The Postseason Broward County Five
In this article:
We are a couple weeks removed from state tournament play up in Lakeland. Broward County had a great showing with three teams winning state championships. Calvary Christian Academy defeated Bishop McLaughlin Catholic in overtime in Class 3A. The Eagles (17-7)…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWe are a couple weeks removed from state tournament play up in Lakeland. Broward County had a great showing with three teams winning state championships. Calvary Christian Academy defeated Bishop McLaughlin Catholic in overtime in Class 3A. The Eagles (17-7) finished as the sixth-ranked team in the state of Florida. Pine Crest defeated Sante Fe Catholic in double overtime to claim the 4A state title. The Panthers (21-1) finished as the seventh-ranked team in the state. Pembroke Pines Charter cruised past Choctawhatchee to win the Class 5A championship. The Jaguars (13-3) finished ranked sixteenth overall. It is worth noting that Western reached the 7A final four before losing to Dwyer.
That is why choosing five players in Broward is so difficult. The next five after this list would be on a first-team in Palm Beach or Miami-Dade. In addition, the junior class is particularly loaded.
For reference, here were my preseason selections.
Let’s get into my picks…
Amen Thompson (MVP) – Pine Crest
I have to choose a Thompson twin and Amen Thompson it is. The 6-foot-6 point guard had 43 points,11 rebounds, eight steals and four assists on 12-of-20 shooting from the field in the state championship game. Moreover, Thompson scored seven straight points in the final 45 seconds of overtime to force double overtime. The scoring output was his season-high and came when the Panthers needed it the most. This is also a tremendous effort when you consider his brother fouled out in the fourth quarter on a controversial call. The 4-star sensation averaged 20.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and three steals per game on 57 percent shooting from the field this season. He holds offers from Alabama, Arizona, Florida Atlantic, Florida, Florida State, Howard, Iowa State, Kansas, Stetson, UCF, Oklahoma State and LSU.
Ausar Thompson – Pine Crest
The twins are the two best players in my opinion in South Florida so this part was an easy call. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard had 18 points and four rebounds before fouling out with just under five minutes remaining in regulation in the 4A state championship. Two nights earlier, Thompson had 25 points, six assists and four steals on a season-best 92 percent shooting from the field against Astronaut in the semifinal. The 4-star standout averaged 22.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 steals per game on 54 percent shooting from the field. He holds dueling offers with his brother as I mentioned above.
Carl Cherenfant Carl Cherenfant 6'4" | CG Ft. Lauderdale Calvary Christian | 2023 State #68 Nation FL – Calvary Christian
Cherenfant played his best in prime time up in Lakeland. The 6-foot-5 guard had 18 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter and overtime to lift the Eagles to its first state title since 2017. Cherefant shot a combined 10-of-13 in two final four contests. He averaged ten points, 3.4 assists and 2.5 steals on 43 percent shooting from the field this season. I am rewarding his play in the clutch and the overall schedule Calvary Christian faced. Their strength of schedule (22.3) was third in the state according to MaxPreps, trailing only IMG Academy (23.5) and Montverde Academy (27.4). The goal is to win a state championship at the start of fall practice. At Calvary Christian, is was in their DNA to win a title this season. Cherenfant delivered on that expectation with his performance. While this may be a surprise, you play to win the game as Herm Edwards once said. He holds offers from Western Kentucky and LSU. Expect that list to grow, shortly.
Taylor Hendricks Taylor Hendricks 6'9" | PF Calvary Christian (FL) | 2022 State #124 Nation FL – Calvary Christian
2022 Taylor Hendricks Taylor Hendricks 6'9" | PF Calvary Christian (FL) | 2022 State #124 Nation FL averaged a team-best 14.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game this season. The 6-foot-10 power forward scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the state championship. He is a strong rim protector and three-level scorer. The latter has really increased his value in my opinion. Hendricks knocked down 41 percent of his three-point attempts this season. He also grabbed ten or more rebounds in ten games. Against Montverde Academy in February, Hendricks scored 23 points and connected on 3-of-4 from deep. The 3-star recruit is set to commit on March 20th. I am forecasting him to be a 4-star before his high school career is finished. He holds offers from Florida, Florida State, Iona, Iowa State, LSU, Miami (FL), Penn, USF, UCF, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Yale.
Gregg Glenn Gregg Glenn 6'7" | PF Calvary Christian (FL) | 2022 State #161 Nation FL – Calvary Christian
Gregg Glenn Gregg Glenn 6'7" | PF Calvary Christian (FL) | 2022 State #161 Nation FL should be battle tested after his junior campaign. The 6-foot-7 forward faced six teams this season that will play at the Geico Nationals in Fort Myers later this month. The 4-star recruit averaged 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds on 47 percent shooting from the field. Glenn scored 60 points and shot 22-of-39 (56 percent) over five state tournament games. Against IMG Academy, he scored 20 points and grabbed 11 boards. I think Glenn can get much better, but he took on the best of the best this season. He holds offers from Michigan, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Florida State.
For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information…please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.