Championship X-Factors: South Florida

<p>It was a busy last week in South Florida with district tournaments across the region. Teams will now focus on regional play as we continue on the road towards <strong>Lakeland</strong>. A big congratulations to all the teams and personnel for making it this far under trying circumstances. </p> <p>I would like to recognize a group of players for their contributions. These type of kids could play major roles as teams look to achieve state championship glory in a few weeks. </p> <p>Let’s look into it...</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818864" first="Landon" last="Brody"]</strong> - <em>St. Andrew’s </em></p> <p>St. Andrew’s achieved its first postseason goal with a championship victory over <strong>Jupiter Christian</strong> in District 3A-11. 2021 <strong>Memphis</strong> commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818738" first="Josh" last="Minott"]</strong> had 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists to pace the Scots. Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id="818864" first="Landon" last="Brody"] also played a big role. The 5-foot-10 point guard scored seven points and dished out five assists. Moreover, Brody committed no turnovers. Against <strong>King’s Academy</strong> in the semifinals, Brody scored eight points and had five assists. Depth during playoff runs is a huge asset to any team. Brody fits the profile and is a smart kid in the classroom. He picked up an offer from <strong>MIT</strong> back in August. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818770" first="Evan" last="Stinson"]</strong> - <em>Suncoast </em></p> <p>Suncoast has a talented group of players led by <strong>Ethan Barnes</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1053915" first="Stone" last="Bureau"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="709251" first="Nate" last="Sasser"]</strong>. The trio helped the Chargers to a District 5A-13 championship over <strong>Jensen Beach</strong> on Saturday.  Not lost in the shuffle was the play of 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="818770" first="Evan" last="Stinson"]. The 6-foot-4 small forward scored eight points and had eight rebounds. Stinson has good size at the position and leads the Chargers in rebounds (7.6) per game. I am impressed with his play on offensive glass we well. Stinson has grabbed 37 boards on that end this season. Glass work like that can be big down the wire in a playoff chase. The Chargers have the offensive repertoire to turn those second chance opportunities into points. </p> <p><strong>Braysor Martinez</strong> - <em>Forest Hill</em></p> <p>2022 Braysor Matinez came up big in the Falcons comeback victory over <strong>Wellington</strong> in the championship game of District 7A-10. The 5-foot-8 combo guard hit a game-winning layup to complete the come from behind victory. The Falcons were down by as many as ten points in the fourth quarter. Martinez certainly has the confidence to make plays on a loaded Falcons team. He scored 16 points on 6-of-8 from the field in a game against <strong>Dwyer</strong> back in December. It so happens that the Falcons next opponent is the Panthers on Thursday.  Martinez’s clutch performance down the stretch should carry over as the Falcons look for another deep run in Lakeland.</p> <p><strong>Nathan Mikkelson</strong> - <em>Martin County</em></p> <p>Mikkelson is much more than an X-Factor on the Tigers squad. However, the 6-foot-7 wing scored 26 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 62-39 victory over <strong>Olympic Heights</strong> in the District 13-6A Championship. Martin County continues its perfect season (19-0 via MaxPreps) and Mikkelson is a huge part. His athleticism gives him the ability to shoot the three or collect rebounds on the glass. Mikkelson has averaged nearly ten boards a game and shoots at a 50 percent clip from deep. His versatility on both ends creates a huge problem for opposing teams. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818910" first="Chamon" last="Metayer"]</strong> - <em>North Miami</em></p> <p>Metayer would qualify as a <em>huge</em> factor in the District 6A-15 Tournament.  The 6-foot-6 forward combined for 52 points on 22-of-35 from the field in wins over <strong>Hollywood Hills</strong> and <strong>McArthur</strong>. Moreover, Metayer grabbed 23 total rebounds. The <strong>Cincinnati</strong> football signee has a powerful lower frame to make plays around the paint. Metayer has been putting up big numbers all season for the Pioneers, averaging 15.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. His 34 points against Hollywood Hills was a season-high.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em><strong>For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</strong></em></p>