Regional Notebook: South Florida (Part 3)
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Roughly 116 games will kick off regional play on Thursday as we begin the road to Lakeland. In South Florida, I have seen about 75 percent of the teams in the region. Moreover, I have been sent tape and notes…
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Continue ReadingRoughly 116 games will kick off regional play on Thursday as we begin the road to Lakeland.
In South Florida, I have seen about 75 percent of the teams in the region. Moreover, I have been sent tape and notes from area coaches and players. I would like to breakdown some of the matchups across the area. This is a continuation piece from yesterday and today.
Here are my observations…
Calvary Christian Academy (13-7) vs. Jupiter Christian (11-6) – Class 3A
Calvary Christian Academy has put a huge spotlight on the basketball talent here in South Florida. The Eagles have traveled out of state to play programs like La Lumiere, Sunrise Christian Academy and Milton. Sunshine State powers like IMG Academy and Montverde have added to their grueling schedule. I didn’t even mention local foes like Mater Academy Charter, Westminster Christian and Westminster Academy. All of the above should prepare Calvary Christian for state tournament play. 2022 Gregg Glenn Gregg Glenn 6'7" | PF Calvary Christian (FL) | 2022 State #161 Nation FL is second in points (14.2) and rebounds (7.2) on 44 percent shooting from the field. The 6-foot-8 forward is listed as a 4-star recruit with offers from Michigan, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Miami, Maryland, Oklahoma State, LSU, Pittsburgh and South Florida. Glenn should be motivated after a tough performance (six points) against Sante Fe Catholic in last year’s state tournament. That game ended his sophomore season. He will look to finish the job this time around with a state championship on his resume. 2023 Marvel Allen Marvel Allen 6'4" | SG Ft. Lauderdale Calvary Christian | 2023 State #46 Nation FL is a dynamic guard and college prospect of his own. The 6-foot-4 combo guard holds offers from South Florida, LSU and Virginia Tech. Allen is averaging 13.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and three assists for the Eagles this season. He continues to improve as a point guard and shot maker. In addition, Allen is a stout on-ball defender with disruptive hands. 2022 Taylor Hendricks Taylor Hendricks 6'9" | PF Calvary Christian (FL) | 2022 State #124 Nation FL leads the Eagles arsenal in scoring (14.2) and rebounds (8.9) per game. The 6-foot-10 power forward holds offers from Florida, Florida State, Iona, Iowa State, Memphis, Miami, Penn, UCF, USF, LSU, Wake Forest and Yale. Hendricks has a nice mid-range jumper and plays above the rim in transition. His athleticism and length can punish you if you don’t put a body on him. 2023 Carl Cherenfant Carl Cherenfant 6'4" | CG Ft. Lauderdale Calvary Christian | 2023 State #68 Nation FL is another athletic guard with offers from LSU and Western Kentucky. The 6-foot-5 Cherenfant is averaging 9.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. His length can make him difficult to guard when he pulls up in the halfcourt. 2021 Dylan Canoville is an imposing wing at 225 pounds. The 6-foot-5 Canoville is averaging 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He is an unselfish kid that plays above his numbers. He would be a focal point to stop first on many other teams. In my opinion, the Eagles can play a “C” game and beat most teams “A” game. I think if they play at their best, they will be tough to beat in this bracket. However, anybody can get beat in a one-game scenario. Head Coach Cilk McSweeney will have this team focused and prepared. The Jupiter Christian Eagles need to come to play for 32 minutes. If they don’t, they could be in danger of getting stomped. That has less to do with them and more to do with the talent Calvary Christian has. 2022 Connor Weston leads the Eagles in points (17.2) and rebounds (7.8) per game. The 6-foot-6 forward has scored 25 points in three of his last six games. He will need to be efficient shooting the ball and stretch out the Calvary Christian defense. Weston has hit 11 3-pointers over his last five games. 2021 guard RJ Morris RJ Morris 6'0" | CG Jupiter Christian | 2021 State FL is averaging 16.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 Morris has seven games with ten or more rebounds. His capability on the glass could be huge in a game of this magnitude. Morris is also shooting 45 percent from 3-point range. He hit six in one game against Benjamin earlier in the year. That kind of display could spring Jupiter Christian to a huge playoff win.
