While the Most Valuable Player award hinges on the player’s ability to push his team to great playoff success, our definition of the Most Outstanding Player is different.  The MOP to us is the best player, period.

CLASS 1A

C.J. Ingram, Hawthorne: The 6’5 junior is a dominant presence in the state’s smallest athletic classification.  For the year he averaged 24 points and 8.5 rebounds a contest on the way to earning Class 1A Player of the Year.  Ingram can and will play any position on the court, usually in the same possession.  He handles the ball well, has good court vision, gets the ball to teammates for good shots and can score at the rim or from the perimeter.  Ingram is just as versatile on the defensive end as well.  Many think he will have a choice to make as far as basketball or football at the collegiate level, but we can see him doing both.

CLASS 2A

Lorenzo Cason, Lakeland Victory Christian: A 6’2 senior and Florida Atlantic University signee, Cason has been very impressive in his four years at Victory.  This past season, he averaged 24.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 6.4 apg for the Class 2A regional finalist.  For his efforts, he was named the Class 2A Player of the year.  Cason is one of the more creative scorers to have come along in the past few years.  He knocks down contested shots off the dribble on both sides of the arc, finishes creatively in a crowd at the basket, and spends a lot of time at the free throw line thanks to his knack for drawing fouls.  Cason is a superb passer, making the game easier for his teammates.

CLASS 3A

Alex Lloyd, Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy: Class 3A has some of the best talent in the state, so it was a very difficult choice to make.  We chose Lloyd, a 6’4 junior, for not just his production but potential as well.  On the season, Lloyd averaged 19.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.  Lloyd was a double-figure scorer against high-level national competition at the City of Palms and was also outstanding at events such as the Breast Cancer Awareness Classic and Wally Keller Classic.  He put up quality numbers despite often playing out of position at the point guard spot.  Lloyd has high-level athleticism, basketball IQ, and the skill set to make money playing this game in the future.

CLASS 4A

Sean Abaev, Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian: A 6’7 junior, Abaev is arguably the best player in the state at creating and making his own shot.  For the year he averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds a game.  The lefty’s ability to create space off the dribble and makes perimeter shots on either side of the three-point line is uncanny.  He also does a good job of reading screens and making the right decision, whether shot vs. pass on a ball screen or how to elude his defender when using screens off the ball.  Abaev is an under-rated passer and an alert defender in the passing lanes.

CLASS 5A

Marcus Allen, Miami Norland: After spending his junior season at AZ Compass Prep, the 6’6 Allen returned to his native Miami for his senior season with the Vikings.  It turned out well as Norland won the state title and Allen was named Class 5A Player of the Year.  His versatility at both ends of the floor caused problems for opponents all season long.  Allen guarded every position on defense and proved to be an effective scorer and facilitator on offense.  For the season the Missouri signee averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds a contest.

CLASS 6A

Donovan Williams, Orlando Edgewater: There were many good players in 6A but no one true standout.  The 6’4 sophomore has as much upside as any player this past season in 6A and was the leader of an Edgewater team that reached the state final a bit earlier than most expected.  His numbers of 16.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 3.3 apg don’t really tell the whole story of Williams’ ability to come through in the clutch for the Eagles.  He plays up a year on the travel team circuit and has always fared well against older competition.  Williams will be a highly sought-after recruit when the summer is over.

CLASS 7A

Cameron Boozer, Miami Christopher Columbus: There is no need to go into detail regarding the 6’9 juniors exploits this past season.  He has been arguably the best player in the state since his freshman season.

INDEPENDENTS

Cooper Flagg, Montverde Academy: The 6’9 senior re-classed up into the 2024 Class and instantly became the top player nationally in the senior class.  On a Montverde team that is considered the best in the country, Flagg is definitely the alpha dog.  He has a great feel for the game, high-level skills and athleticism, and the ability to see the game one step ahead of everyone else.  There is a lot of speculation that he will be the #1 pick in the 2025 draft after one season at Duke this coming fall.