We continue our coverage of Conrad P. Foss Memorial Showcase put on by the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches this weekend in Gainesville. Today was a full day with 11 sessions on each of the ten courts. No, we didn’t see all 100+ games, but here is our take on what we did see.
Bradenton St. Stephen’s vs. Oviedo Hagerty
It was an 8:30am tip-off but Hagerty started quickly like it was a normal day. They led 20-8 after the first period of play. From then on, St. Stephen’s was able to stay even with them. However, that means they were never able to make any real dent in that first quarter deficit. Hagerty was able to move on with a 57-44 win.
Dakari Thompson, a 6’4 rising senior, led Hagerty with 12 points.
For St. Stephen’s, 6’2 rising senior Lawaiian Long led all scorers with 18 points.
Milton vs. Miami Belen Jesuit
Milton is coming off two of the best years in the school’s history as far as hoops is concerned and came in with a young team going up against a Belen Jesuit squad that features a lot of ball and player movement. To their credit, Milton played relatively even in the first quarter, down just 21-17. Belen would expand its lead over the second and third periods, leading 49-37 heading into the fourth quarter. Belen seized control at that point and came away with a 62-48 victory.
Belen was led by 6’2 rising senior Orlando Roche with 19 points.
Milton got 11 points each from 5’9 rising junior Keithan Jones and 6’0 rising senior Jaeger Kearns.
SLAM Miami vs. Tampa Catholic
Each squad has players that can put the ball in the basket at a high level. The teams got off to a bit of a slow start and after one period Tampa Catholic led 13-8. The second quarter didn’t end either team’s difficulty scoring and at the break Tampa Catholic led 22-16. SLAM made a move in the third period, finally grabbing a lead thought it was just a single point, 36-35, heading into the fourth. The lead would change hands many times and the score was tied at 44-44 with 2:36 left to play. At that point, Tampa Catholic was able to get scores at one end and stops at the other, grinding out a 57-51 win.
Neo Flores, a 6’0 rising senior, led Tampa Catholic was 16 points. “Skoot” Donald, a 6’1 rising senior, looked very good returning from the knee surgery that kept him out all last season. He tallied 13 points.
For SLAM Miami, Josiah Brooks, a 6’2 rising sophomore looked at times unstoppable on his way to a game-high 33 points.
Jupiter vs. Windermere
A pair of large schools from the suburbs of Palm Beach County and Orange County respectively took on each other. In a surprise, Windermere jumped out to a double-digit lead early and was up 18-5 after one quarter of play. Jupiter made the score more respectable by halftime, down just 25-16. Windermere was able to maintain that type of lead throughout the remainder of the contest, outlasting Jupiter by a final score of 53-44.
Bryce Hoffert, a 6’5 rising senior, led Windermere with 16 points. Kaiden King, a 6’4 rising junior added 15 points and Gustavo Rocca, a 6’3 rising senior, added 10 points.
For Jupiter, 5’10 rising senior Brandon Collum led the way with 19 points.
Orlando Christian Prep vs. Coconut Creek North Broward Prep
Both teams are solid defensively so we knew coming in this would be a defensive slugfest. OCP was able to take an 11-9 lead into the second quarter and kept NBP at arm’s length for pretty much the rest of the contest. While OCP maintained the lead throughout, they were rarely up more than two possessions at any one time. OCP eked out a five-point 44-39 win.
OCP was led by 6’0 juniors Julian Gill and Kalvin Pickett, each with eight points.
For North Broward Prep, 6’5 rising senior Luigi Borio finished with 13 points.
Bartow vs. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas
A match-up of two of the top programs in the state, we knew this game would be quite the up-tempo affair. Bartow got out of the gate quickly and led 13-9 after one period of play. It was evident early on that Bartow had a deeper roster of talented athletes and eventually wore down St. Thomas. Bartow maintained a lead of six to eight points the entire second half, ultimately winning by the score of 68-60.
Matthew Williams, a 6’3 rising senior, led Bartow with 23 points. Derwyn Link, a 6’7 rising junior, added 18 points.
For Aquinas, the rising senior duo of 6’2 K.J. Sandi and 6’2 C.J. Westbrook led the way for the Raiders. Sandi finished with 26 points while Westbrook contributed 21 points.
