Top Defenders: Miami
Jamar Charles, Miami Beach
The 6-foot-1 Class of 2019 is his team’s best on-ball defender. He plays off energy, wit, and rugged athleticism. This allows him to get pivotal stops. A veteran who has routinely handled the chore of providing harassing and smothering pressure on prolific scorers, anticipate the combination guard to expand on this role of lockup man in 2018-19.
Gary Bess, Palmetto
The 6-foot-3 Class of 2019 guard specializes in ambidextrous shot-blocking ability. While he doesn’t exactly pose the threat of a rim protector with his size, Bess is fully capable of jumping with attackers and providing timely swats. His timing and bouncy style are aspects which parallel his ability to protect the goal.
Bess, who still needs to get stronger physically, has become a crafty finisher and an inside-outside threat offensively. He’s known as a defensive guy first, with his versatility a key attribute. The advantage he brings is his ability to defend the perimeter and also get in the trenches and change the trajectory of shots.
Markeis Damon, Keys Gate
The 6-foot-3 Class of 2019 prospect has handled the role of lockup man with reliability this past two years. He’s become a dependable source to guard high-scoring wings and force them into off-balance, errant shots. Stronger than he looks, he’s capable of really going through picks and forcing the issue when you don’t suspect it out there.
Several times this past season, he’s been tasked with guarding bigger, taller offensive threats. He’s done it without difficulty, providing layers of smothering defense and avoiding the boneheaded fouls that tend to add up throughout the course of the game. Expect him to improve on the offensive end as well, where he’ll go from supplemental piece to a key cog who can score it all three levels.
Toru Dean, South Miami
The 6-foot Class of 2019 point guard is extremely aggressive as an on-ball pest, creating all types of disruption to opposing backcourt players. He’s very adept at converting these turnovers he instigates into transition leak outs. Anytime he pokes at a ball or causes disruption, he’s a threat to quickly get ahead of the pack and get back to the rim and score. His hard-nosed style enables him to play 94 feet at all times, providing pressure all across the court and leaving scorers with little space to create.
Alejandro Caula, Homestead
Bolt-quick and constantly engaged throughout four quarters, Caula loves to apply suffocating man to man, shoulder to shoulder defense on opposing guards. His on-ball defensive tactics are instrumental in slowing down guys at the one-spot. The 5-foot-11 Class of 2019 Caula has bought into the pressure across all 94 feet philosophy.
He’s become a unique threat with his ability to create a steal fresh off the inbounds pass and create it into a quick bucket. With his tenacity and ability to really hone in on high scoring guards, he’s established himself as a relentless and certifiable defensive pest.
Carlos Hart, North Miami
With his quick hands, Hart has developed a knack for reading an errant pass and picking it off en route to finishing with a full head of steam. He’s become an instinctive defender who uses his tenacity on one side of the court to fuel his offensive game on the other. He’s a rarified brand of athlete, a guy who takes pride in negating and neutralizing opponents first.
While many in today’s game become enamored with individual totals and highlights, Hart is really an old-school caliber player. He’s got that desire to protect the rim and really close off the driving lanes. With his bounce and his timing, he’s become a surprisingly effective shot-blocker. A multi-sport athlete, Hart is able to make athletic plays on the defensive end and really pick off hard-to-get passes.
Kentron Poitier, Palmetto
With his length and spurts of purified freakish athleticism, the 6-foot-6 Class of 2020 prospect will start registering his presence on the Division-I market this winter. While he’s known for his prodigious and explosive vertical, this energy is translatable to his shot-blocking and shot-manipulating skill-set.
Poitier has the chance to guard from the 2-5 this season, an attribute only a select core of athletes are capable of at this level. As he continues to add to his skill-set and tighten up his handle, he’s got the potential to really ratchet up his stock. Subscribing to a 12-month basketball focus has helped Poitier prepare for the demands of the next level, as he’s grown and gotten physically stronger this past year.