TAMPA, Fla. — Who says you can’t go home?

Shawn Vanzant did — the former Wharton High basketball star who did it all on the court is now leading the Wildcats courtside as their head coach.

What You Need To Know

  •  Wharton's new head coach was a star point guard who led the Wildcats to a region final as a student

  •  Shawn Vanzant starred on the court of the Wildcats before a successful career at Butler University

  •  Vanzant replaces Tommy Tonelli, the longtime Wildcats coach who retired after leading Wharton to the Final Four last season

Vanzant established a lot of firsts during his playing time at Wharton. He was the first to score 1,000 career points. The first four-year Varsity letterman. And the first, and only, Wharton player to have his jersey retired.

Now, he’s reliving a little of his glory days while creating special memories for this year’s team.

“It’s definitely special,” Vanzant said. “Wharton High School was a huge part of my life. So me being able to come back here to show some of my wisdom, pass it down to another generation, is definitely a blessing.”

Along with his Wharton pedigree, Vanzant brings a stacked resume, which includes back-to-back NCAA national title game appearances while at Butler University, and some professional playing time.

All of that is impressive, but it’s the love of all things Wharton that’s giving him a home-court advantage.

“Actually, since I was 8 years old, I’ve been coming to this gym,” Vanzant said. “So this is like a home to me. So me being a part of this program and coaching here, I can’t describe the feeling.”

The man who was the face of Wharton basketball, Tommy Tonelli, hung up his whistle at the end of last season — a season that saw him reach the 500-win milestone, and one that ended with a trip to the Final Four.

“I kept pinching myself, you know, like I can’t believe this is all happening and playing out the way it is, the way it did in my last year,” Tonelli said. “But more than anything, the thing that made it the easiest part for me to walk away was knowing that Shawn was gonna come in as the new coach.”

Tonelli said he saw something in Shawn when he played for him that made him believe he had a future as a head coach.

“He was a great teammate — he was a leader, he was always the hardest worker, he was a gym rat,” Tonnelli said. “He was always working to make himself better.”

Now, Vanzant says he's working to put his own stamp on the Wildcats program. He’s following in some big footsteps, but Vanzant says he is more than prepared to walk his own path.

“Just trying to keep that legacy going,” he said. “I was part of the legacy. I helped out a little bit. Even before me, the 90s, it’s been a great program. So my goal is to keep the program going in the right direction.”