Sleeper Squads: South Florida (Part 1)

Predictions are kind of a "Catch-22". How could you choose that team? How could you not choose that team? You can come out looking like a genius or a no-nothing. Its kind of like picking where to go to dinner with your girlfriend. There is no correct answer till after the fact (hopefully) and you probably end up on the wrong end of the argument anyway. You know what I am talking about. Hey...at least this is sports. Unlike the contender pieces I have written about, this one falls a little more in line with that sort of thinking. The reason being is there is more speculation with this group of teams than those I have documented in the past. We know Calvary Christian is going to be good. We know Northeast is going to be good. Feel free to disagree on some of my choices below. In fact, leave a comment on a team you think should be added to this list. Boca Raton Bobcats The Bobcats stumbled late in the year with four straight losses to close out the 2019-2020 campaign at 11-12. In reality, the script could have easily been flipped for Boca Raton. Per MaxPreps, seven of the teams losses were by less than ten points. 2021 power forward/center [player_tooltip player_id="953502" first="Bob" last="Stewart"] should lift this team above the winning mantle next season. Stewart is a powerful 6-foot-8 big that weights roughly 235 pounds. Therefore, Stewart’s framework enables him to muscle down in the paint and carve out space against his opponents. The loss of 2020’s Willie Williams, Michael Eisenberg and Oliver Beardsley should add him more responsibility. The trio accounted for roughly 27 points of production for Boca Raton. Stewart should be up to the challenge as he is a high IQ player (3.9/1480 SAT) with excellent passing skills from the high and low post. The rising senior averaged 2.4 assists per game last season and I am looking for that to increase as he becomes more of a playmaker in the offense. Additionally, Stewart averaged 14.6 points and eight rebounds last season. 2022 point guard Michael Kalina will also be counted on to make more plays. With Stewart getting a lot of attention, Kalina will be a key factor for the Bobcats to be successful. I think 12 points and five assists from him would be a welcomed production point to feed into the teams win total. American Heritage Stallions - Delray Beach Considering the Stallions started out 1-4, American Heritage turned things around to finish 13-10. Pushing the club from a decent year to a good year is my expectation in 2020-2021. That vision has the Stallions galloping towards a 20-win season. 2021 George Hyland will need to be a factor if that is going to happen. Hyland is a lethal outside shooter with 80 made 3-pointers last season. The shooting guard is the kind of prospect that will keep you in a game for all four quarters. Hyland is an excellent student (4.93 weighted GPA) who should increase his point production from 15 points to 20-plus as a senior. 2021 Nicolas DeMartinis will also be looked upon to take his game to the next level. DeMartinis is a double-figure scorer with solid awareness around the glass. 2020 Cole Fox is production for the Stallions that will need to be replaced. DeMartinis should grasp the opportunity to slice into that. Trinity Christian Warriors (Lake Worth) Who are the Warriors? If you go by their schedule from last season, it might be hard to figure out. Trinity Christian started out the season 1-6. Before the New Year, they were 3-10. After the New Year, they won six straight games before dropping four in a row. To sum things up, the Warriors finished at an inconsistent 12-14. My feeling is this team has too much talent to have a losing record next season. Trinity Christian has a trio of 2021’s in Tristan Gee, Jovonte Allen and Justin Wiggins that averaged a combined 45 points per game. Both Gee (6’5) and Allen (6’4) are powerful post players that give the Warriors extra possessions with their production on the glass. The pair combined for nearly 20 rebounds last season. Furthermore, Wiggins is a contributor on the boards as well after averaging seven per game. That is roughly 27 extra opportunities every night! Moreover, Wiggins is an excellent passer after dishing out five per game as a junior. Against Morningside Academy, Wiggins nearly notched a triple-double with nine points, ten rebounds and 12 assists. If you take all that into account, Trinity Christian should glide into 20 wins next season. Miami Country Day The Spartans played well late in the season with five straight wins before a heavy loss to talented Chaminade-Madonna in the state playoffs. Miami Country Day won a district championship during that winning streak to eventually propel the team to a 14-13 finish. The Spartans have a great player in 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="818876" first="Jordan" last="Cooke"] that few in this area seem to be talking about. Cooke averaged 21.5 points per game as junior, including a 40-point outburst to start the season against Edison. The 5-foot-10 guard is an excellent shooter, making better than 50% his field goals and nearly half of his 3-point attempts. Cooke went a perfect 5-for-5 from deep to finish with 30 points against a talented Gulliver Prep team back in December. Furthermore, keep a strong eye out for 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="709245" first="Jasai" last="Miles"]. The 6-foot-5 Miles averaged 16.2 points and 9.2 rebounds from the guard position. Additionally, 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="956794" first="Ryan" last="Richardson"] provides the Spartans with another weapon in the back-court. Richardson averaged 12.2 points and 4.7 rebounds last season. Put the Spartans back-court in the ring against anyone. For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or Follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.