We headed down to Bartow to take in some games at the Bartow Fall Shootout this past Saturday. A two-day event located at both Bartow High School and Carver Recreation Center, it gave us an early look at some teams and got us back into a gym for the first time in nearly two months. These are just a few of the players that caught our attention.
Toby Lane, Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic: The 6’0 senior pretty much carried his team to a win over a Sarasota squad that certainly looked much bigger than Santa Fe, despite missing much of the second half after sustaining a cut above the eye going after a loose ball (team was up double-digits at the time). Lane makes the game easier for his teammates, finding them in good position to score in transition as well as when penetrating and collapsing the defense. He was hard to guard as Lane continually found space and creases to get to and score at the rim.
David Young, Sarasota: The 6’8 senior does a good job of corralling rebounds at both ends of the floor. Young carves out space with wide shoulders and a strong frame. He has a good second and third leap if the ball should stay in play. Young continues to improve as a post-up scorer as well as when cutting to the basket in ball-screen action. Defensively he is a physical presence, denying position, bumping cutters off their route, and challenging drivers at the basket. Young doesn’t need the ball or score a lot of points to make an impact on the game.
Mekhi White. Tampa Catholic: A 6’5 senior, White looks to be an important complimentary piece for Tampa Catholic this coming season. In the game we took in, he was very active in the lane at both ends of the floor. A good athlete with long arms, White was able to change the direction of a couple of shot attempts and challenge several more. He rebounded the ball and was quick to get rid of it to teammates to start the break. Offensively White got opportunity baskets by pursuing and putting back missed shots, running the floor in transition, and quickly got the ball up to the basket after cutting and catching the ball in the lane.
Tucker Fox, Lakeland Victory Christian: The 6’0 senior is deadly from deep, and not just off the catch. More than once Fox used the dribble to create space and connect from well behind the high-school arc. He will play more on the ball than he has in the past and Fox appears to be growing comfortable creating for others, especially when attacking the basket. He is quick to push the pace, challenge defenders to stop him, and generally makes good pass vs. shot decisions. Fox moves his feet well on defense and is very pesky when guarding the basketball.
Ethan Diaz, Winter Park Lake Howell: The 6’8 senior continues to evolve as an inside/out threat at the offensive end. Diaz hit a three, converted a couple of short drives, and looked to take mismatches into the post. He actively pursued offensive rebounds in and out of his area. Diaz was active on defense as well, blocking some shots inside, grabbing misses and quickly getting the ball out to start the break.
Aidan Curry, Auburndale: The 6’2 senior is an excellent athlete and uses his physical gifts well to get to and score at the basket. Several times he completed tough shots in a crowd using great body control and touch. Curry is able to rebound the ball at the defensive end, weave his way through opponents, and finish above the rim in the same possession. His perimeter shot needs to have a quicker release but that should come in time. Curry is a willing ball distributor when attacking the defense and can be disruptive when guarding the ball or patrolling the passing lanes on defense.
Miles Morrell, Lakeland Victory Christian: The 5’9 junior was arguably the player of the day as he went 7-7 from deep in the first half of the team’s second game on Saturday. The opponent made adjustments at the break and Morrell was held in relative check, but it is clear that he is an elite shooter and must be respected out to the volleyball line. Also quick with the ball and pesky defender, Morrell is not just a catch-and-shoot specialist. He moves the ball quickly to open teammates, is an alert cutter without the ball, and will gladly get the ball inside to bigs in the post.
Neo Flores, Tampa Catholic: A 6’0 junior, Flores looks to attack the basket at every opportunity. He looks to get around or past ball-screens quickly, force the defense to make a decision, then react accordingly. Flores also is effective at getting the ball on the move and heading hard to the hoop to make things difficult for the defense. He has range to the arc on his shot but is highly effective from mid-range and in. Flores is an active defender, more than happy to pick up full-court, spring a surprise double-team, or get inside and poke the ball away from post players or offensive rebounders.
Matt Williams, Bartow: The 6’2 junior seemingly was in the right place at the right time throughout the game we watched on Saturday. Yes, Bartow won big with a complete team effort at both ends of the floor but it sure seemed Williams was a key factor in a great many plays. Steals and scores, putbacks, transition baskets, floaters and mid-range jumpers, post passes, rebound and immediate assist on the break all fill our stat sheet/notepad of how Williams made an impact in the contest.
Greg Dauer, Sarasota: The 6’4 sophomore has good DNA with both mom and dad having been collegiate athletes. The lefty doesn’t do any one thing great but he shows a good feel for the game, the willingness to play hard at both ends, and the confidence to compete against older, stronger players. Dauer knocked down a couple of three-pointers, converted some slashing drives and drained a couple of mid-range jumpers during his time on the court. He was also active on the glass and had a couple of blocks as a help-side defender. No doubt Dauer’s strength and athleticism will improve with age and he might add a couple of inches as well, all of which makes him a prospect to keep an eye on.
James Ratterree, Bartow: The 6’0 sophomore certainly didn’t play like one. Running the point guard spot, he appeared poised and controlled regardless of the tempo of the game. Ratteree was quick to move the ball along the perimeter to open shooters as well as pass the ball inside to cutters and teammates posting up. A very good athlete with speed and quickness to spare, he did a good job of containing the dribbler, sprinting in and out of double-teams, and disrupting passing lanes. Ratterree will need to work on his perimeter shooting to take his game to the next level.