Cadre Of Talented Guards To Lead West Oaks
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Nobody is arguing with history at West Oaks Academy in Orlando. The program has churned out a number of Florida’s toughest, top-tier guards these past few seasons in Corey Sanders (Rutgers), Andres Feliz, Richardson Maitre, and most recently L.J. Figueroa and Sylvain “Frenchie” Francisco.
Expect much of the same in 2017-18, with head coach Kenny Gillion’s program propelled by a stabilizing backcourt tandem of Tyrell Jones and P.J. Person.
Known for an elite downhill game, Jones has the potential to fill the void left by the aforementioned Francisco. Now one of the top rookies for Levaillos Metro in the French Professional League, the kid they call “Frenchie” was a dynamic and multi-faceted scorer for West Oaks last season.
A similar threat with his vertically explosive exploits, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Class of 2019 Jones thrives with creating his shot off the dribble and blowing by defenders in the one-on-one game. While he may be guilty of over dribbling at times, Jones possesses the advanced skill-set to get himself into trouble and quickly emerge unscathed to find a bucket. These freelance moves and innate ability to outduel the defender makes Jones a difficult matchup. Even in a traditionally potent SIAA-FL conference underscored by rugged guard play.
Tennessee Tech, Florida International, Florida Gulf Coast, James Madison, and Stetson have all offered the local Florida product. Former West Virginia guard and tireless recruiter Dusty May, both assistant coaches at Florida, were recently in to see Jones.
The backcourt has significant depth with well-built 6-foot-2 guard P.J. Person, originally from New York City.
There is also an experienced freshman in A.J. Neal, a sharpshooter who played his first varsity minutes as a seventh grader. Neal averaged 26 points on J.V. two seasons ago, transitioned to varsity minutes and hasn’t looked back since.
West Oaks also features a new addition in Miami Beach native Ben Tal, a transfer via Hebrew Academy.
Tal, who will embrace significantly higher competition in the SIAA, is a deceptively gifted point guard. While he may not pass the eye test, his handle and nose for the rim is promising.
Individual shine is second to team aspirations, as Gillion illustrated.
“In order for West Oaks to be successful with multiple high-major guards, everyone has to sacrifice,” explained Gillion.
“Corey Sanders, Andres Feliz, Richardson Maitre, Sylvain Francisco all had the talent to average 30 points night. They sacrificed individual stats for team success. Guard success at West Oaks is not determined by points and assists, but how much you put in with a collective effort to win.”
Gillion got consistent, hard-nosed play from Person with Team Breakdown on the AAU circuit this summer. Person upped his stock by playing alongside (USC-commit) Elijah Weaver and Anfernee Simons, now one of the nation’s most hotly-pursued recruits since de-committing from Louisville.
“When he arrived he had all the tools,” Gillion said of Person.
“P.J. was strong, fast, athletic, and he definitely brought that New York swag. We spent this year helping him add to his arsenal by teaching him to play under control, to limit his number of dribbles, and to truly embrace the role of playmaker.”
Gillion continued, “On the other hand, P.J.’s toughness and defense spread throughout the rest of the team. After playing a year in the SIAA and a summer with Team Breakdown, he is ready to be among the nation’s elite point guards.”