This past weekend, Source Hoops in conjunction with the Hoop Exchange hosted the Travel Team Jamboree at The Big House in Tavares. With the FHSAA extending the state playoffs into mid-March, there wasn’t much downtime between the end of the high school season and the start of the travel team season. The TTJ had many teams in a variety of age groups. This first report will focus on some of the standouts from the Class of 2027.
Amari Walton, Swift Sports 17U: The 6’9 junior out of Jacksonville Raines was the talk of the event. Relatively unknown until this weekend, Walton made an impact in the paint at both ends of the court. Offensively he scored with strength and power around the basket, hunted offensive rebounds, proved to be a lob threat and ran the floor well. On the defensive end Walton was physical without fouling, quick off the floor to block or challenge shots, and made opponents think twice about attacking the basket. There is still some skill work to be done but Walton checks a lot off the wish list of most college coaches.
Bryce Hoffert, Sunshine Elite 17U: A 6’6 junior at Windermere, Hoffert makes a lot of plays that impact a game that simply aren’t coachable. He has great court vision and is seemingly a step ahead of everyone else on the offensive end. An example: A shot goes up from the left wing while Hoffert is on the right wing. He sprints in and gets the rebound just beyond the left block. Hoffert then quickly pivots 180 degrees, leaps in the air and throws a pass BACK to the right wing to a teammate that drains an open three. He makes threes with enough consistency to be guarded on the perimeter, scores well around the basket, and finishes above the rim in transition. Hoffert is a good athlete with length that can defend different positions.
Samfree Sarante, Miami Triple Threat: A 6’3 junior, Sarante controlled the contest we took in from the outset. He showcased three-level scoring ability & solid decision making with the basketball. Sarante is confident and productive at either guard position. He shot the ball well off the dribble and the catch on both sides of the arc, moved without the ball into open spots for scoring opportunities and quickly got the ball to teammates that had better shot opportunities. Defensively Sarante was solid, displaying active hands and feet, good instincts to disrupt ball-movement, and an alertness to help and quickly recover back to his assignment.
Jacob Bromirski, Florida Blaze 17U: A 6’3 junior from Buchholz in Gainesville, Bromirski proved to be a mentally and physically tough shot-maker. He might be a bit slender of frame right now, but Bromirski can take physical play and dish out more than he gets. We have him as going 5-6 from beyond the arc and he was always shot-ready and has a quick release. If that was overplayed Bromirski was quick to attack the rack, often ending with good results. He wasn’t afraid to challenge bigger players for offensive rebounds and came up with a couple of putbacks at crucial points in the contest. Bromirski plays sound positional defense and works hard to keep his opponent in front of him and away from the basket.
Neo Flores, Showtime Ballers 17U: A 6’1 junior from Tampa Catholic, Flores find creative ways to put the ball in the basket. He has crafty dribble moves to get past defenders, scores well with either hand in a crowd at the rim, and an emerging ability to hit floaters in the lane over defenders. Flores is a reliable perimeter shooter on either side of the arc. He does a good job of reading defenses and taking what is given to him. Flores has good ball-handling and passing skills but wouldn’t be considered a point guard in the traditional sense. He covers a lot of ground quickly on defense, disrupts passing lanes, and will strip opposing ball-handlers if they a lax with the basketball.
Camden Wesley-Kam, Wellington Wolves PUMA 17U: Yes, the 6’5 junior from Wellington is undersized but one cannot ignore his productivity and impact on winning games. Kam routinely outrebounds bigger opponents at both ends of the floor, is active and surprisingly effective in challenging shots around the basket and makes the most of his interior scoring opportunities. In a very close game on Sunday, Kam drained six consecutive free throws in the closing moments to preserve a win for his team. He is a reliable scorer from about fifteen feet and in, pursues offensive rebounds out of his area, and is quick to find open areas in the paint and get shots up and in before defenders can react. Kam is a good athlete that runs the floor, finishes above the rim, and plays solid positional defense.
Donovan Swain, Gold Coast Elite 17U: The 6’4 junior from Coral Glades out of Coral Springs has a scorer’s mentality and a knack for getting the ball in the basket. His perimeter shot is reliable past the high school arc and he has the physical strength to score in traffic should he put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. Swain is quick with the ball, has a variety of combination dribble-moves that he uses to create space, and spends a lot of time at the free-throw line. He may toss up a “heat check” shot every now and then but on the whole the reward is more than worth that risk. Swain brings the same intensity to the defensive end of the floor.
Julian Fox, 1 Family 17U: It took a while but once the 6’3 senior from Orlando Edgewater got going, he REALLY got going! Fox has always been an impactful shooter from deep. On Saturday, we got to see more in the way of his ability to take defenders off the dribble to score. Fox uses a solid frame and upper-body strength to keep defenders away from the ball when heading to the hoop. He is dangerous in transition as he floats to the corner looking for open threes and making a fair amount of them. Normally not known for his playmaking ability, Fox had a couple of passes for assists that show he has worked on that area of his game.
Terrell Burry, XPC Elite 17U: A 6’0 junior out of Lake Alfred Discovery in Polk County, Burry showed versatility as a scorer. He had a successful mix of drives to the basket, floaters in the lane, and threes off the catch. Burry handles the ball well and doesn’t look to force things. He has a scorer’s mentality, is quick to take advantage of what the defense gives him but does so within the framework of the team’s offense.
Rodney Smith, Skills Center Elite UA Grind 17U: The 6’4 junior out of Tampa King scored early and often in one of the first games on Saturday morning. Smith came out firing, hitting mid-range pull-ups, scoring over the rim in transition and making a couple of perimeter shots to keep the defense honest. He was solid on defense as well with active hands and feet and good instincts.
Roy Berry, Brawlers 17U: A 6’1 guard from Pathways Charter in Orlando, Berry was an absolute blur with the ball. His speed, quickness, and overall athleticism allowed him to beat opponents off the dribble, manufacture transition baskets and push the pace of the game. Berry hit a couple of threes to keep the defense honest but it is clear that he prefers to use his physical gifts to create havoc and capitalize on the opponent’s mistakes.
Steve Achille, OBG Elite 17U: The 6’5 junior out of Davenport made quite an impact. He connected on three successive shots behind the arc, beat defenders down the floor to score over the rim in transition, and showed a deft touch around the basket. Achille was active on the glass at both ends, did good job of moving his feet and staying with ball-handlers on defense, and playing with poise in a chaotic environment.