The Preseason Polk County Five

<p>Last season we saw Bartow bring home some hardware winning the class 6A state championship. With basketball season finally here, I decided to do a preseason All-County First Team projection. While Polk County is home to many talented athletes these are the five players, I expect to make major contributions to some of the top teams in their area.</p> <p>PG [player_tooltip player_id="818651" first="Walter" last="Clayton"] 6-3 Bartow 2021</p> <p>After hanging up the football cleats last year and deciding to focus on hoops, Clayton was able to help lead Bartow to their first State Championship since 2010. With several key pieces returning, and having a few nice transfers coming in, I expect the Yellow Jackets to be right in the mix to return to Lakeland. In order to do so, it all starts with Clayton. In Bartow's run to the state title the big lead guard impressed with his ability to see the floor, and seemingly bully his way to wherever he wanted to go on the floor. Last year, he averaged15.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.3 APG to go along with 2.3 SPG helping his team finish 31-1 on the season. A few weeks ago the standout guard decided to commit to Iona College with the opportunity to play for legendary coach Rick Pitino being too good to pass up.</p> <p>SF/PF [player_tooltip player_id="818684" first="Alvin" last="Tumblin"] 6-6 Santa Fe Catholic 2021</p> <p>This year Tumblin will be taking his talents to Santa Fe Catholic after leading Sebring to a Final Four appearance in 2020. After missing a majority of AAU season to work out and focus on improving his skills, Tumblin has been impressive at several preseason events this fall. The forward has improved his handles and his jump shot looks a little more consistent than ever. With a majority of San Fe Catholic’s rotation now in the college ranks, the bouncy forward will be leaned on heavily to produce big numbers. With averages of 20.5 PPG, 11.7 RPG, and 4.1 BPG last season at Sebring, Tumblin seems more than ready for the challenge. Recruiting wise Stetson offered shortly after last season, with NJIT, FAU, and Eastern Tennessee State extending offers this fall.</p> <p>SF/PF [player_tooltip player_id="818743" first="Diego" last="Platas-Ivan"] 6-8 Auburndale 2021</p> <p>After a stellar junior season playing with George Jenkins, Platas-Ivan decided to finish his high school hoops career at Auburndale. Over the summer, Platas-Ivan impressed with his all-around skill,  handling the basketball, and scoring from all three levels for Team TMAC. At 6-8, he has the fluidity to play on the perimeter where he is a deadeye 3-point shooter and has a wide array of post moves that allow him to score in the post. Early in the summer, Platas-Ivan wasted no time making his college decision committing to Division II perennial powerhouse Lincoln Memorial. At George Jenkins the skilled forward averaged 12.9 PPG and 5.6 RPG while shooting 48 percent from behind the 3-point line. Leading a very young but talented Auburndale Bloodhounds team this year expect those numbers to increase.</p> <p>SG/SF [player_tooltip player_id="818918" first="Drew" last="Kramer"] 6-6 Lakeland Christian 2021</p> <p>A player who has recently seen a major spike in his recruitment is [player_tooltip player_id="818918" first="Drew" last="Kramer"]. Playing for the Tampa Titans this AAU season the wing impressed with his ability to knock down the deep ball. With sneaky athleticism Kramer can catch the back door alley-oop lob, or dunk hard in traffic or in transition. At 6-6 with long arms, Kramer is able to get shots off over smaller defenders with ease both in the mid-range and from 3-point land. Last year the sharp shooter averaged 20.1PPG knocking down 100 3-pointers at a 43 percent rate. Last week Kramer received his first offer from NAIA school Florida College and several Division II schools are monitoring closely.</p> <p>PG/SG [player_tooltip player_id="818699" first="Malcolm" last="Dewberry"] 5-11 Bartow 2021</p> <p>With Dewberry transferring in from Avon Park, it will lighten the load on [player_tooltip player_id="818651" first="Walter" last="Clayton"] tremendously. With Bartow liking to play defense full court, adding another scorer, distributor should pay dividends. While a little undersized, Dewberry is a quick shifty guard that can score in bunches and does a great job of drawing the help defense and finding his teammates for scoring opportunities. A bit under the radar, Dewberry is a player that local schools should take a look at this upcoming season.</p>