Basketball is the quintessential team game.  All those players that have been honored as MVPs or MOPs certainly couldn’t win games and amass impressive stats without some help.  With that in mind, here are our nods to the Best Supporting Player in each classification.

CLASS 1A

Malcom Warthan, Hilliard: As a junior at West Nassau, the 6’0 Warthan was one of the top scorers in the state at just over 25 points a game.  Moving over to Hilliard for his senior season, Warthan’s scoring average dropped to 14 ppg but he was a key contributor to the Red Flashes run to the state title game.  Warthan scored 16 points in both the semi-final and final as Hilliard gave Williston one of its closest games of the season, down just two going into the final quarter before losing 61-53.

CLASS 2A

Jordan Kee, Weston Sagemont: The 6’4 senior returned to Florida after a stint at a prep school in South Carolina and finished as the team’s third leading scorer at just over eleven points a game.  Kee came up big in Lakeland, scoring 15 in the semis and 16 in the title game to help Sagemont repeat as 2A champs.  He also averaged 4.5 assists per game in Lakeland.  His ability to play as a point guard at his size gave the Lions an advantage at both ends of the floor.

CLASS 3A

Sam Shoptaw, Windermere Prep: The 6’2 junior moved in from Georgia and brought stability, leadership, and toughness to a young Lakers squad.  It was routine to see Shoptaw directing teammates at both ends of the floor.  When crunch time came, Shoptaw was never scared of the moment, either scoring or finding an open teammate for an easy shot.  He averaged just short of ten points a contest but contributed nearly seven assists per game.  He had thirteen points and five assists in the 3A title game.

CLASS 4A

Ben Koubek, The Villages: The Villages is a talented but young squad.  The 6’2 senior provided experience and maturity to the group, as well as a reliable perimeter jumper.  Koubek led the team to a pair of wins on the road in the regional round of the playoffs, something that is very hard to do.  His season numbers of 7.8 ppg and 2.2 rpg don’t jump off the page, but his intangibles and contagious winning attitude more than make up for it.

CLASS 5A

Tristan Wilson, Miami Norland: A 6’5 senior, Wilson is a Presbyterian signee and, in all likelihood, a first team All-Miami-Dade selection.  However, when playing with a national  top 75 player that garners much of the opposing team’s defensive attention, good players find opportunities to take advantage of the moment.  On the season, Wilson averaged 15 points and 5 rebounds a game.  In Lakeland, he was a man on a mission.  He tallied 23 points and 7 rebounds in the semis then 21 points and 7 rebounds in the title game.

CLASS 6A

Zane Elliott, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas: The Raiders are a young, perimeter-oriented team and someone has to pursue rebounds at both ends and protect the paint on defense.  Enter Elliott, a 6’6 sophomore.  Athletic with a solid frame and skills, he can play inside or out depending on the matchup.  His 7 points and 5 rebounds per game averages don’t tell the whole story of Elliott’s impact for the region finalist Raiders.

CLASS 7A

Jalen Reece, Orlando Oak Ridge: The 6’0 junior was the catalyst for an uber-talented Oak Ridge team that had five double-figure scorers and reached the state title game only to fall in overtime.  His 15.4 ppg average was second on the team, but it is his 7.7 assists and 3.3 steals per game numbers that catch peoples’ attention.  A point guard with great court vision, scoring skills and the ability to make the game easier for teammates and harder for opponents, Reece will have a busy spring and summer fielding scholarship offers.

INDEPENDENTS

Robert Wright, III, Montverde Academy: The 6’0 junior and Baylor signee was “the missing ingredient” that Montverde needed this season to maintain their elite status.  While Cooper Flagg, Derek Queen, and Liam McNeeley were participants in the McDonald’s All-American Game, Wright’s ability to penetrate, flawlessly run the transition game, make open shots and keep the ball out of the lane made his teammates more successful and the Eagles a juggernaut at both ends of the floor.