Week 1 Scouting: Top Performers

<p>The first week of the FHSAA regular season got underway this week.</p> <p>I took in five games over three nights.</p> <p>These are the scores:</p> <p><em><strong>Monday</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Wiregrass Ranch 57, Mosley 47</strong><br /> <strong>Forest 74, Sickles 61</strong><br /> <strong>East Lake 84, Wildwood 37</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Tuesday</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Charlotte 63, Sarasota Riverview 60</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Friday</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Mariner 73, Barron Collier 70</strong></p> <p>Here is a look at the top performers I watched.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818646" first="Tre" last="Carroll"] Ι 6-7 Ι Charlotte</strong></p> <p>The best player I saw all week was Carroll. No doubt. The 2021 6-7 FAU signee saved his best for last as he pumped up his home crowd and rallied Charlotte in a 3-point win over visiting Sarasota Riverview. Carroll tacked on 15 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter alone as he lived at the free throw line with his aggressive play and good feel for the floor. He does just about everything for Charlotte and will do wonders all season long. Gamble, a 2023 6-4 guard had some bright moments with 13 points. He threw down some dunks in transition and had some very athletic finishes. He is a long athlete who has plenty of upside as long as he can further his handle along the way.</p> <p><strong><a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/brenen-lorient/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="829386" first="Brenen" last="Lorient"]</span></a> Ι 6-8 Ι Forest</strong></p> <p>A slow start out of the gates didn’t stop Lorient from taking advantage of a height advantage against Sickles on Monday night at the Holiday Hoopsgiving. The 2022 forward is a heck of an athlete who has power and good feet to finish inside. He had six points in the first half and tacked on 14 more over the final two quarters as he had a trio of dunks to help Forest pull away and score 20 points. Once he improves his ballhandling further, he will be well on his way.</p> <p>…2022 6-8 forward <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/elijah-russell/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="829385" first="Elijah" last="Russell"]</span></a> pairs nicely with Lorient and has bulked up since playing football for Forest. He had 17 points and hit a few mid-range shots in the opening half that were impressive.</p> <p><strong><a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/anthony-bittar/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="714843" first="Anthony" last="Bittar"]</span></a> Ι 6-4 Ι East Lake</strong></p> <p>East Lake scored 69 points in the opening half and it was Bittar who set the tone as the main ballhandler and floor pusher in a Monday night win over Wildwood. The 2021 guard simply looked natural in his regular season debut running the offense and playing a physical style of basketball. A transfer from Countryside, Bittar had 23 of his team-high 26 points in the first half alone. Most of the starters sat for the second half with the game well in hand.</p> <p><strong><a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/dean-gabrelcik/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="818666" first="Dean" last="Gabrelcik"]</span></a> Ι 6-5 Ι East Lake</strong></p> <p>In the conversation as a top shooter in the 2021 class, Gabrelcik was locked in as he buried 3 pointer after 3 pointer, netting all 21 of his points in the first half in the win over Wildwood. He is stronger and jumpier on his attacks which helps his all-around game. Plus his defense is always a key asset.</p> <p>…Another steady shooter was <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/mikey-shane/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="818720" first="Mikey" last="Shane"]</span></a>, a 2021 6-0 guard. The transfer from Countryside added 16 points and will be leaned upon to hit jumpers and dish out crafty passes.</p> <p><strong><a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/dominic-gooden/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="829475" first="Dominic" last="Gooden"]</span></a> Ι 6-0 Ι Sickles</strong></p> <p>Battling all night long in the loss to Forest, Gooden was really good. He ended with a team-best 22 points and was at his best when he went to the basket for nifty lay-ins and floaters. The 2022 guard is the top-scoring piece for Sickles, a team with a lot of pure speed.</p> <p>…I came away pleased to see the performance of 2022 5-10 guard <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/zach-johnson/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="829437" first="Zach" last="Johnson"]</span></a>. He flat outplayed hard with 16 points, plenty off of his seven steals and turnover first mentality. Also, 2022 6-2 guard <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/javohn-thomas/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="814916" first="Javohn" last="Thomas"]</span></a> (seven points) did all he could on defense against a Forest team that had way more size. He looks stronger and more aggressive fresh off a football season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818727" first="David" last="Mazon"] Ι 6-5 Ι Sarasota Riverview </strong></p> <p>Mazon was the best player rolling on Tuesday night against Charlotte. He hit jumpers and attacked the rim with his length. Adding 17 points, the 2021 6-5 guard/forward is certainly the aggressor for Sarasota Riverview. A trio of players all scored 10 points with 2021 pair [player_tooltip player_id="818665" first="Curtis" last="Butler Jr."] and Jon Blanding and 2023 guard [player_tooltip player_id="962492" first="Jason" last="Jackson"]. Butler, a 6-4 guard flashed his handles and jumper and is back to 100 percent health. Blanding, a 6-0 guard was driving to the rim with his mix of burst and handles. Lastly. Jackson came on in the second half and had some very good takes against a swarming Charlotte defense.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953428" first="Amari" last="Martin"] Ι 6-3 Ι Mariner</strong></p> <p>16 of Martin’s game-high 24 points came in the opening half as he found good spots on the floor. He hit the mid-range jumper with ease and has a nice handle to his game. He is a strong athlete who is laser-focused and a true leader. 2021 6-2 guard Preston Ebanks hit a couple big 3’s from the corner to post 15 points. 2022 6-3 guard K’dyn Waters paired well as a core ballhandler opposite Martin, recording 14 points and getting to the cup. Lastly, 2022 6-6 forward Zachary Everly has a nice outside shot and he rained in 13 points.</p> <p><strong><a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/quincy-smith/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="818933" first="Quincy" last="Smith"]</span></a> Ι 6-0 Ι Wiregrass Ranch</strong></p> <p>Smith started the game fast and put things away with a pair of 3’s in a win over Mosley, adding a team-high 19 points. The 2021 guard is a gifted leader and shooter. His smart shot selection and patience as a point man certainly helps everyone around him.</p> <p>…Pacing Smith was 2022 5-9 guard <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/josh-martin/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="956831" first="Josh" last="Martin"]</span></a>, a speedy guard who hit some big shots on his way to 18 points. His 3-pointer at the end of the first half was a nice momentum swing for Wiregrass Ranch.</p> <p><strong>Jake Piorkowski Ι 6-2 Ι Mosley</strong></p> <p>Piorkowski was the guy for Mosley in the 10-point loss to Wiregrass Ranch. He was decisive with the ball especially late in the second quarter and on. He tacked on 20 points and got to the cup for lay-ins and jumpers.</p> <p><strong>Daniel French Ι 6-1 Ι Barron Collier</strong></p> <p>Barron Collier had a nice mix of scorers in Friday night’s loss to Mariner. French, a 2021 6-1 guard had 17 points and was the most active out in transition. 2022 6-7 forward Yvens Paul is an interesting athlete to monitor. He had 14 points and is long and a hard nosed rebounder who threw down a few alley-oops. 2021 5-9 guard [player_tooltip player_id="818790" first="Wilson" last="Welkenbach"] is the heart and soul of this offense and fought for all of his 12 points. Also, 2021 6-0 guard [player_tooltip player_id="814653" first="Riley" last="Fields"] sparked a rally with a trio of 3’s in the second half on his way to 11 points.</p>