Best Tandems: South Florida

Everyone knows the basketball talent that resides in South Florida. With that in mind, many of the schools that compete in this area have a dream team of rosters. Chances are if you don’t bring it every single night, you are going to get beat. It is something to celebrate, so I would like to highlight some of the great pairings that make this region great. Let’s look into the list... [player_tooltip player_id="814913" first="Esteban" last="Lluberes"] and [player_tooltip player_id="709232" first="Osmar" last="Garcia Araujo"] - Riviera Prep Down in Miami, 2022 Lluberes and 2023 Garcia Araujo can make a case as the best 1-2 punch in the county. The guard-forward pair helped Riviera Prep to a 24-win season and a 3A-District 15 championship under head coach Anthony Shahbaz. As a sophomore, Lluberes averaged 18 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.8 steals per game. A confident shooter, the Bulldog captain shot 43% from behind the arc and 81% from the free-throw line. Overall, his elusiveness in the back-court makes him an ideal playmaker. As for Garcia Araujo, the freshman has some of the best footwork around as a 6-foot-7 forward. In the 3A state tournament, I thought he lived up to the challenge playing against Richmond commit [player_tooltip player_id="827901" first="Andre" last="Weir"]. Garcia scored a team-high 21 points against Chaminade-Madonna and pulled down eight rebounds. Overall, the rising sophomore averaged 17 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. As he gets stronger, his productivity in the paint will only increase. As it stands, Garcia Araujo is already a dominant stretch four with three years of varsity play left in him. [player_tooltip player_id="814903" first="Ben" last="Middlebrooks"] and [player_tooltip player_id="814907" first="Kaleb" last="Walters"] - Westminster Academy As I said above, Westminster Academy is a perfect example of a dream team. You can easily plug in 2021 Troy Boynton, 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="953697" first="Caleb" last="Muller"] and 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="546221" first="Aidan" last="Abell"] into this category. Middlebrooks is an athletic forward with impressive ball skills at his 6-foot-9 size. The D-1 prospect averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds last season for the Lions. Unlike some players at his position, the 2022 already has good size at 215 pounds to muscle around in the paint. I expect Middlebrooks to take on more of a leadership role as he moves into his junior and senior seasons. If I were to describe [player_tooltip player_id="814907" first="Kaleb" last="Walters"] in one word it would be a high-flyer. The 6-foot-5 wing plays above the rim and can finish in traffic with his athleticism. Moreover, Walters can contribute on the glass like a natural forward. The 2022 pulled down 7.3 rebounds per game for the Lions. With a quick first step, Walters should breeze past his 11.0 points per game average as a junior. [player_tooltip player_id="814910" first="Ausar" last="Thompson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="814909" first="Amen" last="Thompson"] - Pine Crest If this list were a brother tandem, I would like to see the match-up with the players I have below. [player_tooltip player_id="814909" first="Amen" last="Thompson"] is your prototypical guard with 6-foot-5 size. The 2022 averaged 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.4 blocks a season ago. Thompson combined for 47 points on 14-for-25 from the field against North Broward Prep and Gulliver Prep in the state tournament. The D-1 prospect holds offers from Alabama, Florida Atlantic and South Florida. You can supplant most of the information I mentioned above when talking about [player_tooltip player_id="814910" first="Ausar" last="Thompson"]. The 2022 has matching D-1 offers and identical 6-foot-5 size. Thompson guided Pine Crest to a 20-win season after averaging a team-best 17.3 points per game. Both of the twins have forward capabilities that make them difficult to defend. As with many kids developing, added muscle in the weight room will pay dividends for them in the future. [player_tooltip player_id="709219" first="Matthew" last="Bewley"] and [player_tooltip player_id="709220" first="Ryan" last="Bewley"] - Northeast Wouldn’t a two-on-two game with the Thompson twins be fun to watch? In the case of the Bewley’s, both Matt and Ryan stand a little bit bigger at 6-foot-9. By now, you might know that [player_tooltip player_id="709219" first="Matthew" last="Bewley"] was named to MaxPreps’ Freshman All-American Team. The 2023 sensation averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks for the Hurricanes during his inaugural campaign. Bewley can contribute at a high-level from all five positions and is arguably the best player I have seen since moving to South Florida and watching Vernon Carey Jr. The offers already back that claim up with schools like Florida and Florida State vying for his services. On the flip-side, [player_tooltip player_id="709220" first="Ryan" last="Bewley"] fits more as an athletic power forward. The 2023 is a strong rebounder and rim protector for the Hurricanes. Bewley fairs exceptionally well as a finisher around the low post and has plenty of upside to polish the rest of his offensive game. However, his ability to shoot from the outside and run the floor cannot be underestimated. Similar to his brother, D-1 schools like Alabama have offered him. Remember, we are talking about the twins as budding sophomores. The establishments of their talent are already in-line with seniors. For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines on Instagram @Steins_23 or follow him on twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.