The Preseason Palm Beach County Five

<p>The road to my preseason selections finally falls up to Palm Beach County. As I have proclaimed in the past, this part of South Florida tends to be undervalued. With Miami casting such a shadow, I guess anywhere outside of that proximity can be overlooked.</p> <p><strong>Boca-St. Andrew’s</strong> gave this region a big boost with a state championship last season. It was the first state title for head coach John O’Connell and the program.</p> <p>Let’s get right into my picks...</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818738" first="Josh" last="Minott"]</strong> - <em>St. Andrew’s</em></p> <p>This might be the easiest call of them all. 6-foot-8 small forward [player_tooltip player_id="818738" first="Josh" last="Minott"] is the best player currently in the tri-county region. In reality, Minott can play all five positions at this level and possess a high intellect on/off the court. The Scots went 26-5 with him and won that elusive state championship over <strong>Andrew Jackson</strong>. On the season, Minott averaged 17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. During the Lakeland run, Minott scored 101 points over five games. Included in that stretch was a dominant 28-point performance against <strong>Santa Fe Catholic</strong>. He is currently committed to <strong>Memphis</strong> to play for <strong>Penny Hardaway</strong>.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818698" first="Donovan" last="Draper"]</strong> - <em>Forest Hill</em></p> <p>Over in <strong>West Palm Beach</strong>, Draper paced the Falcons to a 28-3 overall record and an appearance in the Class 7A final four. The 6-foot-6 guard/forward averaged 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals for Forest Hill last season. Moreover, Draper scored in double figures in 16 of 28 recorded games. Programs such as <strong>Sienna</strong>, <strong>Georgia State</strong>, <strong>Maryland Eastern Shore, IUPUI, Stetson, FGCU</strong> and <strong>Drake</strong> have shown interest. Draper plays with a ton of effort and intensity from baseline to baseline. Momentum after a strong summer has him trending upward across the state. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818694" first="Chris" last="Walker"]</strong> - <em>Wellington</em></p> <p>Walker is one of my favorite players to watch out for across the state. You are not going to find many guys that posses his length and athleticism. Walker is a 6-foot-6 shooting guard that is just beginning to scratch at his potential. As a junior, Walker averaged 10.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the Wolverines. His ability to create his own shot and size over his opponents make him a difficult guard. Walker holds offers from <strong>Rider</strong> <strong>University</strong> and <strong>Arkansas at Little Rock</strong>. *<strong>Walker has committed to Arkansas at Little Rock as of today</strong>*</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1068724" first="Jonathan" last="Joseph"]</strong> - <em>King’s Academy</em></p> <p>6-foot-1 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1068724" first="Jonathan" last="Joseph"] is the general for King’s Academy. Joseph averaged 17.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game last season for the Lions. The program went 17-10, marking its best season in three decades. Joseph deserves a ton of credit for setting a winning standard at the school. Look for him to continue it as a senior leader.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="714859" first="Micah" last="Octave"]</strong> - <em>Olympic Heights </em></p> <p>A transfer from <strong>Grandview Prep</strong>, Octave should bring instant results on a Lions squad that went 7-18 last season. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Pride as a junior. Back in August, Octave averaged over 30 points per game for <strong>Team Parsons (CP25)</strong> in Atlanta. Moreover, Octave dominated defensively with over 15 steals in a pair of games. The Lions have a solid two-way player who should bring more victories this season. </p> <p><em>For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</em></p>