Late Blooming Prospects: Prep/Postgrad
Matthew Tanis, Combine Academy
The Miami native and pitbull 5-foot-8 point guard guard has improved drastically as a scorer. Tanis gauged his grit against several JUCOs earlier in the year, scoring a career-best 32 points at the start of the season. He’s developed into a facilitating guard who can spark scoring surges with his shooting and penetrating.
With the build of a football player and consistency as an on-ball defender, Tanis has the potential to be a very promising late get somewhere. A product of Mater High in Hialeah, Tanis became more of a polished product during his post graduate season.
Richard Fisher, SLAM MIAMI
At 6-foot-8 and possessing a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Fisher has the enticing physicality and high efficiency factor working in his favor. Fisher averaged eight points and eight rebounds this past season, displaying flashes of hyper-explosive above the rim finishes.
He’s got the toolset and athleticism to be a significant rim protector at the next level. Right now, all indications point to the big man taking the JUCO route.
Fisher shot the ball at a 53 percent clip from the floor and tore down 14 rebounds during a game against Winter Springs.
Keondre Jackson, Miami Central High
Bolstered by length and agility in the post, the 6-foot-8 Jackson can best be described as a lunch pail and work boots type of guy. He scores a significant percentage of points on hustle buckets and around the rim action. He’s improved steadily in opening up a feathery 10-12 foot jumper.
He’s developed into a one dribble and dunk threat. The true appeal of Jackson is his ability to play tough and play with the mindset of a true interior big, flying in for stickbacks and pulling down boards. His size and length allows him to block, manipulate, and change the trajectory of shots.
Mike Egozi, Pine Crest
The Class of 2018 prospect was emblematic of the hyper-efficiency required for thriving in a 32-minute game. Egozi averaged 15.7 points on a robust 57 percent shooting percentage. He added 85 percent from the foul line and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior strongman erupted with a 32-point performance against University. He also submitting an efficient account of himself with a 23-point performance against Pace. Egozi would be an ideal undersized forward at the next level. He averaged 7.0 boards on the season, a critical figure in the trenches for Pine Crest.
Latrell Jones, Believe Prep Academy
The talk of Jones being one of the more underrated still remaining prospects circulated the internet this week. It’s certainly a legitimate statement. A high-flying 6-foot-4 game, Jones has the athleticism and rim to rim scoring ability that has such appeal at the next level.
His ability to get to the rim and above the rim finishing is translatable to a high level of Division-I basketball. Freshly-hired Florida Gulf Coast head coach Michael Fly recognized this and offered the late-blooming Jones just a few days ago. The Class of 2018 prospect brings a wealth of potential. He capitalized this during a post-grad season at Believe, where he emerged into a go-to scorer under head coach Kevin Jackson.
Indiana Harris, Scotland Campus Sports
The Australian sharpshooter has had to become more of a physical defender and adjust to the American style of play, a component he’s worked on since coming to the country from Australia in the fall.
Harris is a lights out shooter from all over. He’s got the form, quick release, and volume shooting ability that would make him a specialist at the ensuing level. The Class of 2018 prospect can really heat it up when his first few shots start going down. As he transitions his game to the next level he’ll be tasked with creating his shot more and applying off the dribble moves, as defenders will surely focus on neutralizing his spot-up game.
Isaac Jurecky, Scotland Campus Sports
The 6-foot-5 off guard is floor spreading 3-point shooter with a proven, effective beyond the arc game. He’s increased his value by becoming more versatile, developing a knack for crashing the boards with sustained relentlessness. Having picked up the intricacies of pressure defense throughout the court, Jurecky has potential as an all around glue guy at the next level.
Jonas Guillaume, North Miami High
The 6-foot-5 Class of 2018 point guard is a crafty finisher in the open court. Guillaume has become very effective at manufacturing points off the dribble and scoring via pull-up and stop-and-pop moves.
He’s got good vision and has moments where he’ll find an astonishingly open teammate for an easy bucket. He averaged 8.4 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.0 boards this past season. Incorporating more of a 3-point shooting aptitude would pay dividends at the next level.
Franky Garcia, St. Brendan School
One attribute of the 5-foot-7 guard’s game which can’t be computed is his heart. That’s arguably the high-octane Garcia’s biggest factor. A high-scoring guard who can fill up all categories of the stat sheet, Garcia has been an accurate depiction of a workhorse for head coach Kevin Esteban.
The little energizer bunny of a point guard averaged a team-best 20.1 points, four assists, and five boards. Hard-attacking and shifty, Garcia registered his presence as a two-way threat this season. He had several games of seven or more steals.