Showdown in O-town: Standouts

On Saturday, I made my way over to Orlando Christian Prep to watch the showdown in O-town. In a showcase that included eight of Orlando’s top teams I could not have thought of a better way to spend my Saturday. These are some of the players who stood out across four games: Osceola 67 Trinity Prep 41 PG [player_tooltip player_id="956820" first="Chris" last="Combs"] 5-11(2022), G [player_tooltip player_id="812619" first="Sean" last="Combs"] 6-2 (2023) In a game that was never close, Osceola got a major boost from the Combs brothers. The oldest brother Chris is a quick Point guard who loves to push the ball up the floor in transition, and can also hit the 3 off the catch. Although he left the game early with a minor injury he was able to finish the with 10 points. Chris’s kid Brother Sean is more of a scoring guard that can lock down defensively. The sophomore led the Kowboy’s in scoring with 13 points coming off a pair of 3-pointers, a pair of offensive rebound putbacks, a floater, and some points in transition. With the Combs brothers still underclassmen and 6-5 Jamarion McCrimmon (2023) (12 points on game) showing promise as a developing big man it’s safe to say that Osceola basketball has some good days ahead. ……6-1 Jaylen Coley (2021) led Trinity Prep in scoring with 16 points. The senior scoring guard made some impressive finishes attacking the basket and got to the free throw line often. Oak Ridge 56 Windermere Prep 47 PF [player_tooltip player_id="818691" first="Jeremiah" last="Bannister"] 6-6 (2021) With Windermere Prep’s defense focused on slowing down Mike James, Oak Ridge got a big boost from Bannister. The 6-6 bruiser used his defensive end like physique to battle in the post with Windermere prep’s 6-11 [player_tooltip player_id="818704" first="Elijah" last="Hulsewe"]. The big man made all of his free throw attempts going 6/6 from the line and also manufactured eight more points scoring off of post moves and in transition to finish with 14 points. …. 6-4 SG [player_tooltip player_id="548985" first="Jalen" last="Smith"] (2021) also finished with 14 points scoring 12 in the second half to help the Pioneers pull out the win. G [player_tooltip player_id="818781" first="Zavien" last="Williams"] 6-1 Windermere Prep (2021) Leading Windermere Prep in scoring Williams finished with 14 points. The energetic guard always seems to be moving at 100 MPH, and is great defensively and in transition. He also found success shooting the ball from deep sinking a pair of 3 pointers off the catch, and had a nice floater. Next season Williams will be taking his talents to Rhodes College in Memphis and projects as a difference maker at that level…..6-11 [player_tooltip player_id="818704" first="Elijah" last="Hulsewe"] (2021) was active in the post yet again for Windermere Prep. The senior has been playing with a lot of confidence as of late calling for the ball in the post, and has had a momentum changing dunk in each of the last two games. The developing big man scored 11 points making a few nice hook shots and post moves and showed a nice touch around the basket. The Masters Academy 61 Boone 53 PG [player_tooltip player_id="1068780" first="Ryan" last="Stanakis"] 6-0 (2021) One of the more unheralded guards in the city, I came away very impressed with [player_tooltip player_id="1068780" first="Ryan" last="Stanakis"]. A High IQ guard the senior just plays the game the right way and makes very few mistakes when doing so. Against Boone he scored 23 points knocking down four 3-pointers and when the defense started to catch on he put the ball on the floor and got to the basket, and often the free throw line. In addition to his scoring prowess, he also showed that he is a capable defender and has great court vision finding his teammates for scoring opportunities. A High academic student with a 3.9 GPA and high test score, Stanakis is without a doubt a college basketball player at some level. SG [player_tooltip player_id="812632" first="Eduardo" last="Placer"] 6-5 (2023) The last time I saw Placer he was knocking down 3-pointers left and right and finished with close to 40 points. While on Saturday his scoring total was nowhere near as much, he still finished with 15 points and showed a lot of ability to score off the dribble drive and create space and score in the mid range. With two more seasons it is scary too think of how good the guard will be by the time he graduates. ............6-4 SG [player_tooltip player_id="818947" first="Javion" last="Phelps"] (2021) led Boone in scoring with 20 points. The South Dakota Football commit scored from all three levels and was the main reason Boone was able to stay in the game. Orlando Christian Prep 62 Windermere High 59 SG A.J. Brown 6-4 (2022) I’m tired of writing about A.J. Brown, but his play again leaves me no choice. The guard carried a bulk of OCP scoring load finishing with 23 points including many key free throws in the fourth quarter. While he was able to knock down some jump shots, Brown was at his best when attacking the basket. With a decent amount of moves off the dribble, and athleticism Brown was able to score or get fouled on his way to the basket and shot 11-14 from the foul line. Few players in the state have had as good of a junior season as Brown. F Ven Allen Lubin 6-7 (2022) Standing at 6-7 with long arms the athletic Lubin has stood out with his ability to score in close to the basket since his freshmen year. This season he has shown more body control and improved ball handling while slashing to the basket, and seems to be preparing himself to play on the perimeter in college. On Saturday he impressed using a quick crossover to get by defenders and attack the basket finishing with 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds. With Florida, Alabama, St. Johns and Iowa State already extending offers to Lubin, expect to see that list grow tremendously over the spring and summer. C [player_tooltip player_id="709236" first="Jayden" last="Hastings"] 6-10 (2023) Hastings is another player who has made a large leap from a season ago. He’s new to the game, and still learning but the big man oozes with potential and shows flashes of the type of player that he could become. His footwork has clearly been improved upon from last year, In this game I saw him make at least two post moves and he also showed off a nice left handed hook shot. He was still able to get his points on put backs, rebound and block shots but the finesse he showed on those three plays was most impressive. Contributing 12 points 10 rebounds and 4 blocks Hastings has established himself as one of the top centers in Florida for the class of 2023. PG [player_tooltip player_id="818648" first="Trey" last="Moss"] 6-3 (2021) I don’t recall a game that I’ve watched [player_tooltip player_id="818648" first="Trey" last="Moss"] shoot seven 3-pointers, but when OCP came out in a zone defense he was able to sink five in just the first half. He shot off the catch and the dribble all game making a total of seven 3-pointers accounting for his team high 21 points. Although Windermere came up short in this one, the fact that Moss is shooting so well from deep is a very good sign for the Wolverines. ……Windermere also got major contributions from 6-4 SG [player_tooltip player_id="714790" first="Kanye" last="Jones"] (2021) who finished with 18 points and 6-1 G [player_tooltip player_id="812622" first="Jalen" last="Debose"] (2023)made some big plays and knocked down a few 3-pointers to finish with 13.