Lake Alfred Discovery vs Fort Lauderdale NSU University School
Every now and then, no matter how hard the event organizers try, some games will just be blowouts from the opening tip. Sadly, this was one of them. “U-School” held Discovery scoreless for the first quarter, leading 17-0. Surprisingly, it got worse from there. We will spare you the details and let you know that U-School won by the score of 70-24.
Kenzo Fujiwara led the Sharks with 20 points.
Orlando Lake Highland Prep vs Boca Raton St. Andrew’s
We wish this game had of taken place this past March in Jacksonville at the state tournament but that was not to be. Both teams are well coached and run great stuff on the offensive end. It was a bit of a surprise that Lake Highland led 17-9 after one period but no surprise that St. Andrew’s closed the gap to 28-23 at the break. St. Andrew’s was able to grab the lead in the third, taking a 36-33 advantage into the final quarter. The team’s exchanged leads much of that period. With twenty seconds left, St. Andrew’s lead 42-41 but Lake Highland Prep had the ball. The shot missed but 6’5 rising junior Nmari Collins did his best O.G. Anunobi imitation, tipping the ball in at the buzzer to give Lake Highland Prep a thrilling one-point win.
Collins finished with 13 points for Lake Highland, as did 6’1 rising senior Brandon Grow.
St. Andrew’s was paced by 6’0 rising junior Lyden Ayden with 18 points while 6’8 rising senior Andrej Stankovic tallied 13 points.
Tampa Prep vs. Jacksonville San Jose Prep
Tampa Prep got out to a 14-11 lead after one quarter but San Jose Prep flipped the script to lead 31-25 at the break. That lead grew to eight, 37-29 at the start of the final period. At that point, San Jose Prep took control. They opened up a double-digit lead and never looked back, winning by the score of 63-45.
Camden Cooper, a 6’7 rising junior, led SJP with 15 points. Sam Koko, a 6’3 rising senior added 14 points and Marcello Fludd, a 6’2 rising senior contributed 12 points.
For Tampa Prep, Myheir Sessions, a 6’3 rising senior, led all scorers with 19 points.
Orlando Academy of Central Florida vs Lake Mary Exclusive Prep
Both teams play in the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA) and players from both teams have actually played together for Puerto Rican and Dominican Republic National Teams. Exclusive Prep grabbed the early lead at 13-9 but their lead shrunk to just one, 29-28, at the half. It took a while but ACF as able to grab its first lead, 47-45, heading into the final period. Exclusive could not keep pace and ACF extended its lead over the final period of play to win 66-56.
Adrian Cardoba, a 6’6 rising senior, led ACF with 20 points. Marlon Martinez, a 6’6 rising senior added 16 points.
Exclusive Prep was led by 6’2 rising senior Jaylen Williams and 6’9 rising junior Josh Bren, each with 12 points.
Tocoi Creek vs Parrish Community
The final game of the day proved to be an entertaining affair. Tocoi Creek got up early but Parrish battled back to within 18-12 after the first quarter of play. Tocoi Creek took control in the second quarter, building a double-digit lead of 30-19 at the break. Parrish was down only twelve, 42-30 entering the final period of play but then the dam broke. Tocoi Creek outscored Parrish 20-2 in the final quarter to win big, 62-32.
The entertaining part was the play of Tocoi Creek’s 6’2 rising senior Ty Duncan draining 9-16 threes in the game and finishing with 29 points. Just as impactful was the 17 points provided by 6’3 rising junior King McFadden for Tocoi Creek.
Parris was led with nine points from 6’8 rising senior Tristan Pasch.
Player of the Day: Just like the first day, there were a lot of quality performers to choose from. We are going to step outside of the box for this one a select Bartow’s 6’3 rising senior Matthew Williams. While his 23 points led the team, he just seemed to be at the right place at the right time all the time to make plays. It wasn’t just points either as he rebounded well for his size and put in work at the defensive end of the floor. It was a big win for Bartow against a very good Aquinas team and Williams was the main factor in the victory.
Fresh Face of the Day: We are always on the look out for up-and-coming players and we got a peek at the future day. Theo Dziagwa out of Tampa Catholic looks primed to be at the top of the 2044 rankings when they come out. While his dribble can be a little loose, he has great positional size and a plus wingspan, giving him value no matter where he plays on the floor. Toss in the fact that both parents were D-I athletes, each six feet tall or over, and having basketball running deep in his DNA, there is no doubt “TD” will be on the radar of many high-major D-I schools across the country.