Underrated Gems: South Florida

<p>Many of us <em>know </em>the big name prospects. They get a lot of headlines in  local media and you can view their highlights all over social media.</p> <p>In my opinion, South Florida is the crown jewel of athletic competition. You have a lot of <em>very </em>good players who don’t necessarily get the credit they deserve.</p> <p>Let’s look into some of those names...</p> <p><strong>Noah Volel</strong> - <em>SLAM</em></p> <p>2022 Noal Volel played very well last season for the Titans. The 6-foot-2 forward averaged 10.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 57 percent from the floor. Against <strong>North Broward Prep</strong>, Volel had 19 points while shooting 8-of-15 (57 percent) from the field. In addition, he recorded ten other games in double figures. All of those games resulted in a 50 percent or better rate from the field. You have to like that kind of efficiency on a daily basis. Volel also grabbed four or more boards in a dozen games. He is a very consistent playmaker that shouldn’t be overlooked.</p> <p><strong>Deshi St. Louis</strong> - <em>Flanagan</em></p> <p>One thing that jumps out about St. Louis is his size at the guard spot. The 6-foot-3 Falcon can use his body to play over smaller opponents. St. Louis can also use that frame to grab rebounds off the glass. Against <strong>Pompano Beach</strong>, he grabbed six rebounds and scored nine points. He also plays very well as a facilitator and gets his teammates involved. You have to be prepared for his vision and passing skills in the halfcourt. St. Louis plays travel ball for <strong>Chasing Success Elite</strong>.</p> <p><strong>Isaac Mothersill</strong> - <em>Avante Garde Academy</em></p> <p>2025 Isaac Mothersill is a name to know over in <strong>Hollywood</strong>. The 5-foot-10 guard averaged 14.1 points, 4.3 assists, 3.5 steals and 3.3 rebounds per game as an <em>eight grader</em>. Against <strong>iMater Charter</strong> (13-5), Mothersill had 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. I assume Mothersill will grow and be tough to defend when he adds muscle. He is already playing valuable varsity minutes at this point in his career.</p> <p><strong>Garyn Bess</strong> - <em>Columbus</em></p> <p>The future looks good for Bess playing alongside 2024 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1163358" first="Malik" last="Abdullahi"]</strong>. The 6-foot guard averaged 7.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season for the Explorers. Remember, this was a Columbus team that had 2021’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818777" first="Reggie" last="Luis"]</strong> (24 ppg) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953477" first="Hubertas" last="Pivorius"]</strong> (16.7 ppg). Bess still put together some big performances playing alongside the two players. In two games against <strong>Coral Gables</strong>, Bess combined for 31 points and shot 11-of-17 (65 percent) from the floor. He also scored a season-high 17 points and grabbed ten boards against <strong>Belen Jesuit</strong>. His offensive production should increase with the loss of the two seniors.</p> <p><strong>Carlos Taveras</strong> - <em>Southwest</em></p> <p>Miami Southwest is set to lose 38 points in offensive production from three seniors off last years team. One player returning and with a chance to increase his role is Carlos Taveras. The junior captain averaged 10.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 53 percent from the floor last season. Against <strong>Palmetto</strong> (14-8), Taveras had 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting from field. His leadership and offensive skill set will be counted upon next season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962502" first="Darrell" last="Sweeting"]</strong> - <em>Benjamin</em></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="962502" first="Darrell" last="Sweeting"] is a name I have mentioned in the past playing up in Palm Beach Gardens. The 6-foot guard averaged 11.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last season for the Buccaneers. Against <strong>Miami Country Day</strong> (12-10), Sweeting had 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor. He also plays with a very good classmate in 6-foot-10 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962596" first="Gavin" last="Aydelotte"]</strong>. Sweeting also plays football for Benjamin.</p> <p><strong>Gabriel Santos</strong> - <em>Lake Worth Christian </em></p> <p>2022 <strong>Gabriel Santos i</strong>s a versatile prospect up in <strong>Boynton Beach</strong>. At 6-foot-3, Santos can play as a guard or forward in certain sets. He averaged 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 55 percent from the floor as a junior. Moreover, Santos recorded five double-doubles for the Defenders. Against <strong>Boca Raton Christian</strong> (15-8), Santos had 19 points and a season-high 15 rebounds (six offensive). He will likely be the leading scorer again next season on a young Lake Worth team overall.</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>