Prospect spotlight: Kentron Poitier (2020)
Kentron Poitier will be a vital component to the Palmetto High School basketball team this season.
The explosive junior forward is on the radar of many colleges.
“Our most highly touted kid. He’s really, really long and jumps out the gym. He literally flies. He’s a great defender and a freak athlete. He’s played for Nike Team Florida and a little bit for Showtime Hoops out of Orlando,” Assistant coach Steven Lopez said. “As of right now you have University of Florida, USF, Austin Peay as some of the schools that have expressed interest.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Poitier:
Name: Kentron Poitier
Class year: 2020
Position: Small forward/power forward
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 180
Awards: First-Team All-County, Second-Team All-State
What the awards mean to him: It makes me work harder and harder every day to get at least one percent better to reach even more awards.
His mindset on the court: To kill whoever is in front of me.
Strengths: My ability to jump and can handle the ball.
Areas of improvement: Defense and shooting.
Favorite basketball memory: Going to states. It made me feel like I have to be there every year now.
What he loves the most about basketball: The competition.
How he tries to be a good teammate: Being a good leader and pushing them in practice to go harder because I know they want the same for me. Keep on pushing and pushing and you’ll see the outcome.
Best advice from his coaches: Respect, commitment, treat ours how you want to be treated. You treat every job like it’s the last job you’ll ever have because you never know it might be your last job.
What basketball has taught him about life: There’s nothing easy and you have to work for everything you want.
Player he looks up to: LeBron James because he’s an all-around player.
Colleges he’s most interested in: Miami, Florida, Florida State
Goals on and off the court: I always pushed myself and set goals for myself. I tried to be a leader as best as I could on and off the court. I want to be a role model for my brothers first, teammates second and the kids I mentor at my summer job and the entire program at Palmetto High. Learned a lot since I’ve been there. Getting a degree means a lot to me, but it’s also means a lot to my mom. My mom always told me that basketball could take me a long way, but that degree can take me a lot further because you never know when your time will be up and you have to put the basketball down. So that my goal off the court to make her proud.