2017 Top Available: Guards (Part 1)
The high school season is over here in Florida, but plenty of talented players have yet to lock down the college program of their choosing.
Here are five 2017 guards in the state that fall into that category (Full 2017 Rankings HERE).
Sylvain Francisco (West Oaks)
The 6’2″, 170-pounder displayed true talent at the ARS Rescue Rooter Hoopfest in January. Francisco helped West Oaks upset Tampa Catholic in the tournament at Berkeley Prep. His explosive, quick and can be deadly from the outside and will be on display this summer for Team Breakdown. He holds offers Arkansas, Texas, Kansas State, Murray State, Wyoming and Rhode Island. Francisco also has interest from Florida, Louisville, Virginia, Monmouth and Georgia Tech. Francisco has so much untapped potential.
KJ Fitzgerald (Cardinal Newman)
At 6’0″, 165 lbs., Fitzgerald isn’t the biggest player on the court, but he is smooth and his pure athleticism helps him find space. He dropped a game-high 32 points in Cardinal Newman’s 72-66 Class 5A region semifinal loss to Oxbridge last month. Fitzgerald’s current offers are Virginia Tech, TCU, Alabama, San Francisco & North Carolina Greensboro, UT Chattanooga. He also has interest from Kansas, Arkansas Wake Forest, Arizona State, UF and Wichita State. Fitzgerald will flourish next fall wherever he lands.
Darius Banks (St. Petersburg)
Banks battled through a nagging ankle injury for much of this season, but the 6’5″ senior guard was able to bring plenty back to his group. He posted a team-best 22 points in a 73-68 Class 8A region final loss to Lakewood Ranch. Banks currently has offers from Kansas State, James Madison, Duquesne, Delaware, George Mason, UNC-Greensboro, USF, FIU, FGCU, UTSA and Wyoming. He also has interest from Illinois, Villanova, Florida, Virginia Tech and Iowa. Banks is someone who can do it all on both sides of the ball and his length in undeniable.
David Sloan (Conrad)
Transferring down to Florida from Kentucky Taylor County this past year, Sloan played for first-year program Conrad in Orlando. His vision is impressive offensively as a pass-first point guard. He is the tempo for his group and can score in bunches when he needs to. Sloan has offers from Louisville, Iowa State, Memphis, Eastern Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Western Kentucky, IUPUI and Wright State. He’s also drawn interest Texas, FGCU and Memphis.
Malcolm Nicholas (Mater)
The 6’2″ guard came over to Mater after playing for Miami. Nicholas and his new squad lost 56-55 to McArthur in the Class 8A region quarterfinal last month. The steady and powerful Nicholas has turned heads this past season. He has drawn interest from Connecticut, Creighton, DePaul, FIU, FGCU, Kennesaw State, Miami, South Carolina, USF, UCF, USC, VMI and Wyoming. Nicholas is a 2017 guard to monitor simply because he brings a lot to the game on both ends when he’s on the floor.