percentage in school history!  DP spoiled Timber Creek's senior night coming away with a hard fought win over the Wolves.  It was a struggle the entire game, but the Panthers made the plays at the end of the game to win.  DP was up 5 after one;  4 at half; and 2 after three before pulling away in the final minutes for the win.  Shane Larkin led the Panthers in scoring with 17 points.  Shane also had 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.  Pat Ryan was the stat stuffer on this night with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals.  Victor Gray had 13 points and 5 rebounds.  Damani Cade had 9 points and three rebounds and Tavarus Stevens contributed 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.  The Panthers finish out the regular season with a school record 23-2 record.  DP finishes as the Metro Conference Runner-Up with a 9-1 Metro record.  The Panthers are currently ranked #3 in Class 6A, their highest ranking since DP was ranked #1 in the 2003-04 season.  Congratulations to the Panthers on their phenomenal regular season.  The Panthers play next at home on Tuesday night in the district quarterfinal round of the tournament against West Orange.  Game time is 8:00 pm.  Olympia will play the Wekiva/Edgewater winner before the DP game at 6:00 pm.  Come out to DP and support your Panthers playoff run.
Post Script:  Timber Creek would go on to the regional quarterfinal round of the Class 6A state playoffs.

February 5, 2009 - Dr. Phillips 75  -  Jones 69.  Shane Larkin breaks a school record with 9 steals in DP's win on Senior Night!  The Jones Tigers came into the game with a 22-2 record and a number 3 ranking in Class 3A, but the Panthers led from beginning to end in the big 75-69 win on Senior Night.  Shane Larkin nearly had a triple double with 14 points, 11 assists, and 9 steals.  His 9 steals for the game is a new single game record at Dr. Phillips High School breaking the previous record of 8 in a game held by Chris Warren (Ole Miss).  Congratulations to Shane for entering the DP record book!  The Panthers were ahead for most of the game by 6-10 points but could never put away the very talented and well coached Jones squad.  Look for Jones to make a deep playoff run in class 3A.  Pat Ryan led the Panthers in scoring with 21 points.  Damani Cade has been playing his best ball of the year in the last couple of weeks scoring 17 points and grabbing 4 rebounds.  Victor Gray nearly had a double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds and Darius Donaldson had 8 points and 5 rebounds for DP.  The Panthers improve their record to 22-2 on the season;  7-1 in the district;  and 9-1 in the Metro Conference.  DP is currently ranked #3 in the state in the class 6A poll and #3 in the Orlando Sentinel 'Sweet 16' poll of all central Florida teams.  The win is the 9th in a row for the Panthers.  Congratulations to the 6 Panther seniors - Tavarus Stevens, Andre Swain, Andy Lin, Darius Donaldson, Victor Gray, and Chuck Ford.  They all have played key roles in the success of the team this year and it was nice to get a quality win over a very good team on their senior night.  The Panthers travel to Timber Creek on Friday to play the Wolves in their final regular season game.  Game time is at 8:00 pm at Timber Creek.  Congrats to the Panthers on the big win.
Post Script:  Jones would go on to finish as the Class 3A state runner-up.

February 3, 2009 - Dr. Phillips 70  -  Boone 52.  The Panthers cruise against Boone!  Dr. Phillips put their 20-2 record and #3 state ranking on the line against the Boone Braves on Tuesday.  DP came out ready to play and accomplished something that was rather incredible.  DP didn't miss a shot from the floor for the entire first quarter!  The Panthers went a perfect 11 for 11 from the floor to jump out to a 23-15 lead after one.  Unfortunately the Panthers did start to miss but extended their lead to 12 at halftime.  DP led by 23 after three and the entire starting lineup didn't play in the final quarter which gave the bench some quality playing time as the Panthers cruised to the 70-52 win.  Damani Cade led the Panthers with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.  Darius Donaldson got the start and played well with 13 points and 3 rebounds.  Pat Ryan had 9 points and 3 rebounds.  Victor Gray nearly logged a double-double with 9 points and 8 rebounds.  Victor was the stat stuffer for the night contributing 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals as well.  Shane Larkin had 7 points, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds.  Andre Swain had 6 points and 4 rebounds.  Tavarus Stevens added 4 points and 4 rebounds.  All but one Panther scored in the game.  Dr. Phillips improves to 21-2 on the season.  The Panthers play next at home on Thursday February 5 against Jones on Senior night.  It should be a great game.  DP is 21-2 and ranked #3 in 6A and Jones is 22-2 and ranked #3 in 3A.  Wow!  Come out on Thursday and support your Panthers especially the seniors!  Congrats on the win over Boone.

