Mr. 305: Miami Area Guards

<p>With tremendous athletes littered across South Florida, I would like to touch on the depth of guard play in this area. In particular, the Miami metropolitan region has a string of talented players across multiple schools. While the list below deviates from some big time names like D-1 prospect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="716858" first="Devin" last="Carter"]</strong>, the county has a string of players deserving of statewide recognition. Below is a few that should be on your radar, if they haven’t been already. </p> <p><strong>Antwanne Thompson</strong> - <em>Northwestern</em>: A 5-foot-9 captain for the Bulls, Thompson guided Northwestern to its first district championship in 13 years with a win over <strong>Belen Jesuit</strong>. The 2020 guard paced the Bulls in scoring with 18.5 points per game. In addition, Thompson dished out five assists and collected four rebounds per contest. The senior is lightning quick in the back-court and elusive enough to leave you in the dust if you decide to play him too close. With a heavy football background, Thompson put a stamp on the schools basketball program with his play this season. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818672" first="Arturo" last="Dean"]</strong> - <em>South Miami</em>: A 2021 point guard, Dean helped South Miami to a 22-6 record while hovering around the state’s top ten according to the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). Per MaxPreps, the 5-foot-10 junior led the Cobras with 24.6 points per game while dishing out 5.5 assists per contest. At the prestigious<strong> Kreul Classic </strong>tournament, Dean finished second in scoring average with 23.7 points per game. Currently, he has offers from Mercer and Stetson University.</p> <p><strong>Vee’Lesk Avin</strong> - <em>North Miam</em>i: A 6-foot-4 shooting guard, Avin is an all-around athlete for the Pioneers. On the court, the North Miami senior averaged 20.2 points, six rebounds and five assists per game. Off the court, Avin is an excellent student with a 4.0/1280 SAT/22 ACT. With his size, Avin tends to have an upper hand over smaller guards on both ends of the floor. A tough competitor, Avin will leave it all out on the court on any given night. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="828022" first="Jahvon" last="Smith"]</strong> - <em>Norland</em>: Smith helped the Vikings to an 18-10 record while finishing second on the team in both scoring (12.6) and rebounding (5.3) per game. In addition, the six-foot-four senior led Norland in assists (4.1) and steals (2.0) per contest. A consistent scorer, Smith finished in double-figures in twenty games this season.</p> <p><strong>P.J. Paulk</strong> - <em>Northwestern</em>: Only a freshman, Paulk is a player to look out for across the region and the state. Along with Thompson, Paulk averaged about 16 points and eight rebounds per game for the Bulls back court tandem. At 6-foot-1, the budding 2023 star has plenty of room to grow but is already turning heads across the city with his play for coach Ken Stringer.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="552716" first="Carlos" last="Hart"]</strong> - North Miami: A big 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Hart averaged 17.8 points per game while leading the Pioneers in assists (4.8). To go along with his back-court frame, the 2020 D-1 <a href="https://247sports.com/player/carlos-hart-46077111/">prospect</a> pulled down 6.7 rebounds per contest. Against <strong>Coral Park</strong>, Hart poured in a season-high 36 points in the Pioneers victory. </p> <p><strong>Nicolas Louis-Jacques</strong> - <em>South Miami</em>: Like Dean, Louis-Jacques is a D-1 prospect of his own with offers from Mercer and Stetson University. The 2020 guard finished second on the team in scoring this season with 16.6 points per game. At 6-foot-5, Louis-Jacques has good size and a consistent ability to hit an outside shot. </p> <p><strong>Esteban Lluberes - </strong><em>Riviera Prep</em><strong>: </strong>Another up and coming player, Lluberes helped Riviera Prep to a 24-7 record while averaging a team-high 18.0 points and 4.8 assists per game according to MaxPreps. Back in January, I watched the 2022 guard calmly knock down nine free-throws against <strong>Belen Jesuit</strong> to ice the game. Along with tremendous poise, Lluberes is quick in the open floor and shows strong court vision. Already a captain, Lluberes mirrors to that of a player who is already a senior leader. </p> <p><strong>Daniel Fernandez</strong> - <em>Belen Jesuit</em>: When you are a freshman averaging 14.6 points per game, chances are you are going to make this list. Fernandez helped the Wolverines to a 17-11 record and a #1 overall seed in the Class 5A-16 district tournament. The 5-foot-10 guard scored 23 points on 7-for-10 from the field in a win over <strong>Champagnat Catholic</strong> back in January. </p> <p><strong>For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</strong></p>