This is the category in which we highlight players that we either did not get a chance to see perform or played better than/less than expected and want to know if what we saw was real or a one-time thing.
2024: Elijah Duval – Daytona DME Academy: The 6’3 combo guard had a very solid run with Nightrydas Elite last year in the 16U EYBL Division and was named Player of the Year with Stuart Martin County in that part of the state. We were eager to see what kind of name he could make for himself on a national scale in 2023, but we never got to see him play. He moved over to the Georgia Stars on the EYBL (at least for the first session) but we found no mention of Duval in our review of various events from across the country. We have no knowledge of any injury or other issues that caused him to keep a low profile this past spring and summer. Duval will be playing at DME Academy in Daytona Beach for his senior season. It will probably serve him well to play tough competition nightly in the Sunshine Interscholastic Athletic Association to prepare for the collegiate level.
2025: Matthew Able – Tampa Berkeley Prep: A 6’2 guard that garnered notoriety after a highly productive freshman year at Parrish Community School, Able played little his sophomore year due to injury. We were hoping to get our first look at him this spring or summer but were never able to do so. A native of Georgia, Able played some EYBL events with the Georgia Stars, but he was another player whose name and game we did not come across in our readings. He is apparently now at Berkeley Prep in Tampa, which should allow Able to be seen by a much wider audience.
2026: Jayquan Freeman – Hialeah Educational Academy: The 6’6 wing was very impressive at the Spring Player Showdown that took place during the state finals weekend. We were eager to see him play with Team Breakdown 15U to get a better feel for his skills and competitive juices with and against the best players in the country in that age group. He did not play at The Battle at the Beach in the spring and we didn’t come across his name when reading about multiple events this past spring and summer. Hopefully, we can get another look at Freeman either in the fall or with his COHEA team when the regular season comes around in a few months.
2027: Cayden Daughtry – Boynton Beach Somerset Academy Canyons: The 5’10 Daughtry was an all-Palm Beach County selection in leading Canyons to the regional semi-finals and averaging just over twenty points a contest in the process as an eighth grader. He played with the Florida Rebels 14U group and apparently made quite the impressions when that group played together at the FSU Team Camp in June. Daughtry also got plenty of mention at a couple of MADE Hoops events. A player this young and talented will always be a part of the High School Transfer Portal Rumor Mill, so hopefully we will be able keep tabs on him and catch his act sooner rather than later.