Hoop Exchange Fall Festival Notebook (Part III)

<p>This weekend I attended the Hoop Exchange at the Big House sports complex in Tavares. Teams from all over the state came to compete and the fear of missing out was at an all-time high with multiple games being played simultaneously. It seemed as if every single game featured at least one prospect that had a legitimate chance of earning a college basketball scholarship. NBA players such as Nassir Little, Michael Stewart, and Marreese Speights were all in attendance as well as current Florida Gator Tre Mann who came to watch his younger brother. These are some notes that I took :</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Dwyer</strong></p> <p>Playing against nationally known Central Point Christian and West Oaks, the Palm Beach County public school had their work cut out for them. Although they lost both games, the kids from Dwyer competed hard and kept things interesting in both games despite giving up several inches at each position. Perhaps the find of the day 6-2 <strong>PG [player_tooltip player_id="962517" first="Kyle" last="McNeal"] (2023) </strong>wasn’t backing down to anyone. The point guard impressed in both games scoring off a mix of strong drives to the basket, and perimeter shots. He also put one unsuspecting defender in a poster. McNeal is certainly a Division I prospect and one of the states better guards in the class of 2023…<strong>2021 6-4 G/F [player_tooltip player_id="1068762" first="Rodrick" last="Johnson"] Jr. </strong>also turned some heads with some thunderous put-back dunks, and showed the ability to score  down low as well as from the perimeter. The strong-bodied forward was up to the task of guarding much larger Division I bound big men in both games, and he found success attacking them off the bounce.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Bartow</strong></p> <p>Bartow was without several key pieces to their State Championship team including star point guard [player_tooltip player_id="818651" first="Walter" last="Clayton"] who had prior obligations. That didn’t keep the Polk county kids from competing and they gave a very talented Charlotte team all that they could handle. <strong>5-11 PG [player_tooltip player_id="818699" first="Malcolm" last="Dewberry"] (2021) </strong>is a welcomed addition from Avon Park. The shifty guard should add some scoring pop to the Yellow Jacket lineup and could at times run the offense to allow Clayton to move off the ball some… Another transfer <strong>6-1 G [player_tooltip player_id="962547" first="Kjei" last="Parker"] (2023) </strong>can get to the basket and is a microwave scorer. The Kathleen transfer adds depth to an already deep Bartow perimeter…<strong>6-2 [player_tooltip player_id="953724" first="Amarion" last="Frazier"] (2021) </strong>was doing what he does best on Sunday, making life difficult for the opposing teams best player. Finishing last season with an outstanding state championship game Frazier seems ready for a big senior season.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Charlotte</strong></p> <p><strong> </strong><strong>6-8 F [player_tooltip player_id="818646" first="Tre" last="Carroll"] (2021) </strong>had a huge Saturday averaging 26 PPG and over 10 RPG through two games. The combo forward was doing a little bit of everything, driving to the basket and getting fouled, knocking down three pointers, and scoring over opponents in the post. It will be interesting to see who remains in his ‘Final 3’ schools when he announces them this weekend….<strong>6-6 G/F [player_tooltip player_id="962452" first="Tynan" last="Becker"] (2023) </strong>made his presence known scoring 16 points against Sagemont shooting a perfect 4-4 from behind the 3-point line. The shooter has a high basketball IQ and looks the part of a breakout performer this season in southwest Florida.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Santa Fe Catholic</strong></p> <p><strong> </strong><strong>6-6 F [player_tooltip player_id="818684" first="Alvin" last="Tumblin"] (2021) </strong>is a rim crunching human highlight reel. Every time I heard a crowd getting loud, I would look over and more times than not I saw Tumblin hanging on the rim. A big time athlete with a motor to match, the forward earned himself two more Division I offers this weekend one from NJIT and another from East Tennessee State.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Andrew Jackson</strong></p> <p><strong> </strong>When watching Andrew Jackson you can expect three things: toughness, hard-nosed defense and size/length. This year’s team has five players 6-6 or taller. One of these players is <strong>6-6 F [player_tooltip player_id="818730" first="Bryce" last="Turner"] (2021). </strong> Turner is a combo forward who can use his long arms and athleticism to score in close, sink one from the midrange, or score off the dribble….<strong>6-10 C [player_tooltip player_id="714909" first="Marquez" last="Ray"] (2021)</strong> is a player who seems to improve each time I have seen him this summer. A solid rebounder who provides rim protection blocking shots has not yet begun to scratch the surface of his potential.</p>