The Travel Season kicked into high gear this past weekend as Source Hoops put on its annual Spring Tip-Off at The Big House in Tavares.  There were multiple quality teams throughout each participating age group.  We begin our coverage with some of the stand-out players from the 2025 Class.

Trey Card, Born to Win 17U: The 6’6 junior from Florida High in Tallahassee is as difficult to describe as he is to defend.  He has the physique of a football player but the skills and athletic explosiveness to be a high-level recruit.  Card made his fare share of perimeter shots on both sides of the arc this past weekend but was most impressive when taking the ball strong to the basket.  He easily completes tough shots in traffic, violently dunks on defenders, and should he miss is quick to get right back up and put back his shot.  Card handles the ball and finishes well with either hand.  At his size, he sees over defenders and gets the ball to open teammates for shots.  Card is an active rebounder at both ends and will push the ball up the court on his own in transition if given the opportunity.  Defensively he is solid, rather guarding smaller players on the perimeter or bigger guys inside.

Isaac Mothersill, Team Breakdown: A 5’10 junior from Fort Lauderdale Chaminade, Mothersill embodied all the important components of being a point guard ready to contribute at the next level.  He was superb in orchestrating offense, rather it be running the fast break, getting teammates on the same page in the half-court, or making something out of nothing and scoring on his own.  Mothersill proved to be a reliable scorer in a variety of ways.  He connected on shots from behind the three-point line, beat the defense down the floor to score in transition, and broke down the defense with the dribble and either scoring over bigger defenders in the lane, getting to the foul line, or both.  Defensively, Mothersill can be disruptive.  With quick feet and active hands, he keeps opponents in front of him, pressures them into making mistakes, and is quick to take advantage and go the other way for scores.

Jerry Ashley, Team Speights: A 6’7 junior at Bishop Verot in Fort Myers, Ashley didn’t put up big numbers in terms of points but his impact on the game was clear.  Athletic and energetic, he runs the floor swiftly, challenges shots around the basket, and rebounds with ferocity at both ends of the court.  Ashley will score inside with some basic post moves but is more of an opportunity scorer: running the floor, putting back misses by teammates, catching and converting lobs at the rim, and scoring quickly off passes from penetrating teammates.  There is some work to be done when it comes to playing at either end away from the basket, but that should come in time.  It was good to see Ashley playing against high-caliber competition and demonstrate a big leap in his overall game.

Adiel Lopez, OBJA: A 6’5 junior at the Academy of Central Florida in Orlando, Lopez plays with an edge that produces results at a high level.  Simply put, Lopez was hard to guard this past weekend.  Whether in transition or in a half-court set, he found ways to get to the basket and score contested shots.  Our notes on more than one occasion have “tuff finish” written by the score, as he has excellent body control and touch in a crowd.  Lopez violently flushed a dunk in transition that nearly caused a stoppage in play.  However, he isn’t all about getting to the rim.  Lopez has a respectable perimeter shot, handles the ball well, and looks for open teammates when attacking the defense.  Lopez is an alert defender, disrupting the passing lanes and quickly converting steals into scores. He is a good athlete that rebounds and looks to get the ball down the court as quickly as possible.

Jhett Carter, Austin Rivers Southeast Elite Gold: A 6’4 junior from Titusville Astronaut, Carter is a lithe athlete with good bloodlines.  He has an older brother that played at Texas A&M and it won’t surprise if Jhett’s body fills out and adds strength sooner rather than later.  As it stands now, Carter has a smooth perimeter game that belies how hard he is actually working.  He is a good catch-and-shoot guy from behind the arc, is solid in his ability to dribble and pass the basketball, and is a crafty rebounder against bigger players at both ends of the court.  Carter doesn’t hold onto the ball, moving it quickly to teammates then cutting to find open space in the defense.  His length and athleticism allow him to play and defend multiple positions.

Bobby Crawford, Team Speights: A 6’7 junior from St. Petersburg Gibbs, Crawford is starting to show a bit more offensive skill than we’ve seen in the past.  Bouncy and lengthy, he had one play where he drove past a defender then crushed home a dunk before the defense could rotate over.  More please!  Crawford also showed off a soft hook in the lane.  His body needs to fill out a bit before he starts trying to muscle guys in the post so he is quick to get off his shot inside before the defense can body him off his spot.  Crawford get easy baskets by running the floor in transition, being available to teammates for lobs and dropoff passes inside, and ardently pursuing offensive rebounds.  He is quick off the floor to block and challenge shots around the basket and moves his feet well enough to defend on the perimeter.

Tyler Lucas, FOTL Gold: A 6’0 junior at Bradenton Victory Rock Prep, Lucas appears to be next in a long line of VRP guards that may be a tad undersized but know how to get the job done.  Lucas shot the ball well this past weekend, both off the catch and the dribble, from behind the arc.  He has a strong frame and good quickness with the ball, getting to the basket with little difficulty if played too closely by defenders.  Lucas scored on some of those tough drives while other times he earned trips to the free throw line where he consistently cashed in.  He is quick to get the ball to open teammates when defenders collapse on his drives to the basket.  Lucas may not be a “pass first” point guard at this stage but he willingly shares the ball.  His strength and quickness on defense make him a challenge for opponents to get by.

Jordan Pittman, Iren Rainey Premier: A 6’1 junior at Sanford Seminole, Pittman was more noticeable for his defensive prowess than for anything he did on offense.  We clocked him for six steals in the contest, playing less than half the game.  It wasn’t just by anticipating the passing lanes, which Pittman did very well.  He had at least three outright thefts of his opponent’s dribble, quickly converting steals into scores.  If Pittman wasn’t ahead of the pack when he gained possession of the ball, he was quicky to look up and get the ball down the floor to sprinting teammates.  Though he missed the only two perimeter shots he took, Pittman took care of the basketball and played within his offensive role.  In today’s travel ball scene, that can often be a rare thing to see.