SEBA Summer League Finals: Thursday Notebook

<p>The annual SEBA Summer League in South Tampa wrapped up on Thursday with a pair of thrilling semifinal matchups and a finals victory for one of the top teams in the area.</p> <p>Semifinal scores: Tampa Catholic outlasted a scrappy Wharton bunch 56-54 while Tampa Prep rallied back late to beat a disciplined Jesuit group 69-62 in single overtime.</p> <p>Final score: Tampa Catholic won its second straight SEBA Summer League title with a convincing 65-49 victory over host Tampa Prep.</p> <p>Here is a look at the standouts by team.</p> <h3><strong>Length and speed is key for Tampa Catholic</strong></h3> <p>With former Tampa Catholic star and current New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox watching, the Crusaders looked the part as the team to beat in the Tampa Bay area. 2020 6'4" guard <strong>Kobe Knox</strong> (the younger brother of Kevin) played the hardest I have seen yet. He was dunking with ease out on the break with one hand, attacking the rim, fighting for loose balls and most importantly taking smart jumpers. 2020 6'8" forward <strong>Johni Broome </strong>continues his dominant inside play with his pure length and willingness to work down low. He's also become more vocal as of late. 2020 6'4" guard/forward <strong>Alijah Harrison</strong> proved his 3-point jumper is a huge asset for this group while 2020 6'7" forward <strong>Isaiah Elmore </strong>continues to be a crafty shot-blocker and flasher in the post. 2022 6'4" guard <strong>Derrick Mitchell </strong>might have the biggest upside of this entire group with his jumping ability and seasoned jumper already in place.</p> <h3><strong>Wharton is still awfully tough</strong></h3> <p>UCF signee Darin Green Jr. might be gone, but Wharton is still going to be one of the top teams in Hillsborough County. The Wildcats took Tampa Catholic to the wire despite trailing by double digits multiple times in the game. This offense runs 2020 5'9" guard <strong>Gio Reyes</strong>, who is a tough matchup defensively with his high IQ passing and pure speed. 2020 6'3" guard <strong>Carr Thiam</strong> is a gifted shooter and one who loves to attack and draw contact. 2020 6'5" forward <strong>Josh Barnett</strong> will be looked at to hit jumpers and defend longer athletes. 2022 6'3" forward<strong> Trevor Dyson</strong> gave the best effort of this Wharton team as a core rebounder and a finisher on lay-ins.</p> <h3><strong>Tampa Prep has a senior trio intact</strong></h3> <p>It is a different look for Tampa Prep overall, but three familiar faces will carry the load this upcoming season. 2020 trio<strong> Isaac Ward</strong>, <strong>Gabriel Sharp</strong> and <strong>Jaden Gray</strong> will be leaned upon for this smaller Tampa Prep unit. Ward is an astute 6'0" point guard who makes life a lot easier for everyone with his vision and speed. Sharp who stands at 6'4" is a 3-point shooter at heart and one that brought Tampa Prep back with a 4-point play and a late go-ahead 3 with under two minutes in the fourth quarter. Gray, a 6'1" guard is athletic as they come and a hard-nosed defender. 2021 6'0" guard <strong>Pierce Blount </strong>is going to be asked to do plenty of the hard work in transition play as well.</p> <h3><strong>Jesuit is smaller but still fierce</strong></h3> <p>The Tigers only return four players from the varsity squad after graduating nine seniors. 2020 6'3" guard <strong>Bennett Anderson</strong> is the leader of the pack with his ability to get into running lanes and hit floaters and jumpers. He's always involved on both ends of the floor. In fact, in one sequence against Tampa Prep, Anderson had back to back blocks showing off his energy. Alongside him is 2021 5'11" sharpshooter <strong>Ryan Weir</strong>, who is always ready to knock down treys with any open space. 2020 6'2" guard <strong>Kiael Kelly</strong> was away for a football camp, but he's the grittiest defender Jesuit has and he'll add a lot of value to the starting lineup this fall.</p>