7A District 6 Tournament Standouts – Backcourt

<p>The playoffs are finally here! Last week, I was able to attend two of the games from the Class 7A District 6 championship tournament taking place in and around the Orlando/Clermont area. This district is top heavy, with heavy hitter Windermere sitting happily on top of the rankings and easily capturing the district trophy at the end of the week. Nevertheless, the other teams in the district are not ones to be forgotten. There were some serious standouts for all of the teams competing! </p> <p>Here’s the breakdown of how the two games I watched panned out:</p> <p><em>East Ridge v. Haines City, </em>67-52 East Ridge wins</p> <p><em>Windermere v. Kissimmee-Osceola, </em>49-41 Windermere wins (District Championship)</p> <p>Here were the backcourt standouts for these four teams:</p> <p><strong>Geonni Jordan, Haines City, 5’10", 2024</strong></p> <p>No doubt it’s been a tough road for Haines City this season. They only took home 1 win by the end of their season, which came at the hands of an East Ridge team which gave them a beatdown in the District Quarterfinals. However, Haines City has something very exciting to look forward to with freshman guard Geonni Jordan. The small guard is as explosive as any guard I’ve watched this year, giving him a dangerous tool for getting to the basket. And since East Ridge doesn’t have any true bigs to slow him down, Jordan had his way with the defense and got a plethora or simple layups. He’s shifty for his size and was key in producing for his teammates as well, making a combination of solid and flashy passes. He’s a bit of a defensive liability due to his size, however, he did have super quick hands and grabbed a few steals. He finished with 22 points in the loss. If he can grow a few more inches, Jordan could be a legitimate state-level threat over the next few years. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818648" first="Trey" last="Moss"], Windermere, 6’3", 2021, USF Commit</strong></p> <p>I’ve been watching [player_tooltip player_id="818648" first="Trey" last="Moss"] for 3 years, and he doesn’t ever get old. Even when his team has a rough game (by their standards, of course) against the Kissimmee-Oceola Kowboys in the District Championship. Moss finished with 10 points on a slightly off shooting night (0/4 from 3), but entertained the crowd with a big energy boosting pair of steals that led to two strong dunks (including a rim-rocking tomahawk in the 4th). In addition to being a good facilitator, Moss reminded all of us that he is an elite IQ player, grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds, most of which were due to just good positioning. Most of the time Moss is showing off his buttery jumper or IQ, but tonight, it was all about the athleticism. Windermere is slated to play in one of the craziest matches in the state tournament v. Oak Ridge next Tuesday.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="714790" first="Kanye" last="Jones"], Windermere, 6’3", 2021, College of Charleston commit</strong></p> <p>If you’ve ever wanted an example of "shooters shoot," [player_tooltip player_id="714790" first="Kanye" last="Jones"] might be your best bet. The senior guard took 19 shots, all of which he was completely confident in. Although his jumper wasn’t falling at its usual rate, Jones stayed active on the offensive end and hit some big shots when he needed to. He finished with 15 points, but his efficiency will be vital if Windermere is going to be able to get deep into the state tournament. Jones excels in the half-court and his jumper, even when cold, creates enough draw from defenses that he was able to set up some good layups for the Windermere big men. Look for him to be a key player to watch in the state tournament.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="956820" first="Chris" last="Combs"], Osceola, 6’, 2022</strong></p> <p>The Kowboys made an unlikely run against the Wolverines in their District Championship loss that would have stunned the Orlando basketball scene. And while the game ended with a 7-point defeat for Osceola, they were right there in it the entire game. And Combs was the reason! The guard was dicing through the Windermere defense, even finishing at a high level against one of the state’s most intimidating big men in [player_tooltip player_id="709255" first="Sean" last="Stewart"]. Combs was a good shooter and a crafty player who was massive down the stretch. He was the spark that the Kowboys needed to compete with a team like Windermere. Even though they’ve since lost their Regional game against Oak Ridge and have been removed from the tournament, Combs is worth keeping an eye on right from the first jump next season. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>