Allen’s Game Week: Season Openers

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">The first week of the high school season belongs to Independent and <strong>SIAA</strong> teams. Wade Christian Academy, Central Pointe Christian Academy, The Rock School, and IMG are on the slate for analyst Allen Pettigrew Jr. Wade’s 1-2 punch look to get off to a hot start, while Florida’s number #1 ranked sophomore starts his season, a talented group from Kissimmee look to make a statement, and a group of 2024s prepare for more varsity action.</p> <p><strong>Wade Christian Academy</strong></p> <p>This group started a busy week on Monday with their first of five games. They played<strong> Downey Christian</strong> and <strong>American Collegiate Academy</strong> in the first half of the week. On Thursday and Friday, they’ll play Central Pointe and The Rock, closing out their week in search of their first win. <strong>Gordon Eaddy</strong> leads the team in scoring after 24 and 27 point performances on great efficiency from the field. The guard is currently shooting 7 of 15 from three and 10 of 14 from two while averaging 4 assists. I’ll be keeping on close eye on how he’ll add to 11 total steals and 15 free throw attempts over the next two games. 2022 forward [player_tooltip player_id="1316850" first="Turuk" last="Rundial"] is second in scoring at 12 points and 5.5 rebounds a game. 3 of his 5.5 boards are coming on the offensive end. Senior guard <strong>Gioni Berry</strong> has been a beast on the boards with 10.5 a game and only stands 6’2. 2023 guard <strong>Victor Centeno</strong> may have a big playmaking season in store as he leads the team in assist at 4.5 a game.</p> <p><strong>Central Pointe Academy</strong></p> <p>CPA has size and skill returning from its undefeated conference winning team last season. I expect [player_tooltip player_id="1065454" first="Mykol" last="Sanchez"] to take a leap his senior year after the summer he had with South East Elite. The 6’6 senior is an athletic shooter that can finish at the rim and is a savvy secondary playmaker. <strong>Lamine Niang</strong> is going under the radar as a 6’10 center that can block shots and finish above the rim. He’s going to be a prominent target out of the pick and roll and dunker spot. Transfer [player_tooltip player_id="598749" first="Jalen" last="Carruth"] adds depth and star power to an already deep team. The 6’7 2023 forward brings size and shooting to the wing. Spanish import [player_tooltip player_id="1316833" first="Owen" last="Aquino"] will be another big man that impresses with his physicals and skill set. At 6-9, he has touch over both shoulders, passes out of the post, and looks to be a serious defensive anchor. This team is deep, so guys like 6’8 [player_tooltip player_id="1316834" first="Josue" last="Santillon"], 6’9 [player_tooltip player_id="1310826" first="Edwin" last="Linares"], and 6’2 [player_tooltip player_id="1310853" first="Agustin" last="Moraga"] among many others are going to make an impact.</p> <p><strong>The Rock School</strong></p> <p>You know the names for The Rock School by now. [player_tooltip player_id="1055724" first="Ryan" last="Jones"], consensus 5 star prospect a gold medal win in Mexico and a weekend of blue blood recruiting trips. Freshman Evan Sterck is playing above his years as a scorer. In his pre season game against <strong>London Basketball Academy</strong>, he scored in double figures hitting shots off the dribble including several threes and showing his high basketball IQ. His older brother, [player_tooltip player_id="1310852" first="Jacob" last="Sterck"], continues to stretch the floor as a 6’5 marksmen. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1163420" first="Kameren" last="Wright"]</strong> is an athletic 6’5 Sophomore who just earned his second division 1 offer. [player_tooltip player_id="1060186" first="Dallas" last="Jones"] will penetrate the paint to create scoring opportunities for his guys. [player_tooltip player_id="921106" first="Moses" last="Horne"] will give the three and D play that any modern team needs to make a deep playoff run. You can’t forget 6’10, big man [player_tooltip player_id="1310855" first="Joshua" last="Hayes"] who will clean up plays and use his verticality to challenge at the rim.</p> <p><strong>IMG Jr. National</strong></p> <p>I wrote a team preview on this group of talented 2024s yesterday so I won’t spend a lot of time on them. They’ll play Montverde on Saturday for their first challenge of the season. IMG has a great rotation of guards led by [player_tooltip player_id="1300764" first="Myles" last="Kirby"], <strong>Eli Zimmerman</strong>, <strong>Eric Baldassarre</strong>, and <strong>Jorge Cardenas</strong> that can create, shoot, and play strong point of attack defense. They’re versatile on the wing with <strong>Oliver Ford</strong> and <strong>Fumani Sithole</strong> covering multiple positions, rebounding, and playing the glue guy role. <strong>Jacob Hammond</strong> is their lone big man whose athleticism, strength, and every growing potential make him a can’t miss prospect for the Ascenders.</p>