Jeremy Ballard/FIU Team Camp: First-team performers
Here is a look at the All-Tournament squad from the 2019 Jeremy Ballard/FIU Team Camp held over the weekend in Miami. A qualifier to be eligible: Your team had to make it to Championship Sunday’s final eight.
MVP: Malik Reneau (Mater Academy)
Reneau put on a clinic vs. Coral Gables in the semifinals. The 6-foot-6 rising sophomore posted a double-double with 34 points and 10 rebounds. Reneau followed that up with 16 points in the championship game victory over Fort Lauderdale High. The lefty can do it all: He runs the court, has excellent footwork, has a hook shot that is almost impossible to block, he rebounds and is a rim protector. Reneau landed an early offer from Oklahoma State in April and Miami is following him closely.
Isaiah Josue (Mater Academy)
The 6-3 2020 guard does it at both ends. Defensively, Josue (pictured above) has good size vs. guards and uses his quickness to net steal after steal. Offensively, he is a very good driver. Excellent stop-and-go move. Does need to shoot better from the free-throw line. Josue tossed in 17 points in the title game victory and he had 10 vs. Coral Gables. Southeast Missouri State has offered while Louisiana Tech, Central Michigan and FAMU are showing heavy interest. Josue and Reneau led Mater to an 8-0 finish for their fifth camp championship this summer.
Alex Vertus (Fort Lauderdale High)
Vertus has a had a breakout summer. The 6-2 2020 guard, who jumped to the Flying Ls from Cardinal Gibbons, has exploded at the offensive end.
Vertus (pictured) has shown he can score in a variety of ways: He can hit from deep, he often scores off offensive rebounds, he hits free throws. “I’ve just really been working on driving because all my life I’ve been a shooter and I think that’s a good part to add to my game, driving,” Vertus said. “Knowing I have a big body, I can use it to my advantage.” Vertus put up 20 points in the championship game loss to Mater Academy. FIU, Alcorn State and Alabama State have shown interest.
Jaylin Bain (Fort Lauderdale High)
Bain is a 5-10 point guard who transferred to the Flying Ls from Carol City. The 2021 excels at driving and has the body to get the and-one. He single-handedly took over the final 4 minutes vs. Hialeah Champagnat on Sunday. Bain had two huge and-ones in the sixth-seeded Flying Ls 66-63 semifinal win over Champagnat. In the championship game vs. Mater, Bain connected on seven field goals on the way to 15 points. Fort Lauderdale beat Westminster Christian, 55-48, in its quarterfinal.
Kuran Bryant, Walter Daniels (Coral Gables)
Daniels and Bryant combined for 33 points in a 78-63 loss to eventual champion Mater Academy in the semifinals. The 6-3 Daniels (2021) had a very strong game. Daniels is a slasher who can get to the rim. He had six field goals, including a 3, and four free throws among his 17 points. The 6-5 Bryant (2022) battled Reneau in the paint and posted a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds). Coral Gables finished 6-2, falling only to Mater Academy and Westminster Christian.
Melvin Diaz, Anthony Salazer (Champagnat)
The 6-4 high-flying Diaz and Salazar — a 6-4 2022 — got Champagnat (5-2) into the semifinals. Champagnat’s only losses were to Team Latinos, which it split with, and then to Fort Lauderdale in the final four. Diaz is athletic and tough to contain. Salazar does a little bit of everything. In the quarterfinals victory over Team Latinos, Salazar made a beautiful pass to get Champagnat the lead late and then came up with a key steal on the ensuing possession to put it away.
If you have high school or travel basketball news, you can reach Pat Lammer via Twitter at @PLamRecruiting or through e-mail at PatALammer@Gmail.com