Dark Horses: Miami-Dade County 2.0

<p>Athletes, Athletes and Athletes…</p> <p>South Florida has it all. While a blessing for scouts like myself, it can be a needle in a haystack for some of these kids to be noticed. Specifically, the Miami-Dade region is chalked filled with talent. Many of the players listed below have shown flashes and are ready to emerge in the region. With the showcase of list one, I have decided to follow it up with version <em>2.0</em>. As you can see, this is just a piece of the pie of what the area has to offer.</p> <p>Let's take a deeper look...</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955802" first="Cameron" last="Johnson"]</strong>: <em>Norland Vikings</em></p> <p>A terrific wing for the Vikings, Johnson averaged 14.9 points and 6.7 rebounds across 27 games. An efficient scorer, the 2022 made 57% of his two-point attempts. In fact, Johnson shot 80% from the field in four of his last twelve games. At 6’4", Johnson has the length to disrupt defenders and swatted away 1.4 blocks per game. Against <strong>Central, </strong>the sophomore recorded six blocks. Another element to his physique is his rebounding ability. The sophomore notched seven games with double-digit boards. Johnson is great in so many different areas off the game and is a scary prospect I believe deserves more attention.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962345" first="Daniel" last="Parra"]</strong>: <em>Hialeah Gardens Gladiators</em></p> <p>If this season was any indication, Parra is going to be a special player for years to come. The 2023 averaged 10.3 points per game across 23 contests for the Gladiators. The freshman guard quickly made a name for himself when he dropped 26 points against <strong>Westland Hialeah</strong>. Off that performance, Parra began a streak of seven consecutive double-figure games. With three years to grow, Parra has just got onto the interstate in term of his talent.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953106" first="Justin" last="Harris"]</strong>: <em>Sunset Knights</em></p> <p>At 6’1", Harris can do a little bit of everything at the guard position. The 2021 has good hands and vision to defend his opponent in front of him. Against <strong>South Dade</strong>, Harris showed off that ability with six steals. On the offensive side, Harris averaged 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. In addition, a great caveat to his game is his rebounding ability. Even with his size, Harris recorded six games with double digit boards. With that evidence, Harris is a scrappy player who will give it his all on the floor. Overall, I love his intangibles.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953105" first="Dylan" last="Harris"]</strong>: <em>Sunset Knights</em></p> <p>Another player on the Knights to look out for is [player_tooltip player_id="953105" first="Dylan" last="Harris"]. The 6’1" 2021 is a versatile player that has shown he is capable at the two and three spots on the floor. This past season, Harris averaged 11.1 points and 5.8 rebounds for Sunset. As mentioned above, this Harris doesn’t let his size affect him on the glass either. The junior recorded a season-high 12 rebounds against <strong>South Dade</strong>. As I have made it clear in the past, a guard who can rebound is priceless in my opinion. In Harris’s case, I think coaches would agree with me.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953443" first="Jean" last="Leclair"]</strong>: <em>Edison Red Raiders</em></p> <p>At 6’2", Leclair has the glass work of a player that stands 6-foot-8. The 2021 averaged twelve rebounds per game and recorded 13 games in double-figures. As for his season-high, Leclair did that three times with 16-rebound performances. The rising senior also averaged 12.5 points per game on 51% from the field. In arguably his best game of the year, Leclair scored 26 points on 79% from the field against Miami Beach. Heading into next year, Leclair is a great buy for a double-double every time he steps out on the floor.</p> <p><strong>Dominick Nelson</strong>: <em>TERRA Environmental Wolves </em></p> <p>An underrated talent in Miami-Dade, Nelson averaged 17.6 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Wolves this past season. An interchangeable player at both the guard and forward spots, Nelson scored a season-high 30 points against <strong>Northwestern</strong> on 11 for 17 from the field. In addition to his offensive skill set, the 6’3" junior recorded 1.6 steals per contest. Off that game, Nelson seemed to really take off. Over his final five games, Nelson scored in double-figures in four of them. Based off that projection, Nelson should be in for a monster senior season.</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>