Somerset Academy (8-12) vs. North Broward Prep – Class 4A
This is a rematch of a game played back in December that North Broward Prep won 54-46. The Eagles had stretches where they won five and seven games in a row. Furthermore, four of their losses came in early December. 2021 Justin Abson leads the team in points (16.6) and rebounds (11.8) per game. Moreover, the 6-foot-9 forward has recorded 46 total blocks and currently sits on a seven-game streak of ten or more rebounds. That is a staunch rim protector if you ask me. Against the Panthers, Abson had 16 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three rejections. 2022 Maximus Fuentes is averaging 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game on 51 percent shooting from the field. The 6-foot-2 guard scored 19 points on 9-of-12 from the field against Somerset Academy. Fuentes’ 3-point shot needs to come to life tomorrow. He has gone 2-of-17 over his last six games. Fuentes went 5-of-5 from deep against Sagemont so he is more than capable of getting hot. 6-foot-8 Guilherme Tesch Guilherme Tesch 6'8" | SF North Broward Prep | 2023 FL is an emerging talent in Coconut Creek. The versatile forward is averaging 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds on 44 percent from the field. Tesch scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds on 7-of-9 from the field against the Panthers. 6-foot-5 small forward MK Ashmore and 6-foot-7 power forward Arthur Frigo add extra athleticism and size on the frontline. The Panthers have a three-level scorer in Jonathan Renois Jonathan Renois 6'0" | CG Somerset | 2021 State FL . The 6-foot combo guard has the speed and agility to attack and finish at the rim. Renois can curl around defenders for a finger roll or hit you with a floater. His outside shooting can come fast and hurt you quick. I saw Renois score 78 points in two games at the Sunshine State Preseason Classic back in November. He can legit carry a team in stretches with consecutive points. You also have a guy in David Delancy IV David Delancy IV 6'5" | CG Somerset Pines | 2023 FL IV that will shoot the rock at will from the outside. The 6-foot-4 guard attempted 48 3-pointers across six record games. If he gets in rhythm it can be a major problem. Delancy IV scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in the Panthers first meeting against North Broward Prep. 2022 Tristan Arneaud Tristan Arneaud 5'8" | PG Somerset Academy | 2022 State FL and 2021 Christopher Scott Christopher Scott 6'0" | PG Somerset | 2021 State FL have combined to average 24.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. The Panthers will need production at a similar rate from both of them against the Eagles.
Pine Crest (16-1) vs. Hallandale (12-9) – Class 4A
This is a monumental test for the Chargers against what might be the best team in the area. The Panthers lone loss came to Westminster Academy (70-65) back in December. Pine Crest has since won 13 straight games and rank 9th in the state of Florida according to MaxPreps. Calvary Christian Academy is ranked 8th in case you were wondering. 6-foot-6 twin combo guards Ausar Thompson and Amen Thompson are the two best players in this region. The D-1 prospects can glide effortlessly towards the rim and finish with either hand. There ambidexterity to do this in motion while in the air is really impressive. They can avoid or take on contact at their preference. You will get crushed by them in transition if you turn the ball over. They will dunk on you in a straight line or from the baseline on lob passes. The twins have combined to average 41.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 5.1 steals per game. They garner so much attention and provide so many opportunities with their raw talent. The 4-star recruits hold offers from Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Howard, Iowa State, Stetson, LSU, Oklahoma State, USF and Kansas. 2021 Eros Carpio Eros Carpio 6'4" | CG Pine Crest | 2021 State FL averages 11.7 points and 4.5 rebounds on 42 percent shooting from the field. The 6-foot-4 guard plays big and can use his frame to penetrate into the lane. Carpio is also keen to find the open man and can shoot from the outside. His transition game is something to also watch out for. You basically have three guys that score 53 of the team’s 71.5 points per game. Cut that in half and maybe you have a chance. Hallandale has an opportunity to do what only the Lions have done this season. The Chargers have lost eight of their nine games by a combined 49 points. That is a margin of just over six points per game. One of their losses came against undefeated Martin County (69-62). That says to me they are better than their record might indicate and flirted with some wins down the stretch. They just have to finish the job. This is a game 2021 Jonathan Pierre Jonathan Pierre 6'4" | SF Hallandale | 2021 State FL will need to show out. The 6-foot-7 guard is capable of putting up big numbers. Pierre was named to the BCAA Big 8 All–Tournament Team just last week. He almost finished with a triple-double against Stranahan with 22 points, ten assists and nine rebounds. He might need that type of performance against Pine Crest. He holds a 3.2 GPA/1120 SAT in the classroom. 2021’s Charles Smith Charles Smith 5'10" | PG Hallandale | 2021 State FL and David Valcourt need to be factors as well. The pair combined for 27 points and six steals against the Mighty Dragons. Smith holds a 4.8 GPA/1230 SAT in the classroom.
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