Nature Coast Christmas Tournament: Notebook

<p>I made the short trip north to Spring Hill on Wednesday for the 8th annual Nature Coast Christmas Tournament.</p> <p>An always rock solid and well run event prior to the new year, it was more of the same during this COVID-19 restricted 2020.</p> <p>I took in the final three games of the night which included the championships for the A and B brackets over the final two outings.</p> <h6><strong>Fivay 51, Land O’ Lakes 31</strong><br /> <br /> <strong>Plant City 75, Nature Coast 39 (Bracket B Championship)</strong><br /> <br /> <strong>Brooks DeBartolo 61, Alonso 56 (Bracket A Championship)</strong></h6> <p>Here is a look at some notes.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1295928" first="George" last="Kimble"] picked up the work load for Brooks DeBartolo</strong></p> <p>Battling through a couple missed shots early on, 2023 6-1 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1295928" first="George" last="Kimble"] found his rhythm right before the first half with all six of his points of the game. He tacked on 10 more points to finish with 16 and earn MVP honors for the tournament. Kimble was a pest defensively and a ball dominant guard who displayed patience and really good court awareness. With more fast starts, the sky is the limit for the sophomore.</p> <p>...2021 6-8 forward [player_tooltip player_id="953082" first="Trae" last="Martin"] had nine points which all came early as he picked up his fourth foul to open the third quarter. He was routinely winning matchups inside and drawing trips to the line. Martin is an underrated big who is just scratching the surface of his true potential.</p> <p><strong>Scott is tough as nails all night for Alonso</strong></p> <p>The more I watch [player_tooltip player_id="1065438" first="Trent" last="Scott"] play, the more and more I like his game. He tries to trick defenses on every possession and his tough style of defense is a nagging problem for opposing offenses. Scott, a 2022 6-3 guard scored 23 points and was living at the free throw line in the second half before fouling out. He is aggressive when he needs to be, quick in transition and serves as an unselfish passer and leader.</p> <p>...Battling foul trouble for much of the second half, 2021 6-8 forward [player_tooltip player_id="818780" first="Tripp" last="Burdgess"] gave everything he had with a 15-point performance. The Brooks DeBartolo defense collapsed on him and certainly made it frustrating for him late. Burdgess has an impressive mix of foot speed and power as a down low finisher.</p> <p><strong>Plant City has athletes all over the place</strong></p> <p>The Raiders came out running and gunning from the jump. 2021 6-1 guard/forward<strong> Todd Miller</strong> had the most fun of perhaps any player I’ve seen this young season. He recorded a team-high 17 points and was smiling a ton as he dished out feeds and hit jumpers in transition. 2022 6-0 guard <strong>DJ Haynes</strong> was equally impressive with 15 points and his range and prowess as a ballhandler.</p> <p>...2021 6-5 forward <strong>Ezereke Dawson</strong> is a bonafide athlete who looks the part and plays it to. He totaled 14 points and a pair of rim shaking dunks in the third quarter as the game got out of hand. He is an underrated talent. 2021 6-3 guard <strong>Trevon Brown</strong> pitched in with 10 points and hit some important jumpers early on.</p> <p><strong>Fivay has a steady trio</strong></p> <p>Not the deepest team out there, Fivay makes the most of its roster with a trio that includes two 2021 prospects in [player_tooltip player_id="818833" first="Eric" last="Howard"] and [player_tooltip player_id="818926" first="Scavorriss" last="Millner"] and 2022 guard<strong> Deondre St. Clair</strong>. Millner, a 5-11 guard is a confident player who likes to shoot from the mid-range and deep. He had 13 points. Howard, a 6-1 guard is a blazer who is athletic as they come as a lead ballhandler. He had 11 points. St. Clair flashed the most poise and upside with 10 points and the 6-3 junior is always vocal.</p> <p>...Another key piece for Fivay was actually its leading scorer in 2024 6-5 forward [player_tooltip player_id="1055764" first="Jeremiah" last="Long"]. He was active as a rebounder and clean up artist with 14 points along the way.</p> <p><strong>Santana can go for Land O’ Lakes</strong></p> <p>Land O’ Lakes graduated a lot from a gifted squad a season ago. 2021 5-10 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1068753" first="Nate" last="Santana"] moved into a key role as the lead point guard and the top minute getter. He scored 14 points in the 3rd place game loss to Fivay and picked up the slack in the second half. Being more aggressive and getting to the rim will help him down the stretch this season.</p> <p>...2022 6-4 forward <strong>Thomas Meanwell</strong> accounted for six blocks and was a defensive specialist for the Gators. His blocks certainly sparked his side. </p> <p><strong>Long is top piece for Nature Coast</strong></p> <p>In a championship loss to Plant City, 2021 6-2 forward <strong>Kaden Long </strong>battled for all of his team-high 15 points. He scored on the break and had some hard nosed takes at the rim. Long is a crafty finisher and a steady scorer for Nature Coast.</p>