#PHGauntletOnTheGulf 15U Standouts – Part 2
It’s the most important time of the AAU season: teams are getting in some of their last May runs before June rolls around and grassroots takes a backseat. In Daytona Beach, some of the absolute best under-the-radar Florida AAU teams…
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Continue ReadingIt’s the most important time of the AAU season: teams are getting in some of their last May runs before June rolls around and grassroots takes a backseat. In Daytona Beach, some of the absolute best under-the-radar Florida AAU teams decided to use their weekend and play at Gauntlet on the Gulf, a Prep Hoops event featuring teams from all over the state. While the older guys did their thing, there was a host of 15U talent that really stood out. Here it the second batch of standouts from the weekend:
Cameron Cottingham, 6-1, Lake Gibson Middle School, ISA Elite 2025
Cottingham was one of the better players I watched this weekend. I was very shocked to find out that he is in middle school. He has a very sophisticated game offensively, but mostly he is an incredible athlete. At 6-1 and not even in high school, Cottingham had some of the tournament’s more impressive slams all weekend long. He has incredibly long arms which he uses to get out in transition. He has decent size that lets him establish position in the post and lets him function as a big man when he needs to. However, his guard skills are decent too. It’s hard to figure out where exactly Cottingham fits on this roster in terms of position, but ultimately he is incredibly young and has time to figure out what style of game he wants to have.
Lomar Sparrow, 6-3, Eustis, Mount Dora Basketball Academy
I really loved Sparrow’s game this weekend. He’s the definition of “fluid guard,” something we don’t see a ton at this age. Sparrow has a decent size for a guard and decent strength as well. This gave him some additional “oomph” to get downhill and score on larger defenders. He had a great touch with the ball in his hands, a sign of great guard instincts. He was able to set up players with good passes and knew where to be on the floor to keep the offense moving. His jumper was definitely on the streaky side of things, but it seemed to connect a little bit more throughout the weekend and eventually he was making difficult turn around jumpers. He’s already a standout on his high school team, and for good reason. Sparrow has all the tools necessary to be a complete, high-level guard in this game. He just needs a little bit more time.
Jamin Andrews, 6-5, Mount Dora Christian Academy, Mount Dora Basketball Academy
Andrews was the most intriguing prospect of the weekend for me. He’s incredibly raw, but where his soft skills fell flat his physical tools came shining through. Andrews has the longest arms of any 15U kid I’ve watched, and has some muscle to put behind them. He was athletic and had very soft feet around the basket, a dangerous duo that will become even scarier when he picks up some basketball IQ. The soft skills weren’t completely absent, however. He had solid timing on blocked shots and the knowledge of where to be to effectively grab rebounds. In fact, he may have been the second best rebounder in the 15U Division (Jamar Browder gets the nod here). Andrews even made a few mid range jumpers, showing that see has some ability to pick up new skills. He is a budding talent that, with a few more inches, could prove to be one of the better kept secrets in Central Florida.
Dior Johnson, 5-10, Boca Raton, Team Trilogy 2025
Johnson was one of the many Team Trilogy kids that could have been highlighted here. While they had some tough losses, Team Trilogy had some very talented guys on the roster. Johnson was the standout for me because of his unbridled confidence and motor. He was able to get it going from anywhere on the floor: perimeter shooting, driving to the basket, you name it. His three pointer wasn’t automatic, but you wouldn’t know that from the confidence he had while shooting it. As a left handed guard, he was able to slip under defenders and get easy lays against bigger guys. He was an elusive offensive threat that continued to show up big in games for Team Trilogy.