Miami’s Most Underrated: Sandro Noel
Stetson has put in considerable effort for Miami native Sandro Noel, who possesses both the physical attributes and experience to be a high impact addition at such a destination.
Noel, a 6-foot-7 and 200-pound forward at Georgia Highlands, is your quintessential late bloomer recruit. Known for dazzling displays of athleticism and multi-positional ability, the well-built Noel was initially discovered by Miami area AAU coaches Greg and Lance Tejada.
Sold on Noel’s Ron Artest-like build, the Tejadas instilled the nuances of the game and life lessons in Noel. He adapted quickly at McArthur High in Miami, where he averaged 14 points and eight boards as a ’15 senior. Though he flashed a consistent mid-range game and soon developed into an all-around scorer, Noel still had areas for growth.
Sold on the player development guru in Cody Toppert, who at the time was training Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson, Noel elected to do a post-graduate season at Elev8 Prep in Delray Beach.
At now defunct Elev8 Prep, Noel was bordered by a wealth of high level prospects–Tyson Jolly (Baylor), Donte Fitzpatrick (Ole Miss), and Leroy Butts (Radford)–to name a few. Noel soon adapted to a supplementary role on a post grad team which had 13 Division-1 players.
A versatile three-man, Noel applied hounding defense and vertical explosiveness to then-coach Chad Myers’ club. Noel’s ability to guard the 1-4 attracted the likes of Arkansas, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Hofstra, and a bevy of others. While he originally committed to Southern (La.) in the spring of 2016, Noel has three full years remaining and plenty of upside.
While playing a national schedule featuring Hargrave Military Academy (Va.), Mount Zion (Md.) and IMG Academy (FL) at Elev8 prepared Noel for the pace and toughness of the next level, a better feel for the game grew within Noel.
In shedding the tag of athlete, Noel cites his shooting and ability to bring smaller defenders into the post and score as the most appealing factors of his game. Noel showed promise during the Hoop Exchange All American Jamboree in Apopka, Fla., three weeks ago.
If he continues to develop and he can cut it academically, all signs point to Stetson keeping the Florida product local.