Balkman Elite gets it going with Sunday workout
On the same day that South Carolina clinched a ticket to its first Final Four, Renaldo Balkman, a 2006 alum and player on the last Gamecocks tourney team (2005-06) helped young athletes in Tampa.
The Balkman Elite workout was held at Benito Middle School. The two-hour faced pace session had the 2017 and 2018 prospects go through defensive and offensive sessions. Then the scrimmages came up and the competition grew.
Of the notable players there:
2017 F Kaleeyl Findlay (Berkeley Prep), 2017 F C.J. Williams (Kathleen), 2017 F Reggie Jennings (Wharton), 2017 F Ja’Shaun Dias (Kathleen), 2017 F Reggie Jennings (Wharton), 2018 F Isaiah Thomas (Wharton), 2018 G Dino Alimanovic (Freedom), 2017 G Dae’Son Barnes (Wharton) and 2017 G Trey Gildon (Wharton).
–Other players were invited, but unable to make the event from a far distance.
Notes
–Dias and Williams played together in the scrimmages and their chemistry helped guide the offense.
–Findlay played solid ball for someone who was injured for much of the high school season. His ankle is still bothering him, but he has range and smarts to be a solid player.
—Of the Wharton bunch, Jennings, Thomas, Barnes and Gildon all made plays consistently. Barnes showed off his handles and speed, Gildon flashed his high IQ, Thomas was hustling on both ends of the floor and Jennings played around the basket often.
–Alimanovic is someone who I saw at The Top Rank Showcase where he earned a top 40 bidding. He’ll be a steady player at Freedom next season.
Next up
The schedule and final rosters will be figured out. Having a former NBA player in Balkman, a former IMG product and successful college player running the program is great. He is a great guy and someone who knows basketball hence why the 32-year-old is still playing professionally in Puerto Rico.
Balkman Elite is a program that wants to keep the nucleus of Central Florida on one team and with so many talented players who haven’t found the offers they desire, this is the perfect way to do that. This is a huge summer for this group.