Pan Handle Top Prospects: 2022 (Part 1)

<p>In recent years the Florida pan handle has been home to many talented college basketball players. While we have scouts based in Orlando (Myself), Tampa (Jake Perper), Jacksonville (Mark Holland) and Miami (Mike Costeines) the pan handle at times has lacked publicity. Over the past two weeks I have done some digging, watched some film, and found talented young men who show the potential to make it to the next level. These are some of the prospects in the class of 2022 who have caught my eye:</p> <p>SF [player_tooltip player_id="814900" first="Jaylen" last="Martin"] 6-7 Florida High</p> <p>Playing for former Florida State and New York Knicks standout Charlie Ward, Martin has been dubbed the next big thing coming out of Tallahassee for a while now. The wing has the size and athleticism to switch onto any player on the court defensively, a valuable attribute at the next level. When he gets his feet set he is automatic from behind the 3-point line, likes to post up smaller defenders and can beat slower footed big men off the bounce. One performance I will never forget came last year when he dropped 40 in an AAU game against a team loaded with scholarship level talent from Orlando. He sank seven or eight 3-pointers and left no question of who the best player on the court was. Next season he will take on a bigger role at Florida High after three of his teammates graduated moving into the college ranks as scholarship players. Expect to see Martin enter his senior season with a chip on his shoulder after exiting the two previous state playoffs prematurely. Florida high is loaded with top talent and will be a state championship contender. Martin has just signed a contract the Overtime League which guarantees players 100,000 dollar per year salaries . He chose to join OTE over attending Florida, Georgetown, Georgia, Wake Forest, Ole Miss and Texas Tech.</p> <p>SG [player_tooltip player_id="829452" first="Caleb" last="Young"] 6-5 Pensacola</p> <p>One of Florida’s better prospects still on the board without a scholarship offer is [player_tooltip player_id="829452" first="Caleb" last="Young"]. The lanky 6-5 wing had a huge summer playing against some of the top players in the country for Team Judah Nation. He is an impressive run an jump athlete who can break defenders down off the dribble, and also shot 49% from 3-point territory as Pensacola High’s second leading scorer averaging 13.9 PPG. With Pensacola graduating a majority of their rotation from last years 20-3 team, expect Young to put up some ridiculous numbers in his final high school season. This kid is absolutely a scholarship level player who coaches should check in on.</p> <p>PF [player_tooltip player_id="1161406" first="Blaise" last="Conlon"] 6-7 Pensacola Christian Academy</p> <p>Conlon is a player who I just became familiar with. At 6-7 he has enough size to play at the collegiate level and has plenty of finesse, which will help him be productive when he gets there. Based on the film that I recently watched, he is athletic enough to play some on the wing, or as a stretch 4 were he can use his quickness, and jump shot to his advantage. He has the ability to finish with either hand in the post, as the lest handed hook shot is part of his arsenal. Last season the big man averaged 19 PPG and 11 RPG as the leading scorer and rebounder for the Warriors. As far as recruiting goes, Conlon has been offered a roster spot from Division III Mary Baldwin University per social media.</p> <p>C [player_tooltip player_id="829404" first="Brian" last="Grant"] 6-9 Choctawhatchee</p> <p>Providing minutes off of state runner up Choctaw’s bench, Grant was part of the FHSAA’s most physically imposing frontlines. Although weighing in at a rock solid 260 pounds, Grant is surprisingly nimble and deceptively athletic. He is fully capable of drop stepping and rising up for a two handed jam. With minutes available due to graduation expect to see a big senior year out of the burly big man. His future may be as a Division I football recruit, but he would be more than capable of playing basketball in college if that were the route he would decide to take. </p> <p>SG [player_tooltip player_id="829508" first="Kent" last="Carroll"] 6-4 Rickards</p> <p>Every year you can expect one thing out of Rickards High in Tallahasee: they are going to have college level talent. This season [player_tooltip player_id="829508" first="Kent" last="Carroll"] fits that description after a solid junior year, where he posted 8.5 PPG on a balanced scoring team. The wing is at his best attacking the rim as a slasher ,and also obtains the size and athleticism to guard multiple positions. With [player_tooltip player_id="953095" first="Khamari" last="McGriff"] (UNC-Wilmington) and two other starters graduating, a large portion of the scoring load will likely fall on Carroll. The wing holds a scholarship offer from Stetson.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>