Top Matchup Headaches: South Florida
Sebastian Guitian, Westwood Christian
Though one of the area’s lesser acclaimed recruits, Guitian is authoring a memorable senior campaign with his ability to spread out the floor and stick long 3-pointers. He’s got a European guard style of game at 6-foot-9, one which forces bigger defenders to step up and contest shots from deep.
The Miami product has a shooting form akin to Dirk Nowitzki’s where he enables himself to have a bird’s eye view of the rim. This makes it tougher for defenders to guard and makes closeouts significantly tougher. Guitian has improved at putting the ball on the deck and finishing at the rim with contact.
He surely won’t blow you away with dazzling athleticism or ferocious finishes, albeit he’s a consistent finisher who embraces the contact. Angle jumpers and a smooth, dependable 15-footer help make Guitian a unique matchup.
Averaging 23 points per game and shooting the rock at a sizzling 55 percent clip, Guitian turned in a 37-point explosion against Centennial (Oh.). In hitting a game-best seven 3-pointers, the issue Guitian creates for a defense was quite visible. Spreading the floor with deep and automatic shooting, expect Guitian to shed the two-star ranking associated with him and ascend the ladder in 2018.
Emmanuel Dowuona, Westwood Christian
Given the dearth of bigs in the Miami area, few teams have the personnel and interior strength to front the 6-foot-11 Dowuona and hold him to pedestrian numbers. Outmuscling foes and finishing with relative ease at the rim, Dowuona is a one dribble, attack the rim threat.
Few frontlines have the personnel to counter Dowuana, who overpowers defenders with his size and strength. The Purdue-signee could ultimately wind up on the short list of Florida’s Mr. Basketball candidates, should he steer Westwood to a few signature victories over higher ranked foes. With considerable athleticism and productive hands, Dowuona is nearly a walking bucket when he gets in front of defenders or leaps over them for tip-ins. Westwood tends to feed the post and deliver precise lob passes to Dowuona in effectively exploiting these mismatches.
Raymond Dieng, Inspire Academy
After showing promise with a few 20-point games at Calusa Prep as a freshman last season, the Class of 2020 guard has gotten significantly stronger. At 6-foot-5, he can create mismatches and attack smaller players down low. While he’s shown progress with a recent 18-point, 10-rebound performance, Dieng must develop a better shot selection and become more of a consistent threat. If he can use his width and size advantage and continue to grow as a scorer, don’t be surprised to see him evolve as one of the state’s top players over the next two years.
Toumani Camara, Chaminade Madonna
The 6-foot-7 mid major prospect had 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in earning MVP honors in the Harden Bracket of the recent Adidas Holiday Slam. A left-handed knockdown specialist, Camara has the height advantage as a 3-point triggerman creating mismatch headaches.
It’s hard for bigger forwards to step out and play him from 3-point land, while Camara has the know-how and skillset to take a small defender to the rack and finish. He’s expanded his game as an all-around scorer and continues to grow with day-to-day progression.
Pavle Djurisic, Calusa Prep
As a 6-foot-10 3-point ace, Djurisic has an eye opening ability to stretch out defenses and hit shots from way beyond the confines of the arc. With a dependable jumper and a mid-range game, he’s got the mismatch ability that Division-I coaches tend to drool over.
If he can sustain this potent touch in 2018 and keep Calusa respectable in the SIAA, expect him to generate noise as an under the radar prospect.