Metro Hoops Fest (Part 2)

<p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This past Monday through Wednesday, I made the drive out to Apopka for the Metro Hoops Fest. With so many of the Orlando area’s top teams, I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the 2020-2021 high school basketball season. Although the tournament was cut short due to Covid-19 issues, I was still able to get a good read on a lot of the areas top teams and talent.</p> <p style="text-align: center;">Oak Ridge</p> <p>65-62 W over Olympia*</p> <p>85-69 W over West Orange</p> <p>SG [player_tooltip player_id="548985" first="Jalen" last="Smith"] 6-5 (2021)</p> <p>The SMU commit was Oak Ridge’s most consistent player in this tournament averaging 17.0 PPG. The long athletic guard always seemed to have an answer when Oak Ridge needed a basket especially in a narrow win over Olympia. In the fourth quarter Smith hit a corner 3 when his team needed it the most and knocked down some timely free throws to help seal the victory. With a 6-9 wingspan and quick feet Smith’s potential as a defender at the next level is especially intriguing.</p> <p>...6-6 2021 PF [player_tooltip player_id="818691" first="Jeremiah" last="Bannister"] dominated the first half against Olympia using his defensive end like build to score in close. He finished with 19 Points with 16 of them coming in the first half.</p> <p>SF Mike James 6-6 (2021)</p> <p>While the game against Olympia was far from his best performance, James bounced back against West Orange in a big way. The wing ended up finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds. This fall James ended his recruitment signing with the Louisville Cardinals.</p> <p style="text-align: center;">Olympia</p> <p>65-62 Loss to Oak Ridge*</p> <p>45-43 loss to Evans *</p> <p>PG [player_tooltip player_id="812627" first="Edgerrin" last="James Jr."] 6-1 (2023)</p> <p>“Jizzle” had an impressive summer playing with Each 1 Teach 1’s star studded 2023 team, and his stellar play has continued into the high school season. Against Oak Ridge the point guard was at his best showing off his ability to shoot the ball from deep off the dribble, the catch an shoot, and running off of screens. A right handed player, James found success driving and finishing lefty using his quick burst hesitation dribbles to get to the basket. On the weekend, he averaged 19 PPG and he should only get better with time.</p> <p>CG [player_tooltip player_id="1069191" first="Jacari" last="White"] 6-2 (2021)</p> <p>A fast twitch athlete, White was also a consistent scorer and steady ball handler for the Titans. In both games he used his lighting quick cross over to find open space. Against Evans, he had his midrange pull-up falling and finished with 13 points. With a quick second jump and fast reflexes the guard rebounds well for his size, and gets his hands on a lot of passes for deflections or steals.</p> <p>Other Notes:</p> <p>PF Shelton Taylor 6-6 (2021) High School: Jones</p> <p>Taylor was a major reason Jones was able to stay within striking distance of Dr. Phillips until the 4^th quarter. He battled inside with the much bigger [player_tooltip player_id="814902" first="Ernest" last="Udeh"], and also did his part on offense including hitting three 3-pointers and finishing an impressive alley-oop dunk. The big man averaged 15 PPG on the weekend and will play a key role for a Jones team who is a major sleeper in class 5A…..Two other players who stood out for Jones were  seniors 6-2 sharpshooter Colson Lundy Jr. and 6-1 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="1068742" first="Anthony" last="Henson"] who brings a lot of energy and athleticism to the line up.</p> <p>PG J’yshaun Melvin 5-9(2022) High School: Evans</p> <p>Not all is lost for an Evans team who graduated several key pieces of their starting lineup from last year. Melvin played some key minutes a year ago for the Trojans, but this season he seems primed for a heavier workload. The guard is a pesky defender that loves to harass opposing teams’ ball handlers and uses his quick first step to get to the basket on offense. 6-4 big bodied forward [player_tooltip player_id="1065478" first="Henry" last="Calixte"] (2022) will also be a key player for Evans as well as 5-8 guard Aviree Anderson who hit some key free throws to seal the OT win against Olympia.</p> <p>SG Christian Chambers 6-4 (2022) High School: Ocoee</p> <p>At 6-4 Chambers has enough size and length to get off his silky smooth jump shot. Against Apopka the Junior guard caught fire knocking down four 3-pointers to finish with 14 points. Expect Chambers and 6-3 Johnny Taylor (2021) to be key for a young Ocoee team that graduated 11 players from last year.</p> <p>PG [player_tooltip player_id="962442" first="Jaylen" last="Smith"] 5-11 (2023) High School: Edgewater</p> <p>In one of the most impressive individual performances of the tournament Smith finished with 34 points in a win over Lake Nona. The uber athletic point man dropped seven 3-pointers including five in the third quarter.</p> <p>…. 6-2 (2021) Combo Guard Tre Simmons finished in double figures in both games including a 16 point performance against Windermere High.</p>