All-Area Athletes & Teams
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1503113
Page 14 www.yoursun.com THE WINTER ATHLETES OF THE YEAR STAFF REPORT If the fall belonged to Venice, then the 2022-23 winter sports season belonged to Charlotte High. The Tarpons' boys and girls basketball teams as well as their wrestlers and girls weightlifters all had standout seasons, leading to Player of the Year awards in three of the six winter sports. Charlotte's girls basketball team took center stage when the calendar turned to post- season play. After reaching the state Final Four for the third consecutive year, the Tarpons finally broke through to the title game after defeating Oakleaf in the state semifinal. The Charlotte boys, under first-year coach Mike Williams, weathered a brutal schedule – including a season sweep by rival Port Charlotte – to win a district title and advance to the region finals, showing that program remains one to be reckoned with. The Tarpon wrestlers didn't win the state championship, but all nine wrestlers who advanced to state made it to the podium, including state champion Cael Newton. DeSoto County's boys soccer team remained the area's domi- nant force on the pitch while on the girls' side, the competition was unusually balanced, espe- cially between South County rivals Venice and North Port. The Bulldogs provided the area's boys soccer player of the year while the city of North Port took care of the remaining two awards, with a winner hail- ing from each school – North Port and Imagine. Here's a look at those winter Players of the Year. GIRLS BASKETBALL D'YANIS JIMENEZ CHARLOTTE The reigning Sun Preps POY and Wisconsin-bound dynamo averaged 16.1 points and reached double figures in all but three contests during the 2022- 23 season. She was second on the team in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Jimenez led Charlotte to the Final Four for the third consecutive year, scored 21 points in the semifinal win against Oakleaf and 23 points in a spirited effort against St. Thomas Aquinas in the state championship. The past November as she signed her letter of intent to play at Wisconsin, Jimenez said she was eager to help Badgers' second-year coach Marisa Moseley continue her rebuild of the Wisconsin program. Moseley was hired in the spring of 2021 after the Badgers had gone 5-19. Wisconsin made a modest improvement from five wins to eight wins, then this past year, the Badgers went 11-20 as they maintain a steady growth pattern. "I would rather be a part of an up-and-coming team than a team that's already made it," Jimenez said. "I want to be a part of something new." After signing, Jimenez knew her role on the Tarpons would be slightly different than it had been. Rather than being the score-at-will machine she had been during the previous two years, she needed to play the role of distributor. She pulled it off, admirably. BOYS BASKETBALL JOHN GAMBLE CHARLOTTE The Gulf Coast Conference player of the year flirted with a 20-point average throughout the 2022-23 season and often had his best games against the toughest opponents. For example, the 6-foot-6 Gamble averaged 23 points per game at the City of Palms Classic. During the season, he scored 20 or more points on 13 occa- sions and cracked 30 points twice. An artist of the dunk, Gamble also was an underrated passer who had a nose for the occasional steal and block. The highlight of Gamble's time with the Tarpons came during his sophomore season when Charlotte traveled to top- ranked East Lake for a regional championship and came away with a 59-56 victory to send Charlotte to its first-ever Final Four. Gamble scored 12 points in that game, including a pair of clutch 3-point baskets, which Spotlight shined on Charlotte in winter DeSoto, Imagine and North Port stood out, as well SUN FILE PHOTO BY TOM O'NEILL Charlotte's D'Yanis Jimenez powered the Tarpons to their third consecutive state Final Four and this time got them over the semifinal hump and into the state championship game. SUN FILE PHOTO BY CHRIS BLAKE Charlotte's John Gamble capped a superb senior season with his fourth All-Area nod and Player of the Year honors. He will continue his career at Tennessee State. SEE WINTER, 15A