04 Oct 2024

Hoop Exchange Fall Festival – Rpt IV

Miami Senior

The Stingarees are looking to return to prominence as all five starters return from last season’s team.  Leading the way is 6’6 senior Romari Robinson who is getting increasingly more looks from D-I programs.  Athletic and a good scorer, Robinson proved to be a capable facilitator in the game we watched on Saturday.  He scores well off drives, in transition, and from inside the arc.  Robinson’s three-point shot is streaky but must be respected.  He had four steals in Saturday’s contest.  Aaron Richard, a 6’7 senior, is a strong interior player that gets a lot done in the paint.  He scores with basic post moves, off one- or two-dribble drives, and actively pursues rebounds at both ends of the floor.  Joseph Jean, a 6’5 senior, adds another rebounding presence as well as a scorer that makes the most of his opportunities.  Marcos Alberich, a 6’3 sophomore, complements his teammates with an ability to stretch the defense with his perimeter shooting.

Gainesville The Rock School

The Rock School took on Montverde in an early game on Saturday.  The Lions feature a pair of D-I commitments with 6’2 senior Evan Sterck (Jacksonville) and 6’7 senior K.J. Martin (Tulsa).  Sterck is a solid point guard with a great feel for the game.  A reliable perimeter shooter, he can also score over or around defenders at the basket.  Sterck makes good shot vs. pass decisions, keeps his teammates involved, and works hard on the defensive end.  Martin brings a great deal of versatility to the floor.  The lefty is a good ball-handler and distributor, scores well from eighteen feet and in, and has a nose for the ball coming off the offensive glass.  Joseph Hartman, a 6’5 junior, is the son of a college coach and knows various ways of getting the ball into the basket.  His shooting range is effective out to the three-point line and Hartman can also put the ball on the floor to score.  A rangy defender, Hartman will guard a variety of positions this coming season.  Justin Bandy, a 6’8 senior, is another versatile player with size on the roster.  He passes the ball well and has three-point range on his shot.

Coconut Creek North Broward Prep

The Eagles were missing a pair of key pieces this weekend in 6’5 junior Fransesco Borio as well as his freshman brother. 6’5 Luigi Borio.  Despite that, it was still a good weekend for the team.  Christian Rosado, a 6’0 senior, is a catalyst from the point guard spot.  He is crafty with the basketball, a confident and competent outside shooter, and effective distributor.  Rosado is also tough as nails on the defensive end.  Ryan Baxley, a 5’11 junior, had a highly productive game on Sunday morning vs Orlando Edgewater.  He scored on drives, hit threes, found cutters for scores, and took the rare fall league charge.  Baxley is fast with the ball, pushes the pace, and attacks relentlessly at both ends of the floor.  Jayden Smith, a 6’1 junior, had his moments as well.  He connected on a couple of threes, got the ball quickly to open shooters on the perimeter, and was active defensively.  Keep an eye out for 6’9 8th grader Chudier Dien Yalz.  He will get plenty of court time to hasten his development.  As long as he keeps his eagerness and energy at a high level, things will work out for him.

Apopka

The Blue Darters may not be the biggest team around but they are physically tough and play without fear.  Jude Angervil, a 6’5 senior, was difficult to keep from the basket, driving hard at every opportunity.  He was also credited with six steals in the contest.  Jahi Bowden, a 6’2 senior, pushed the pace, got out in transition, and made his presence felt on defense.  Eric Moore, a 6’2 sophomore, made his mark by gathering several offensive rebounds.  Larson Taylor, a 6’6 senior, provided a presence inside.  He controlled his rebounding area and scored some buckets in the paint.  The rest of the team plays hard at both ends and makes the most of their offensive opportunities when the time comes.

Oakland Park Northeast

An athletic group out of Broward County, Northeast will be heard from down south.  Justin Snell, a 6’2 senior, is very athletic, quick with the ball, and lives to challenge defenders off the dribble.  He pushes the pace, has a quick first step, draws contact and gets a lot of looks from the foul line.  Sean Sandifer, a 6’5 senior, is a well-known three-point sniper, but he did so much more this past weekend.  He made a big impact on the glass, finished above the rim and through contact on drives, and found open cutters for easy looks.  Dean Vital, a 6’7senior, didn’t score a great deal but he was active on the glass at both ends and challenged shots on defense.  Trey George, a 6’2 senior, shot the ball well from the perimeter, then took advantage of bad closeouts to score at the basket.

COHEA (City of Hialeah Educational Academy)

COHEA had a couple of prominent players missing from the final game of the event on Sunday.  Still, they had some noteworthy players.  Nehemiah Jean-Charles, a 6’4 senior, was one of the bigger surprises of the event.  He did an excellent job early on of getting to the basket and when the defense took that away Jean-Charles proved he could make the open three.  He completed some tough “and one” plays, rebounded well at both ends, and covered a lot of ground quickly on defense.  Josiah Brooks, a 6’2 eighth grader, is a name to remember.  The athletic lefty mans the point guard spot and looks very comfortable playing against older players.  He looks to penetrate the defense with the dribble and then score or pass off to open shooters, whichever option the defense gives him.  He has active hands and feet on defense and makes it difficult for the opponent to initiate offense.

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