Dick Vitale Tennis extravaganza returns to Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club

The 2011 Dick Vitale Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic will return to the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club from Nov. 11-13, 2011.

This is the only clay court college tournament in the nation and the only event of its kind that brings men’s and women’s teams in for one event.

New this year, ESPN sportscaster and Lakewood Ranch resident Dick Vitale is adding his name to the tournament.

“This event is going to feature some of the greatest players on the collegiate level,” Vitale said. “Lakewood Ranch is blessed to have teams like these, all coming here. I would encourage anyone who wants to get involved to sponsor the tournament with a banner that will hang at all the weekend events – including the party at my house. I’ll be here to introduce the players and it’s gonna be awesome baby with a capital A!”

The best college players in the country will battle it out in three days of competition.

Men’s teams include Arizona, Pepperdine, Minnesota, Miami, Florida, Ole Miss., Virginia, Alabama, and Duke. Women's teams include Oklahoma St., Mississippi St., Miami, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Baylor, Northwestern and Clemson.

“We have a waiting list for college teams that want to enter this tournament,” said Paul Lederman, Lakewood Ranch’s director of athletics. “It’s a huge win for our area, and has become a huge event in the collegiate tennis world after our successful inaugural event in 2010. We plan to bring this back every year. “

Admission to the tournament will be free and open to the public but donations will be taken for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator.

Since 1993, The Foundation has raised more than $100 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related programs. Administrative and fundraising expenses are paid by the Foundation's endowment.

The Foundation awards grants through a competitive awards process strictly supervised by a Scientific Advisory Board. For more information on The V Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.

Anyone interested in sponsoring the Dick Vitale Clay Court Classic or hanging a banner at the tournament or at the party at Dick Vitale’s house can contact the tournament team at 941-907-2255 or 941-907-2935. The full tournament schedule will be released at a later date.

Offers start piling up for DaQual Randall

They say football scholarship offers are often like snowballs. You get one and others start to come pretty quickly.

That could be the case for Palmetto High linebacker DaQual Randall.

Randall received his first offer last month when Louisville head coach Charlie Strong told Randall he wanted him the play for the Cardinals.

Since then Randall as received offers from six others, including BCS schools Rutgers and Iowa State. The others extending an offer were Western Kentucky, UCF, UAB, Ball State and Chattanooga.

Randall has also been getting a lot of interest from USF, Miami, Georgia Tech and Clemson. He went to a spring practice at USF and talked with Bulls defensive coordinator Mark Snyder, who said the senior could possibly fit in after he graduates in 2012.

The six-foot, 225 pound Randall had 86 unassisted tackles, four sacks and an interception last season. As a sophomore he had 122 tackles (83 unassisted) with nine tackles for losses and two sacks.

Southeast's Poole rated 41st best player in USA and second best cornerback

Brian Poole is rated the 41st best player in the country by Scout.Com in the class of 2012 and the nation's second best cornerback.

The Southeast High junior is also a standout running back, but his future in college football and beyond is as a defensive back, most likely at cornerback where he is very unique with his size, strength and speed.

Offers are flowing in for the 5-11, 185 pounder and he says he has no favorite at the moment. Among those offering are in state schools Florida, FSU, Miami and USF along with Alabama. Georgia, Notre Dame and USC just to name a few.

The only cornerback rated ahead of Poole is Ronald Darby at 31st from Potomac High in Maryland. The 5-11, 175 pound Darby has verbally committed to Notre Dame.

College scouts love everything about Poole, including his ability to cover those speedy receivers and come up and get physical at the line of scrimmage.