Mid-Summer Contenders: South Florida Edition (Part 1)

<p>I don’t know about anyone else, but the post July 4th holiday starts fast tracking my thoughts to the fall season. Moreover, Friday will mark 50 days (hopefully) till the start of the college football calendar. I just wanted to point that out to give us all something to look forward too. Additionally, bushiness here on the hardwood will be right on its tail. Obviously, we all hope things go according to plan under the Covid-19 pandemic.</p> <p>For now, let us prognosticate on some of the top teams we pray to see in action this fall.</p> <p><strong>Calvary Christian Academy</strong> (Fort Lauderdale)</p> <p>Coming off a 21-8 year, the Eagles added some firepower with 2022 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="712107" first="Taylor" last="Hendricks"]</strong> and 2021 <strong>Logan Lord</strong>. The pair combine for nearly 14 feet (plus wingspan) of extra front-court space for head coach <strong>Cilk McSweeney</strong>. While 6-foot-7 D-1 prospect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="814895" first="Gregg" last="Glenn"]</strong> gets a considerable amount of attention, Calvary Christian has a unit of players in 6-foot-5 <strong>Dylan Canonville</strong> and 6-foot-5 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="709228" first="Carl" last="Cherenfant"]</strong> that will be major play-makers. If you catch my drift, the Eagles have a ton of size and athleticism across the board. Specifically, Canonville is someone I am looking at to have a <em>big year</em>. The 2021 has the physical frame to match-up with forwards after averaging 11 points and six rebounds as a junior. Listed at 215 pounds, Canonville looks bigger and can be a disturbance around the glass. Despite 2021 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818826" first="Noah" last="Tovar"]</strong> being gone, the Eagles look to be in good shape. McSweeney and company are the perfect group of coaches to lead this unit.</p> <p><strong>Mater Lakes Academy</strong> (Miami Lakes)</p> <p>So far, the big winner of the summer looks to be the Bears and head coach <strong>Lance Tejada</strong>. A few months ago, Mater Lakes Academy was already returning a group of talented players that included 2023 guards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="709231" first="Anthony" last="Floyd"]</strong> and <strong>Jamai Tejada</strong>. Now in July, the Bears have added 2022 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="829495" first="Kareem" last="Barnett"]</strong> from <strong>North Miami Beach</strong>, 2021 <strong>Maximo Moratinos</strong> from <strong>American (Hialeah)</strong> and 2023 6-foot-4 <strong>Tomas Koski</strong> from <strong>North Atlanta Christian Flight</strong> in Georgia. Mater Lakes Academy now has a versatile wing (Barnett), an athletic 6-foot-6 forward (Moratinos) and a strong shooter (Koski) to influx into the current group. Add-in 2023 6-foot-6 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955584" first="Andruw" last="Rondon-Delacruz"] </strong>and the Bears have a legitimate half-dozen worth of options. </p> <p><strong>Pine Crest</strong> (Fort Lauderdale)</p> <p>Like water is wet, 2022’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="814910" first="Ausar" last="Thompson"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="814909" first="Amen" last="Thompson"] </strong>are two of best players we have here in South Florida. The Thompson twins are 20-point scorers who can both flirt with double-doubles in assists or rebounds. If this region tracked plus/minus as a stat, the D-1 prospects would be through the roof. Factor that in with 6-foot-4 2021 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818820" first="Eros" last="Carpio"]</strong> and the Panthers have a legitimate "Big Three". Carpio is a double-figure scorer who can score in the paint and hit consistently from the outside. The Panthers should be a lock for a 20+ win season and a long run in the state tournament.</p> <p><strong>Riviera Prep</strong> (Miami)</p> <p>With the loss of 2022 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="814905" first="Malik" last="Reneau"]</strong> (Mater Academy) to Montverde, the spotlight shines even brighter on <strong>Osmar</strong> <strong>Garcia-Araujo</strong> as one of the best front-court players in the region. The 2023 has some of the best fundamentals for a 6-foot-7 forward I saw all of last year. Specifically, his footwork is crisp and his ability to take on contact and finish with either hand is superb. Therefore, Garcia-Araujo is a good bet to average 20 points and 15 rebounds as a sophomore. On the perimeter, 2022 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="814913" first="Esteban" last="Lluberes"]</strong> is an established point guard capable of going 20/5/5 each time he steps out onto the floor. A main question I have for Riviera Prep is who will step up with the loss of <strong>David</strong> <strong>Perez-Miralles</strong> to graduation?  Either way, the combination of Lluberes and Garcia-Araujo give the Bulldogs one of the best tandems in greater Miami.</p> <p><em><strong>For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</strong></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>