Martin Luther King Classic: Afternoon Standouts (Part 1)

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 - : First three games above. Joshua Cecol: Belen Jesuit - The 2020 six-foot-nine power forward/center is a massive offensive weapon in the paint for the Wolverines. The 240-pounder led Belen Jesuit with 18 points and nine rebounds. In addition, Cecol used his frame to swat down five blocks. David Fernandez: Belen Jesuit - The 2021 point guard is the total package for his Wolverines team. The junior nearly clocked a triple-double with 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. With the ball in his hands, good things happen for Belen Jesuit and is one of the teams tone setters. Ga'Khari Lacount: Coral Park - The Lynn University commit can put up points in a blink of an eye. Lacount (2020) scored 18 points in the first quarter alone before finishing with a game-high 33. As of mid-January, Lacount was leading all Miami-Dade prep players with 33.1 points per game. The senior knocked down five 3-pointers and doesn't seem to have a shot he dislikes taking. What I like about the six-foot-one senior is his confidence. Lacount can miss consecutive shots and continue to push his game forward. The Knights are getting a really nice player next season. Erik Pratt: Park Vista - The 2020 guard picked up an offer from ASA college with a strong performance against Coral Park. Pratt finished with a a team-high 16 points, including three 3-pointers. At six-foot-three, Pratt has good size at the guard position and a high motor. I thought Pratt was efficient in letting the game come to him. Devin Carter: Doral Academy - A 2020 shooting guard, <a href="https://247sports.com/player/devin-carter-46080358/">Carter</a> put together a gutsy performance despite being under the weather and popping his shoulder out against Calvary Christian Academy. Carter finished with a game-high 34 points and knocked down five 3-pointers. While he was not at full strength, Carter missed only six shots and was efficient as any player on the day from the offensive end. The six-foot-four Firebird has another gear in his step and can get to the rim as well as any player in South Florida. Carter is still a free agent right now when it comes to his college recruitment and is one of the most sought after players in the region. Justin Johnson: Doral Academy - The 2023 guard/forward looks to be next in a talented wave of underclassmen in the Miami-Dade area. The six-foot-seven Johnson finished with 18 points and looked strong taking the rock to the rim. On one play, Johnson went hard to the hoop on the left baseline for a finish in the paint. The freshman has a ton of upside. Noah Tovar: Calvary Christian - On a court chalked full of talent, Tovar was the game MVP in the win over Doral Academy. The 2021 guard scored in a variety of ways to finish with 18 points. The six-foot-four junior seemed to get better as the game wore on, attacking his way to the basket for layups with a strong handle in the second half. In addition, I thought Tovar had a knack for cleaning up missed shots at the rim from his Eagle teammates. Normally, you don't see a point guard with that sort of aggressiveness. Overall, it just shows Tovar has superb court awareness and a high basketball IQ. Jacksonville University and IUPUI are schools that have shown him interest. Gregg Glenn: Calvary Christian - <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Gregg-Glenn-46076926/">Glenn</a> put together a solid game for the Eagles, scoring a team-high 19 points while canning a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The 2022 six-foot-six can score inside with his size and use his quickness to power past defenders for buckets at the rim. I thought Glenn picked up his play in the later quarters, attacking the basket and adding points on the free-throw line. As I have said before, Glenn has as high of a ceiling of any player in area.   For any South Florida hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 or follow him on twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.