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Dante's Inferno

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Staff photo by BOB EAST III

Springstead High senior Dante Valentine (3) slashes to the hoop for a lay-up as Hudson center Stephen Brom defends.

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: February 28, 2009

In the span of a few moments of Tuesday night's Class 4A, Region II semifinal, the various shades of Dante Valentine were on display.
One minute, a wicked crossover setting up a clutch jumper. The next minute, his hand slams to the floor in protest of a whistle. Soon after, his arms are in the air egging on the home crowd.
As the ninth-ranked Eagles vanquished district-rival Hudson for a fourth time, moving to 29-0 and advancing to tonight's 7 p.m. regional final versus Ocala-West Port, Valentine stepped up.
The senior guard posted a game-high 21 points along with 12 rebounds, and scored 15 points in the second half, including several key baskets as Springstead pulled away for a 72-49 victory.
"Great finishes around the basket in traffic," Springstead Head Coach Pat Kelly said of Valentine. "He was relentless to the basket. They couldn't keep him out of there."
"We elevated the intensity," Valentine said. "Go hard or go home. There's no other option.
"I was upset about a couple no-calls. I took it to the rack a couple of times to make a statement."

Playing on emotion

No doubt Valentine, a 5-foot-10 third-year starter at point guard, has played an enormous roll in his team's unprecedented success.
The stats certainly back that up. He ranks second on the team to Isaiah Mason in scoring at 18.8 points per game, and leads the team in assists (4.7) and steals (4.3) per contest. He also averages a respectable 4.8 rebounds and has hit a team-best 26 three-pointers.
As a sophomore, having transferred in from Atlanta, he averaged 12.1 points. He increased that to 20.0 points plus 3.2 assists, 5.3 steals and 4.5 rebounds as a junior.
"He's a kid that probably leads in steals in school history by over 100," Kelly said. "He's got over 300 assists, 1,200 points. His instincts are great. He's relentless. He's tough."
But Valentine's impact reaches beyond the numbers. Calling him emotional, he admits, is an understatement. That emotion often seems to fuel him and his team.
Yet at times that emotion has gotten him, and his team, in trouble. He missed the entire postseason as a sophomore, serving a suspension for cursing at a referee.
Now, however, the 17-year-old son of Spring Hill's A.J. and Bernidine Valentine has embraced a leadership role and knows that properly channeling his emotions is a part of that.
"It helps me and it hurts me in a way," Valentine said of his emotional style. "My first reaction comes out. I've tried to work on that this year.
"On the other end, it's a true love for the game. This is what I do. I've done this since I was five."
Outside of the program, Valentine's reputation often precedes him. At times, particularly last season, he seemed to become a target of weary referees.
Fair or unfair, opinions on his attitude often overshadow those of his play. Despite the romantic connotations associated with his last name, he doesn't quite inspire loving feelings.
"I don't like it, but it's life," Valentine said. "You're not going to like everything people think about you. Oh well. I'm not a big care what people think about me guy."

Playoff payoff

He does care, though, about pushing the Eagles on a playoff run. Last year he dislocated his elbow and again missed the district tournament, where Springstead got upset by Hudson in the semifinals.
He didn't play varsity ball as a freshman at Martin Luther King Jr. High in the Atlanta area, so this marks his first prep postseason.
He has kept from any further suspensions the past two seasons, but that doesn't necessarily mean he has kept quiet. Once or twice a game, Kelly will typically yell out "Dante" and make a zipping motion across his lips.
"Just letting Dante know that he needs to play hard," Kelly said. "Let his playing do the talking."
Valentine didn't start last week's quarterfinal versus Poinciana, but entered within the first two minutes. Kelly called it a "reminder" and repeated that mantra when asked if that meant disciplinary reasons.
Valentine responded with seven first-quarter points and 23 for the game, once again pacing the team in that category. He also added five steals.
Springstead will likely need another such performance against West Port to take its dream season to the next step: the Florida High School Athletic Association Finals.
"The goal is definitely the state title, but we're taking it one game at a time," Valentine said. "It's the big picture, the big focus. Whenever I'm getting a little riled up, that's what (Kelly) says to me."

BY THE NUMBERS: DANTE VALENTINE
Year GP FG 3PT FTA FTM FT% TP AVG
2006-07 23 96 16 108 70 65% 278 12.1
2007-08 19 143 27 122 67 55% 380 20.0
2008-09 29 206 26 163 107 66% 545 18.8
TOTALS 71 445 69 393 244 62% 1,203 16.9

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at 352-544-5288 or cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com.

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