The Postseason Palm Beach County Five
We are a couple weeks removed from state tournament play up in Lakeland. Palm Beach County had a decent showing with Dwyer reaching the 7A championship game. Moreover, Grandview Prep reached the final four in 2A against powerhouse Orlando Christian Prep.
I published my preseason piece for the county back in October. My postseason selections are below.
Let’s look into it…
Josh Minott Josh Minott 6'9" | PF St. Andrew's | 2021 State #30 Nation FL (MVP)– St. Andrew’s
2021 Josh Minott Josh Minott 6'9" | PF St. Andrew's | 2021 State #30 Nation FL finished his prep career with 1263 points, 521 rebounds, 219 assists and 125 steals. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 23.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game during his senior season. In his final high school game, Minott scored 31 points and grabbed eight rebounds on 11-of-17 from field against eventual 3A state champion Calvary Christian Academy. As a junior, Minott averaged 20.2 points over five tournament games to help St. Andrew’s capture the 3A state championship. During that run, he scored 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds on 12-of-17 from the field against then No.1 seed Sante Fe Catholic. I think this is an easy and consensus pick here. Minott now takes his talents to the American Athletic Conference to play for the Memphis Tigers.
Chris Walker Chris Walker 6'6" | SG Wellington | 2021 State FL – Wellington
2021 Chris Walker Chris Walker 6'6" | SG Wellington | 2021 State FL averaged 21.2 points and 6.8 rebounds on 49 percent shooting from the field this season. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard doubled his scoring average from his junior season (10.6 ppg). Walker scored 20 or more points in six games and 30 or more twice. Against Village Academy, he scored a season-high 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on 11-of-19 shooting from the field. Moreover, Walker went 6-of-8 from deep against the Tigers. Walker also scored 30 points and collected six rebounds on his 18th birthday against Royal Palm Beach. He signed his letter of intent to play for Arkansas – Little Rock back in November.
Donovan Draper Donovan Draper 6'6" | PF Forrest Hill | 2021 State FL – Forest Hill
Draper is a frequent name on any superlative list in football or basketball in Palm Beach County. The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 17.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.9 steals over ten recorded contests on the hardwood. Draper scored a game-high 26 points to help Forest Hill defeat Wellington in the District 10-7A title game. Draper also combined to score 38 points in two games against 7A runner-up Dwyer. His athleticism and versatility gave him an edge against many of his competitors. Programs such as Sienna, Georgia State, Maryland Eastern Shore, IUPUI, Stetson, FGCU and Drake have shown interest. Draper is also a terrific wide receiver as I hinted above.
Micah Octave Micah Octave 6'4" | CG Grandview Prep | 2021 State FL – Olympic Heights
Octave helped Olympic Heights go from 7-18 before he arrived from Grandview Prep to 13-2 this season. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 20.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game. The latter was the seventh- best mark in the state. Against Forest Hill, Octave had 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. One of the better on-ball and technically sound defenders in the area. He remains unsigned.
Makye Boles Makye Boles 6'5" | PF Grandview Prep | 2021 State FL – Grandview Prep
I could have gone a few ways here as I pinned Gunner Walters in my Ranking Lakeland piece and tabbed Jonathan Joseph Jonathan Joseph 6'1" | PG King's Academy | 2021 State FL of The King’s Academy in my preseason selection. I am selecting Boles because he helped the Pride to a 16-3 overall record, district championship, and Class 2A final four appearance. Grandview Prep lost two of its three games by a combined 11 points and held an 11-game winning streak heading to the final four. The 6-foot-5 forward had 23 points (via GVP twitter) and grabbed 11 rebounds to defeat Highlands Christian in the District 14-2A championship game. In addition, Boles had a strong outing with 14 points against Orlando Christian Prep in the 2A semifinal. Moreover, his scoring output was nearly half of the Pride’s points (32) against the Warriors. Orlando Christian Prep went on to finish 27-0 and claim their ninth FHSAA state championship since 2008. MaxPreps also pinned them as the No.3 overall team in the state. Boles’ performance vaulted him into this recognition. Overall, he averaged 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds during his senior season. He also holds a 3.9 GPA in the classroom.
For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information…please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.