Seth McClung trades days on the diamond for hoop dreams

Bye Bye Staverman…McClung’s on the bench!

For one quarter, Seth McClung showed his best side with a calm, composed exterior.

Then Lakewood High School basketball team started running around his Pinellas Park girls as if they were the Washington Generals.

The Spartans scored one transition layup after another, and were ahead 35-2 at the end of one quarter. The score was 64-5 at the half.

Soon after, the cheery demeanor was gone. McClung, 29, spent the rest of the night with a furrowed brow, pursed lips and a slightly uncomfortable expression as he witnessed a gut-wrenching 90-14 defeat in his debut as coach.

“It’s not often a coach gets interviewed after a 76-point loss,” McClung said.

Of course, it’s a not often a former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher decides to coach a prep girls team, especially one that has been in the doldrums as long as the Patriots. Pinellas Park went 5-56 the past three seasons, including 0-15 last season.