Sports
Calvary Christian's Kyle Weidinger a Force in Local Basketball Circles
The 6-9 center transferred to Calvary Christian after his sophomore season and was largely a nondescript player. Now, Kyle Weidinger is one of the better players in Pinellas County.
When Calvary Christian travels to Kissimmee New Dimensionsto begin the Class 2A playoffs in a region quarterfinal today, the focal player on the court for both teams will be Kyle Weidinger.
The 6-9 center for Calvary Christian has become a force in local basketball circles. In fact, his true success has become a bit of a surprise to him.
Earlier this month he scored his 1,000 point to become the first basketball player from Calvary Christian to reach such a plateau. Thing was, he wasn't aware of it until he nearly had 1,000 points.
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"I never thought about it until a few days before it happened," Weidinger said. "My mom had come up to me and she said she had totaled it all up and I had 900 and something. I thought, 'Wow, wait a minute.'"
The mark was reached when he poured in 32 points against Keswick Christian. The school honored Weidinger by calling a timeout and honoring him on the spot.
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"It was nice," Weidinger said. "They announced it over the loudspeaks after I made the shot. People stood up and applauded. It happened on Senior Night so it couldn't have happened at a better time."
All of this newfound celebrity is a bit surprising for Weidinger, who for his first two years was little more than a bit player for Mitchell High School before transferring to Calvary Christian prior to his junior season.
"The main transitiion, physically, happened [between] my freshman year to my sophomore year," Weidinger said. "But from my sophomore year to my junior year, it finally clicked. 'Hey, wait, I can actually play. I'm not just average."
It was that confidence that turned Weidinger into an offensive player. At Mitchell his first two seasons, he totaled just 80 points. But after learning how to play offense and be a force with the ball, Weidinger turned into a complete player and his offense jump started.
"I think there were a few factors," Weidinger said of his maturing. "First, I was growing into my body. Before, I was just goofy. Then I began playing AAU basketball. I was in the gym all summer. It paid off."
