Stock Risers: Playoff Edition (South Florida)

<p>The road to <strong>Lakeland</strong> is in full swing with district final matchups to begin later today. Many of the top contenders feature some of the top prospects in the state. I think if you have a general knowledge of the area and have been following our coverage you know who those players are!</p> <p>In this segment, I would like to highlight some players that could build off their performances from this week. The 24/7 landscape of basketball here in South Florida should give these kids momentum as we head into the spring and summer. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1055700" first="Braylon" last="Burbridge"] - </strong><em>Sagemont</em></p> <p>2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1055700" first="Braylon" last="Burbridge"] looked poised running the point for Sagemont against <strong>Westminster Academy</strong>. The 5-foot-10 Burbridge scored seven points and played strong on-ball defense. I didn’t see a ton of mistakes from him in the absence of 2021 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953077" first="Raphael" last="Houssou"]</strong>. Specifically, Burbridge didn’t turn the ball over or make errant passes. Things like proper positioning or in-game management are coachable. The bottom line is he played valuable minutes against a strong opponent in a playoff game. Burbridge poked away a pass that set-up a <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="814984" first="Rickey" last="Ballard"]</strong> dunk on the other end in the fourth quarter. He also displayed strong vision and the ability to dribble penetrate. I think his best basketball is ahead of him. Check out some of his highlights by clicking <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9288076/Braylon-Burbridge">here</a>.</p> <p><strong>Maxwell Gordon</strong> - <em>Cypress Bay</em></p> <p>2022 Maxwell Gordon seemed to step-up and hit a big shot after every <strong>Piper</strong> counter on Tuesday. The 5-foot-11 guard scored eight points and hit a pair of 3-pointers. Gordon followed-up that performance with 11 points on 4-of-5 from the field against <strong>Cooper City</strong>. Moreover, Gordon dished out five assists and grabbed five rebounds. His value is paramount alongside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1062420" first="Noah" last="Kattan"]</strong> in the backcourt. Gordon is steady on the defensive end and holds a 4.7 GPA in the classroom. Check out some of his highlights by clicking <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13889325/Maxwell-Gordon">here</a>.</p> <p><strong>Adrian Cruz</strong> - <em>Southwest</em></p> <p>2022 Adrian Cruz is a talented player for the Southwest Miami Eagles. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is averaging 16.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.8 steals per game on 55 percent shooting from the field. He is a big reason why Southwest went 16-3 this season. Against <strong>Palmetto</strong>, Cruz posted a triple-double of 24 points, 12 rebounds and ten assists. He is a three-level scorer with good size at the position.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1060261" first="Guilherme" last="Tesch"]</strong> - <em>North Broward Prep</em></p> <p>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1060261" first="Guilherme" last="Tesch"] is a versatile playmaker with growing potential for North Broward Prep. The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game on 44 percent shooting from the field. Against <strong>St. John Paul II</strong>, Tesch had 14 points, ten rebounds and seven assists. He followed that up with 16 points and ten boards against <strong>Sports</strong> <strong>Leadership &amp; Management</strong>. Moreover, Tesch went a combined 5-of-11 from deep in both outings. He has a nice touch from the outside that should only improve. His basketball IQ and instincts are already strong for a frontline player. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="814914" first="Deshawn" last="Jean-Charles"]</strong> - <em>Miramar</em></p> <p>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="814914" first="Deshawn" last="Jean-Charles"] is a big-time player for the Patriots. The 6-foot-6 wing scored 23 points in a victory over <strong>Western</strong> in the BCAA Big 8 title game. It was the second Big 8 championship for Miramar since 2018. Jean-Charles is a freak athlete with ability to guard all five positions. He went for 17 points and eight rebounds against 11-3 <strong>Boyd Anderson</strong> earlier this season. A shortened schedule hasn’t stopped him or the Patriots from reaching the 7A-14 title game against <strong>Everglades</strong>. Jean-Charles seems to step-up his game on the big stage. He had 25 points in a 66-51 win over <strong>Seminole</strong> last season in the 7A championship game.</p> <p><strong><em>For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</em></strong></p>