Fall Storylines: South Florida

<p>October is on the horizon with means we move an inch closer to high school basketball in the Sunshine State. The dust has settled with transfers and other predicaments that I <em>know</em> of. It will be nice to see real basketball with fans in the stands shortly.</p> <p>Let’s briefly look at some storylines...</p> <p><strong>How <em>great</em> can Calvary Christian Academy be?</strong></p> <p>Consensus points to Calvary Christian Academy being the best team in South Florida and one of the best in the state. I believe the Eagles want to get to <strong>GEICO</strong> Nationals and they have the talent to do it. Both 2023’s Carl <strong>Cherenfant</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="709215" first="Marvel" last="Allen"]</strong> have gotten better. We know the frontcourt is solid, especially with the addition of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="829386" first="Brenen" last="Lorient"]</strong> (<em>Forest</em>). Lorient has a ton of length and athleticism around the low post at 6-foot-8. I guess I’m wondering what, if at all, production they get from their bench. You probably need some depth to take on and deal with the grueling schedule Calvary Christian will face. You also need to account for possible injuries or unforeseen circumstances like Covid-19. Obviously, we all hope none of that happens. As for a game issue, players get in foul trouble. A deep run in Lakeland and state championship is likely...but this team has bigger goals.</p> <p><strong>New faces, new places in Miami-Dade</strong></p> <p>A lot of coaching changes occurred in Miami-Dade County. Down in <strong>Doral (Academy)</strong>, <strong>Jorge</strong> <strong>Fernandez</strong> is now at <strong>Miami Dade College</strong>. The Fire Birds still have a talented wing in 6-foot-7 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955591" first="Justin" last="Johnson"]</strong>. <strong>Melvin Randall</strong> is at <strong>Miami Northwestern</strong>, among others. How will the coaching legend do with the Bulls? Oh, and we have this guy <strong>Ray Allen </strong>at <strong>Gulliver Prep</strong>. His son, <strong>Walter Ray Allen III</strong>, as well as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1163357" first="Amare" last="Sanders"]</strong>, have talent.</p> <p>Coinciding with those moves were player transfers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="814912" first="Jimel" last="Lane"]</strong> joins a talented team at <strong>Miami Palmetto</strong> after leading <strong>Mater Academy Charter</strong> to a 6A state championship appearance. 6-foot-5 guard <strong>Koree</strong> <strong>Cotton</strong> and company are now at <strong>Miami Southridge</strong> via <strong>South</strong> <strong>Miami</strong>. <strong>Miami Columbus</strong> brings in the Boozer’s who look to be the real deal. <strong>Miami</strong> <strong>Country Day</strong> has a young talent in 2025 <strong>Shon Abaev</strong> and All-county pick <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="709245" first="Jasai" last="Miles"]</strong>. How will <strong>Mater Lakes Academy</strong> be? Does 6-foot-4 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1055719" first="Christian" last="Reid"]</strong> take the next step? The same can be said about <strong>Marcus</strong> <strong>Allen</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955802" first="Cameron" last="Johnson"]</strong> at <strong>Miami Norland</strong>. I like both of those kids learning under <strong>Lawton Williams</strong>.</p> <p><strong>Palm Beach Up in the Air</strong></p> <p><em>Last year’s senior class was a good one in Palm Beach County...but what’s next?</em></p> <p>2021’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818738" first="Josh" last="Minott"]</strong> (<strong>Memphis</strong>) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818824" first="Devin" last="Hines"] (Lafayette)</strong> are gone from <strong>St. Andrew’s</strong>. The Scots also lost <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953685" first="Kenny" last="Turner"]</strong> and <strong>Bob Stewart</strong>. Of note, 2022 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955602" first="Anquan" last="Boldin Jr"]</strong>. transferred to <strong>IMG Academy</strong>. It will be interesting to see how St. Andrew’s regroups in 2021. They have been one of the top teams in the county the last couple of seasons. A similar deal sits at <strong>Grandview Prep</strong>. <strong>Gunner Walters</strong> transferred to <strong>Adams High School</strong> in <strong>Michigan</strong>. <strong>Mayke Boles</strong> and <strong>Pedro Brown</strong> are also gone.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="714859" first="Micah" last="Octave"]</strong>, the 7A-6A player of the year by the Sun Sentinel, is gone from <strong>Olympic Heights</strong>. <strong>Christopher Walker</strong> signed with <strong>Arkansas-Little Rock</strong> after a great career with <strong>Wellington</strong>. Both <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818698" first="Donovan" last="Draper"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953081" first="Jalen" last="Jeter"]</strong> are gone for <strong>Forest Hill</strong>. <strong>Dwyer</strong> loses <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818768" first="Roderick" last="Johnson"] Jr</strong>. I can go on, but you see how good the senior class was in the county. Many of these players were all-county picks on various services. <strong>Suncoast</strong> stars <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="709251" first="Nate" last="Sasser"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1053915" first="Stone" last="Bureau"]</strong> will ease some of the burden, as well as Dwyer’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962569" first="Kyle" last="McNeal"]</strong>, J<strong>uwan Dawes</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="829457" first="Xavier" last="Scott"] Jr</strong>. I’m still interested to see who fills the void from all of those names I mentioned above.</p> <p><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></p>