Nature Coast Christmas All-Tournament Honors
The fourth annual Nature Coast Christmas Tournament featured 16 teams including squads from the Florida, Ohio, Georgia and Washington (D.C.) area.
With so many players putting together nice performances, here is a look at the all-tournament team starting with the MVP.
MVP: Tyron Bond (Fletcher)
Averaging just over 21 points per game, the senior guard dunked time and time again and made things happen in a big way for Bracket B champion Fletcher.
All-Tournament: Kaine McColley (Nature Coast)
Nature Coast’s top senior Kaine McColley averaged 16 points per game in the tournament. His 22-point performance against Lowndes (Ga.) on Thursday was a pleasure to watch.
All-Tournament: Anthony Evelyn (Fletcher)
A pass first point guard, Anthony Evelyn showed up as a leader for his group. He knocked down big jumpers and had his best game on the opening day with 18 points against Gaither. Evelyn did a backflip after the Senators won the championship on Friday night (video here).
All-Tournament: Christian Shaneyfelt (Countryside)
Time and time again, freshman forward Christian Shaneyfelt attacked and hit outside shots with ease. His 21-point game on Thursday night against Armwood was impressive.
All-Tournament: Dale Bonner (Ohio Shaker Heights)
A crafty junior point guard, Dale Bonner showed off his passing ability more often than not. He finished with a 12-point game on Friday to help his team win third place.
All-Tournament: Christian De Leon (Alonso)
Alonso’s offense went through sophomore point guard Christian De Leon. He scored from the outside mostly, but attacked often against some tough defenses. De Leon has very nice speed.
All-Tournament: Robert McAfee (Nature Coast)
Nature Coast has to love having Robert McAfee on its side. The junior guards saved his best for last with a team-best 16 points in Friday night’s finals win over Alonso. He was rock solid all tournament long.
All-Tournament: Kamalii Findlay (Alonso)
For Alonso sophomore Kamalii Findlay, his offensive game is expanding as we speak. It was his contributions on defense that helped him stand out. Findlay is a high-end defender who rarely gives up any ground.
All-Tournament: Trivone Hill (Land O’ Lakes)
Land O’Lakes failed to do much good this week, but senior guard Trivone Hill certainly did. He had 14 points in a loss to Nature Coast on Wednesday and wasn’t afraid to attack.
All-Tournament: Jeremiah Payton (Fletcher)
Only a sophomore, Jeremiah Payton was the next best offensive weapon outside of Bond. Payton added 17 points in Friday night’s finals win over Countryside.
All-Tournament: J’Van Beasley (Ohio Shaker Heights)
Senior guard J’Van Beasley did it all offensively for Shaker Heights. He dropped a team-best 21 points in Friday’s third-place win over Armwood.
All-Tournament: C.J. Williams (Countryside)
C.J. Williams is someone I’ve seen play a lot this season and the more I watch him, the more there is to like. He had 16 points in Friday’s finals loss to Fletcher. The junior guard does a lot defensively to hold his own.
All-Tournament: Jordan Baxter (Nature Coast)
Senior forward Jordan Baxter has endless energy on the court. He plays bigger than his 6’3″ frame and gets up on rebounds and blocks. He contributed plenty on offense when it mattered the most.
All-Tournament: Chris Jones (Armwood)
The Hawks finished in fourth place and with Chris Jones, he’s a senior guard who made it happen for his team. Jones had 15 points in Thursday’s semifinal loss to Countryside and made plays throughout the tournament.
All-Tournament: Tino Petrovic (Countryside)
Perhaps one of the best outside shooters in the whole tournament, junior forward Toni Petrovic flashed his game. He had a team-high 18 points in Friday’s finals loss to Fletcher.
All-Tournament: John Slater (Georgia Lowndes)
Lowndes gave Nature Coast a run for its money in Thursday’s semifinal. Senior guard John Slater played a big role in that with a game-high 22-point performance.
All-Tournament: Malik Sproles (Georgia Archer)
Junior guard Malik Sproles was the most consistent piece for Archer in this tournament. He has serious upside as an offensive weapon.
All-Tournament: Ky’Llen Hymon (Armwood)
Ky’Llen Hymon is a pure shooter. The junior guard helped Armwood stretch the floor with his big jumpers. He scored 19 points in Thursday’s semifinal loss to Countryside, connecting on six 3’s.
All-Tournament: Dre’wan Clarke (Zephyrhills)
A senior guard, Dre’wan Clarke is a very good athlete. He plays defensive end for the Bulldogs and made plays for them on the court this week.
All-Tournament: Quavon Blackwood (D.C. Friendship)
Quavon Blackwood is a 6’1″ senior guard. His team didn’t fare well in the tournament, but he showed up more often than not on both sides of the ball.
All-Tournament: Shomari King (Armwood)
Shomari King went through plenty of adversity in this tournament as an undersized 6’5″ power forward. He is a really good attacker and he displayed that this week.
All-Tournament: Andrew Garcia (Gaither)
Gaither’s best option was junior guard Andrew Garcia. The Cowboys didn’t have much success, but Garcia showed up.
All-Tournament: Muhannad Abdaldean (Hernando)
For Hernando, 6’4″ senior forward Muhannad Abdaldean is the best all-around option for the Leopards.
All-Tournament: Devin Gardner (East Bay)
East Bay has Devin Gardner, a 6’1″ senior guard at the forefront. He’s good on both sides of the ball.
All-Tournament: Adarius Lee (George Jenkins)
Adarius Lee is an undersized freshman at 5’7″, but for the Eagles, he is the pulse that keeps them going.
All-Tournament: Jayden Comma (Georgia Roswell)
Roswell had a nice group of athletes. Jayden Comma is a 6’3″ senior forward who made a bunch of jumpers for the Hornets.