Martin Luther King Classic: Afternoon Standouts (Part 2)

Over at Chaminade - Madonna High School in Hollywood, I caught the afternoon slate of the 25th annual Martin Luther King Classic. The holiday showcase attracted some of the top college coaches in the area. Among those in attendance were representatives from Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville University, Lynn University, Barry University and Asa College. Here are the scores: Belen Jesuit 60, Dade Christian 47 Coral Park 55, Park Vista 53 Calvary Christian Academy 81, Doral Academy 73 Miami High 58, Coral Springs 46 Mater Academy 67, St. Andrew's 64 Chaminade-Madonna 66, North Miami 56 Standouts: - Second three games above. Justin Neely - Miami High: Neely put together an all-around performance in a win over Coral Springs with 20 points, ten rebounds and five assists. Of his 20 points, I thought Neely was aggressive and efficient scoring with his mid-range game. It was a modest performance for Neely, considering the 2021 six-foot-five forward poured in a whopping 60 points, 25 rebounds and 12 assists against Coral Park earlier this season. The 60 points is a school record for the Stingarees. As of the start of the new year, Neely was averaging 29.4 points, 14.4 rebounds and seven assists per game. The junior looks to be a stock riser in the South Florida area after suffering injuries early on in his high school career. Neely has received a wide-range of college of college interest from schools such as Jacksonville, Mercer, Duquesne, Florida Gulf Coast, FAU, Yale, Princeton, Baylor and Georgetown. His father, Damond, played offensive tackle for the Hurricanes in the 1990's. Malik Reneau - Mater Academy: Of all the players I saw at the MLK showcase, I thought the 2022 forward gave the best overall performance. The six-foot-seven <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Malik-Reneau-46097664/">Reneau</a> finished with a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Reneau had a tough assignment going against 2020 Yale commit <a href="https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2020/yussif-basa-ama-182684">Yussif Basa-Ama</a> and I thought he handled himself brilliantly. The sophomore showed his offensive versatility by powering his way around the rim for buckets to hitting a pretty jump hook in the paint. Reneau even stepped out from long range to can a 3-pointer. All in all, this is a kid who I believe is just scratching the surface on his potential. Michael Bradley - Mater Academy: The 2023 guard had ice in his veins in the second half for Mater Academy, knocking down three of his four 3-pointers to finish with 16 points. The five-foot-seven guard is a stone cold shooter who helped the Lions skate past St. Andrew's for the 3-point victory. Ryan Sanchez - Mater Academy: The 2021 guard also finished with 16 points and earned his money from the free-throw line. Sanchez was clutch from the stripe, knocking down ten on the night. Along with Bradley, Sanchez was a huge back-court boost for the Lions in the win. Josh Minott - St. Andrew's: I am not sure if anyone I have seen has a prettier layup than Minott. The 2021 forward is so long at six-foot-seven that he can keep the ball away from defenders as he gets to the rim. Minott finished with 15 points for the Scots and seven rebounds. The junior is a versatile player who can carry the ball up the floor like a guard while altering shots around the basket with his length like a front-court big. On one of his buckets, Minott exploded into the lane for an up-and-under layup, which was probably the prettiest play I saw all night. Florida Atlantic, Dayton, Stetson, FGCU, Rice and North Texas have offered Minott. Devin Hines - St. Andrew’s: The 2021 Cardinal Newman transfer finished with a team-high 23 points for the Scots. I thought Hines was strong on all levels of the floor offensively for St. Andrews. The six-foot-five forward scored on a pretty reverse layup at the rim and hit a pair of 3-pointers. Hines was also was able to shoot efficiently from the mid-range. Rice is a school that has made an offer to Hines. Johnny O'Neil - Chaminade-Madonna: Earlier this month, O'Neil got his recruitment out of the way by committing to American University. The future Eagle finished with a team-high 27 points in a win over North Miami. The six-foot-eight wing can beat you in different ways, evident by his performance against the Pioneers. O'Neil collected many of his early points from inside the paint before canning one of his two 3-pointers from the corner. Ronaldo Vescine - North Miami: Early on, it seemed like the 2021 guard was shooting from Georgia. Vescine knocked down his first three 3-pointers, all of which seemed to come from very deep. The five-foot-eleven junior would add another to finish with 13 points. Vescine was so locked in early on that the North Miami coaches gave him the "Heat check" call before attempts that eventually bottomed out into the net. Vee'Lesk Avin - North Miami: With 2020 guard <a href="https://247sports.com/player/carlos-hart-46077111/">Carlos Hart</a> out with an ankle injury, Avin stepped up the point production with a game-high 28 points against the Lions. Avin was lethal from long range, finishing with four 3-pointers. I thought at times in the second half the six-foot-four senior was the best player on the floor as he scored in bunches and stretched out the Lions defense. For any South Florida hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines on instagram @Steins_23 or follow him on twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.