ARS Rescue Rooter Tampa National Hoopfest Preview
This weekend, the fourth and final stop for the ARS Rescue Rooter National Hoopfest will take place in Tampa, Fla.
Three games will be played on Friday with five more taking place on Saturday, the Hoopfest will be held at Berkeley Prep (4811 Kelly Road, Tampa, Florida). Buy your tickets here.
There will be 10 Florida teams participating (Berkeley Prep, Tampa Catholic, Montverde, West Oaks, Victory Rock, Tampa Prep, Windermere Prep, Oldsmar Christian, St. Pete and IMG Blue). The other three out of state teams are Huntington Prep (W.Va.), St. Benedict’s (N.J.) and Oak Hill (Va.).
Here is a look at the 13-team field.
Out of state teams
Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
Oak Hill continues to be a national powerhouse. At 18-3 this season, the Warriors are playing great basketball. Seniors Billy Preston (Kansas commit), Matt Coleman (Texas commit), Lindell Wigginton (Iowa State) and Ty-Shon Alexander (Creighton commit) are part of a strong 2017 class. 6’9″ center David McCormack is the No. 1 player in while Kenneth Nwuba is sixth overall among juniors in the state. This team is flat out loaded.
Huntington Prep (Huntington, W.Va.)
Another stacked program basically every season is Huntington Prep. The Irish (12-3) have senior forward Chase Johnston (UF commit), juniors Chris Smith, Keldon Johnson and Jon Kabongo at the forefront. Former Winter Haven forward Keyshawn Bryant transferred up there to join in on the fun. Sophomore forward Elias King is rising quickly at his 6’7″ frame.
St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.)
The third and final team from outside of Florida is St. Benedict’s. The Gray Bees sit at 14-2 this season. Senior power forward Bourama Sidibe (Syracuse commit) is a problem. He can really make a crowd jump out of their seats. Speedy freshman Noah Farrakhan might be the best 2020 prospect in this tournament. Sophomore Precious Achiuwa, junior Matthue Cotton and senior Najja Hunter are very skilled.
In-state teams
Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.)
Tournament host Berkeley Prep is still without two key big men in seniors Kaleeyl Findlay and Tim Keeley. However, the Buccaneers have held their own with an 11-6 record and a third place standing in Class 5A-District 9. Junior forward Zach Mathis (13.0 PPG), freshman guard Kegan Karnes (13.2 PPG) and Kaleb Karnes (6.9 PPG) are key players to watch. Sophomore forward Zion Carter is on the rise as well.
Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Fla.)
When you think about Tampa Catholic, it’s all about top-ranked senior Kevin Knox. The 6’8″, 205-pounder is averaging 28.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game as the Crusaders sit at 13-3 and first in 5A-9. Tampa Catholic has tons of speed led by junior guards Tai Strickland (13.4 PPG) and Tim Carter (9.3 PPG). Senior forward Nick Giorgi is a very gifted 3-point shooter.
Montverde (Montverde, Fla.)
Year after year, Montverde brings in the top talent under head coach Kevin Boyle. The Eagles are 13-3 currently with 6’7″ sophomore forward R.J. Barrett the player everyone can’t stop talking about. Barrett looked solid last season, but he’s that much better now. Senior guard Marcus Carr (Pittsburgh commit), junior guard Rechon Black (UNC commit), senior forward Sean Mobley (VCU commit) and sophomore guard Andrew Nembhard round out this stacked Montverde bunch.
West Oaks (Orlando, Fla.)
At 7-1, West Oaks has played three of the teams in this tournament already this season. The Flame lost to the top IMG squad by six in November, beat Windermere Prep by 17 on Dec. 10 and got by Oldsmar Christian on Dec. 13. Senior guard LJ Figueroa is really good. Senior guard Sylvain Francisco, juniors Miguel Rifen, Elie Cadet and Paul Person and sophomore guard Carlos Paez are other guys to watch.
Victory Rock (Sarasota, Fla.)
Victory Rock is based in Florida, but the Blue Devils only have one player actually from the state in sophomore guard Kolton Mitchell. In fact, the top three scorers Madut Akec (15.9 PPG), Mayan Kirr (15.8 PPG) and Safir Daow (12.8) are Australian. Kirr is a VCU commit. Victory Rock (13-5) doesn’t have a player under 6’0″ and sophomore center Ibrahima Diallo certainly has length at 7’1″.
Tampa Prep (Tampa, Fla.)
Tampa Prep is younger than ever with only three seniors, but the Terrapins are doing very well this season at 13-3 in 4A. Sophomore Jaren Phillips is making his name known every night with a 16.5 PPG average. Senior guard Amari Goulbourne (12.8 PPG) is a crafty point man and junior forward Trey Sibert (10.5 PPG) is always focused. This team is coming together.
Windermere Prep (Windermere, Fla.)
Last year’s Class 3A state champions, Windermere Prep is holding its own in 5A this season at 11-5. The Lakers snuck past Tampa Catholic on the road 59-58 in November while beating Edgewater 88-83 in double overtime on Jan. 14. Senior David Nickelberry (Memphis commit) and junior guard Rahsaan Lewis each are averaging 14.5 points per game. Senior wing Xion Golding can score in bunches averaging 12.5 points per game.
Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.)
Oldsmar Christian is really fun to watch. At 12-7, the Eagles are packed with pure athletes. 6’5″ junior point guard Elijah Weaver is the feature piece. Juniors D.J. Mitchell and Michael Durr are sound players. Senior Jhakheem Smith and junior Akiel Shakoor are two more guys to keep an eye on.
St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
St. Pete are 8-8 right now, but with a 6-2 record in 8A-10, the Green Devils are just one game back of first place Countryside in the district standings. Junior guard Serrel Smith is carrying the team with senior leader Darius Banks out the last month with an ankle injury. Banks told me that he won’t be ready in time for HoopFest. Senior forward A.J. Ford and juniors D.J. Anderson and Jaylon Holland will be leaned on plenty.
IMG Blue (Bradenton, Fla.)
The main IMG team won’t be in this tournament, but the blue team will take part in this weekend’s festivities. At 9-4, the Ascenders have 13 players, all seniors. Switzerland-born guard Brendan Favre is someone who is a reliable scorer.
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Here is the full schedule for the weekend tourney at Berkeley Prep.
Friday, January 20, 2017
5:00 PM ET: IMG Academy vs. Berkeley Prep
6:30 PM ET: Huntington Prep vs. Oldsmar Christian
8:00 PM ET: West Oaks vs. Tampa Catholic
Saturday, January 21, 2017
12:00 PM: Huntington Prep vs. Victory Rock
1:30 PM: St. Benedict’s vs. Tampa Prep
3:00 PM: Windemere Prep vs. Berkeley Prep
4:30 PM: Oak Hill Academy vs. St. Pete
6:00 PM: Montverde Academy vs. Tampa Catholic
Tickets are available on nationalhoopfest.com for Saturday’s action. If you can’t make the tournament, don’t worry, Flo Hoops is live streaming each and every game.
Hoopfest alumni currently in the NBA:
Jabari Parker – Simeon – Duke – Milwaukee Bucks
Joel Embid – Montverde Academy – Kansas – Philadelphia 76ers
Jahlil Okafor – Whitney Young – Duke – Philadelphia 76ers
D’Angelo Russell – Montverde Academy – Ohio State – Los Angeles Lakers
Ben Simmons – Montverde Academy – LSU – Philadelphia 76ers