Grassroots Showcase: Florida Top Performers

<p>Grassroots Showcase coverage continues with a recap of the Florida prospects on display. Due to the timing of games, the only teams I was able to watch were Florida Pro and Team Florida who are both 17U programs. Florida Pro had a fantastic matchup with 3D Empire in the Gold bracket play which made the evaluations even more clear. Take a look at which Floridians impressed in Louisville.</p> <p><strong>Andrew Akuche (2022) <em>Florida Pro</em></strong> 6-9 PF</p> <p>Likely the best prospect on this list in terms of collegiate potential. Tremendous length as a perimeter player. Brings inside-out potential as he can post up strong or beat a guy off the bounce. Looking at him, he physically doesn’t have a ton of muscle on him but plays like he does in the post. Several HMs including Baylor and Gonzaga were on hand to watch this game against 3D Empire. No doubt Akuche is a HM/MM+ level prospect.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1161393" first="Terrance" last="Ford"] Jr. (2022) <em>Team Florida </em></strong>6-1 PG</p> <p>Troublemaker regardless of whether he’s defending or you are preparing to defend him. Great perimeter defender with great quickness moving side-to-side on the ball. Active hands. Offensively his decision making and quick instincts are what I found most impressive in his game. </p> <p><strong>Pedro Loss (2021) <em>Florida Pro</em></strong> 6-8 SF</p> <p>Loss was the only 2021 I watched throughout the weekend of basketball. Works the blocks. Had a nice set of post moves highlighted by a crisp up-and-under he used on an athletic 3D Empire 17U team in the Gold Bracket Semifinals. Uses his body to initiate contact on either ends of the floor. Listed as a SF but clearly played more like a PF in this game. If he adds to his frame, could end up being a 4 at the collegiate level.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="829386" first="Brenen" last="Lorient"] (2022) <em>Team Florida </em></strong>6-10 PF</p> <p>Intriguing due to his size. Long arms that he uses to outrebound UTS Elite in their Friday matchup. Offensively will likely play more on the block. Shooting mechanics are work in progress still. D1 and D2 programs were on hand during his game and likely will keep an eye on Lorient as he continues to grow and develop.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="829389" first="Elijah" last="Wyche"] (2022) <em>Florida Pro </em></strong>6-5 SF</p> <p>3&amp;D player. Persistent as a defender. Showed he can defend HM level talent at the guard positions. Great footwork. Can score himself in the midrange or dribble drive. Good athleticism overall.</p>