Shawn Vanzant resigns as Wharton head boys basketball coach, named assistant coach at Eckerd College

Vanzant, A Wharton High School alum, coached the previous three seasons where he went 67-24 (.736) and made three regional playoff appearances with the Wildcats.

Wharton High School Head Boys Basketball Coach Shawn Vanzant Resigned After Three Seasons. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The coaching carousel across the state of Florida continued spinning hit last week, with the latest being Wharton Head Boys Basketball Coach Shawn Vanzant announcing his resignation and joining the Eckerd College coaching staff in St. Petersburg, Vanzant told High School On SI.

Vanzant, 36, took over as the Wharton High School boys basketball coaching job in 2022, where he replaced Tommy Tonelli, who won over 500 games, retired following the 2021-2022 season. Tonelli was Vanzant's head coach when he played for the Wildcats from 2004 to 2007.

Vanzant finished with a 67-24 record and a .736 winning percentage during his three seasons with the Wildcats, making the regional playoffs in all three seasons and reaching the regional final during the 2024-2025 season.

Before coming over to Wharton, Vanzant coached four seasons at Bloomingdale High School from 2018 to 2022, where he led the Bulls to their first district title since 2016 in his final season with the Bulls.

Vanzant Reached NCAA Final Four During His Collegiate Playing Career

Vanzant helped Butler reach back-to-back Final Four appearances, including a National Championship Game appearance in 2010 where they almost "shocked the world" against the No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils, when Gordon Hayward rimmed out a 50-foot buzzer-beating heave in the final seconds.

Vanzant Put Up Efficient Numbers During His Senior Season

During his senior season at Wharton High School, Vanzant became the first player to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone. He also averaged 16.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 3.4 steals per game where the Wildcats finished with a 29-2 record and led the Wildcats to the program's first-ever Regional Final appearance before their season came to an end against eventual state champion Lake Howell.

Vanzant Has High School Jersey Retired By Wharton

On February 4, 2021 before a game against Bloomingdale, the Wildcats retired Vanzant's No. 2 jersey, where he was coaching the visiting Bulls at the time.

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