February 3, 2009 - The Panthers move up to #3 in the state!  The Florida Sports Writers Association released their most recent Class 6A state poll today and Dr. Phillips has moved up one spot to #3 in the state based on their 20-2 season so far.  The Panthers two losses are to the #1 ranked team in 3A (American Heritage) and the #2 ranked team in 6A (Olympia).  DP has beaten ranked teams Winter Park, Lakeland, Williston, Bishop Kenny, and Savannah, Ga.  DP takes on Jones which is ranked #3 in 3A on Thursday (Senior Night).

January 30, 2009 - Dr. Phillips 77  -  East Ridge 61.  The Panthers win their 20th game for the 16th consecutive season - a record in the state of Florida!  East Ridge came into the game in 3rd place in the district behind DP and Olympia, but the Knights couldn't stay with the Panthers for the entire game.  East Ridge jumped out to a fast start leading by one at the end of the first quarter, but DP outscored the Knights 22-13 in the second quarter to take a 40-32 lead at the break.  DP had 8 three pointers in the first half alone against the Knights zone and box and one defenses.  DP won the third quarter by one and then wore down the Knights in the fourth quarter to pull away and win 77-61.  The win is the 20th of the season for the Panthers which continues the state of Florida's longest streak of consecutive 20 win seasons at an amazing 16 years!  Congrats on the awesome accomplishment!  Pat Ryan led DP with 17 points including an amazing 5 for 6 from three point land.  Damani Cade had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.  Chuck Ford also had 16 points and 6 assists.  Shane Larkin led the Panthers in assists with 10 (a career high) and steals with 4.  Victor Gray and Tavarus Stevens led the Panthers in rebounding with 6.  Darius Donaldson added 8 points and 4 rebounds for DP.  DP finishes off the regular season district record at 7-1 which puts them as the #2 seed in the district tournament Feb. 9-14 at DP.  DP improves to 20-2 on the season.  The Panthers play next on Tuesday February 3rd at home against Boone High School.  Game time is 8:00 pm.  Come out and support your 20-2 and 4th ranked Panthers!

January 27, 2009 - Dr. Phillips 87  -  West Orange 68.  The Panthers run past the Warriors.  West Orange came into the game with quality wins over Winter Park and Evans, but they couldn't match the Panthers in this district battle.  DP controlled the game from start to finish leading by 16 after one;  18 after two;  20 after three; and winning by a final of 87-68.  Every Panther received plenty of minutes in this one.  DP was led by Chuck Ford who logged 25 points, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds.  Damani Cade has played back to back great games logging 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals.  Shane Larkin had a stat stuffing night with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.  Victor Gray was a monster on the boards grabbing a season and career high 15 rebounds and scoring 7 points.  Andy Lin contributed 8 points and 7 rebounds in his best performance of the year.  Pat Ryan had 8 points, 4 steals, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds.  Darius Donaldson had 6 points and 5 rebounds in the win.  Dr. Phillips improves to 19-2 overall;  6-1 in the district;  and 9-1 in the Metro Conference.  The win clinches the runner-up spot in the Metro Conference championship race.  The win also clinches the #2 seed for the upcoming district tournament.  Dr. Phillips will play its final district contest of the season before the tournament on Friday at East Ridge High School in Clermont.  Game time is 8:00 pm.  Good luck to the Panthers as they go for their 20th win of the season.