WildWood Hoopsgiving Standouts Pt.1
Wildwood high school hosted a pre-Thanksgiving tournament debuting a wide range of Florida teams. Teams from Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville were all in attendance as four brackets converged on Championship Tuesday. Here are the top prospects from the 16 field…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWildwood high school hosted a pre-Thanksgiving tournament debuting a wide range of Florida teams. Teams from Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville were all in attendance as four brackets converged on Championship Tuesday. Here are the top prospects from the 16 field team. Take a look at Pt. 2 here.
Wharton
2022 Trevor Dyson Trevor Dyson 6'3" | CG Wharton | 2022 State FL is the heartbeat of this team. He does most of his work off the ball where energy and effort help him produce. Dyson does all the little things that you need to win. He plays tough defense, putting pressure on his mark. The senior hustles every play and rebounds well for a guard. Wharton’s offense doesn’t allow for a lot of individual offense, but he scores within the system whether that’s hitting spot-up jumpers or cutting to the rim.
2024 Lucean Milligan‘s passing stands out. As only a sophomore, he has a clear understanding of the offense and knows where to pinpoint passes for his guys to score. The speed and accuracy of his passes are promising. His primary way of scoring seems to be on catch and shoot opportunities, where he was 3 of 5 over two games. Milligan looked young in his second game, where Ocoee’s guards put pressure on the lead ball handler.
2023 Chandler Davis Chandler Davis 6'3" | CG Wharton | 2023 State FL gives Swiss Army knife production for his team. He can hit the outside shot, rebound at 6’5, and cover several positions.
2023 Trent Lincoln provides effortless athleticism to this team. He’s their primary attacker that can burst to the rim inside of Wharton’s methodical attack. He finishes well at the rim, getting the lift needed to finish above defenders.
Impact Christian Academy
2022 Devean Knowles Devean Knowles 5'10" | PG Impact Christian | 2022 State FL is a savvy lead guard that doesn’t turn the ball over. He can change the pace of the game and took over in the closing minutes.
2024 guard Taylor Thompson Taylor Thompson 6'3" | CG Impact Christian Academy | 2024 State FL scored points in bunches. It was something about the third quarter that woke the sophomore up. Day 1 he scored all seven of his points, hitting pull-up jumpers and a 3. It was day 2 that saw him come alive where he poured in 18 points with four threes on his way to a game-high 26 points. More scoring outbursts like this won’t surprise me as Impact looks to get their bigs involved early leaving space for the scoring guard.
2023 Jordan Mikell Jordan Mikell 6'7" | SF Impact Christian | 2023 FL hangs out on the perimeter a lot for ICA. At 6’7 he’s still an effective rebounder for the team. He may have some floor spacing to his game as he confidently shot a few balls from deep, but none fell in the two games unless you count his buzzer beating halfcourt heave.
2022 Kelvin Johnson Kelvin Johnson 6'5" | PF Impact Christian | 2022 State FL brings toughness to Impact’s twin tower style. At 6’6 he scores around the rim and rebounds. He doesn’t have a ton of moves on the block, but he’s strong and decisive when he catches the ball a few feet from the rim.
Steinbrenner
2022 Logan Hinsberg has leadership written all over him. He’s giving out orders and making sure everyone is in the right spots. The senior’s pace puts a lot of pressure on the rim. He probes the paint, looking for the best shot. He was a consistent double-digit scorer who scored at the rim, drawing contact and shooting well from all spots on the court. Defensively, he uses his strength and quickness to be a menace. He picks pockets and flies around in passing lanes, racking up steals, turning them into transition opportunities.
2022 Max Otto shot the lights out before a shoulder injury sidelined him in game 2. Steinbrenner’s offense generates a lot of threes and Otto is a beneficiary from them. He can get hot in a hurry.
Wiregrass Ranch
2022 King Gonzalez offers some intriguing tools. He’s a long, bouncy 6’1 guard that plays with a lot of heart. He competes on both ends. Gonzalez excels as a finisher on the break where his speed and lift takeover.
2022 Josh Martin Josh Martin 5'9" | PG Wiregrass Ranch | 2022 State FL provides the high level pull-up shooting guards need to be successful. He connected on several pull-up threes over the weekend while showcasing his ability to get to the rim.
Downey Christian
Where ever 2022 Gregory Limage Gregory Limage 6'4" | SF Downey Christian | 2022 State FL goes, he’ll be one of the best shooters in the gym. He knocked down 7 threes over two games. Most of his shots from deep are off the catch, but his heady game allows him to excel in other ways. When Steinbrenner went off, the 6’5 wing picked up their speedy lead guard and locked him down for several possessions. Limage continues to be a smart player that picks up charges and advances the game with his passing.
Sickles
2022 Javohn Thomas Javohn Thomas 6'1" | CG Sickles | 2022 State FL is going to USF for football be if they ever need a deep shooting threat they have one in the 6’1 guard. In game 1, the senior was dialed in from distance, hitting 4 threes in a row, including two from ranges that made coaches I was sitting next to shake their head. When his shot wasn’t falling in game 2, he made it his business to get in the paint where he converted layups and earned trips to the line.
2022 Zach Johnson Zach Johnson 6'0" | CG Sickles | 2022 State FL gets to the rim at will. He’s not overly quick but attacks angles well and has the body control to covert layups through contact. The senior went on a run in both games to give his team a chance down the stretch. Johnson is averaging 5 trips to the line where he shot 90% from the line.
Slam Tampa
Idell JJ Walton JJ Walton 6'7" | PF SLAM Tampa | 2022 State FL III is a hard-playing 6’6 forward. He’s just scratching the surface of his game, but his size, effort, and athleticism are all next level. He rebounds and pushes the ball, looking for teammates that are up court. His jumper needs work but has the confidence to shoot it in space. He’s an aggressive driver that prefers touch shots around the rim but still gets to the free-throw line thanks to his physicality. A trademark of his game that goes under the radar is his ability to guard 1-3 and smaller 4s. Whether you’re quick and or strong Walton can stay in front of you and challenge if not change your shot.
2024 Matthew Selmon was one of the best shot makers in the entire event. He did most of his damage off the dribble where his range extends beyond the high school three point line. He’s quick and decisive with the ball in his hands. Selmon has great footwork to get his shot off inside the arc with two dribble pull-ups. I’ll make the push to have him ranked in our expanded 2024 class.
2024 Ramone Seals is a slasher with a great frame. He combines the shooting and athleticism everyone is looking for. His bounce looks effortless as he finishes above the rim with finesse and burst out of moves smoothly. Seals looks like he changes pace without trying, speeding through gaps right after making a move that doesn’t look like it’s doing more than advancing the ball to the next guy.
2024 Tanner Reeves has 6’4 size and has a nice shooting stroke from a distance. Reeves is a floor-spacing sniper perfect for SLAM Tampa that has so many slashers on the roster. The North Carolina native only made one shot from deep in his debut but caught fire on day 2 with 18 points on 6 of 8 shooting from deep.