Charlotte (Florida) Honors Tom Massolio at Wally Keller Classic

The Fightin' Tarpons honored their longtime head coach of 25 seasons

Charlotte Tarpons' Kirby Schmitz gives a little showboating for the camera after a 63-49 victory in the Class 6A-Region 3 semifinal against the Palmetto Tigers Tuesday night at the Wally Keller Gymnasium. Sar Palmetto At Charlotte 01 | THOMAS BENDER/HERALD-TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

The 19th Annual Wally Keller Classic resumed on Saturday featuring over a dozen of the top-ranked Boys Basketball programs across the Southwest Florida area as well as the entire state.

Before the final game of the night, between two crosstown rivals Port Charlotte and Charlotte. The host Tarpons honored long-time athletic director and former Boys Basketball coach Tom Massolio by naming the court in his honor.

Charlotte (10-5) held on for a narrow 49-48 victory over the Pirates (16-3) to cap-off the event.

Massolio coached the Tarpons from 1997 to 2022 where he picked up 505 victories in his 25 seasons at the helm. He also has the most wins all-time by any coach in Southwest Florida Boys Basketball history. 

Massolio remains at the school as the athletic director, where he replaced long-time athletic director Brian Nolan, who served 38 years as the school’s athletic director back in 2022. 

During Massolio’s tenure as the head coach, he led the Tarpons to their first Final Four appearance in school history in 2021 before losing to eventual Class 6A Runner-Up Mater Academy Charter.

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