Team Preview: John Leonard

<p>Throughout this month, I will be highlighting selected teams across South Florida. Today, my focus is on John Leonard in <strong>Greenacres</strong>. The Lancers went 2-12 last season under head coach <strong>Caleb Jones</strong>. The new head coach is <strong>James Lake</strong>. <strong>Karl Adolphe</strong>, <strong>Jose Neria</strong>, <strong>Corey Thomas</strong>, and <strong>Mickey Leban</strong> are a few departures. In addition, <strong>Pat Presendieu</strong> (17.0 ppg) transferred to <strong>Lake Worth High School</strong>.</p> <p>One of the Lancers’ key players is 2022 <strong>Maurizio Rivera</strong>. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 8.3 points per game. Rivera has plenty of experience as a three-year varsity player. He will be relied upon for his leadership this season. Also, expect a scoring jump from him.</p> <p>2023 <strong>Chris Exis</strong> is prospect with some size at the guard spot. The 6-foot-2 Exis averaged 2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Exis is a great athlete that can finish above the rim. He could take a major jump with more consistency. The Lancers are certainly counting on him to do so. </p> <p>2023 <strong>Schneider Viljean</strong> brings a lot of value to this team. The 5-foot-8 guard is a great on-ball defender with active hands. Viljean should be a factor in transition and has improved his jump shot. He has a 4.0+ GPA.</p> <p>2023 <strong>Alex Resto</strong> has potential to contribute with his shooting ability. The 5-foot-10 guard is a bit of an unknown, but could be a big name by the end of the season. I think people will see that through his stroke. Resto just needs to gain varsity experience.</p> <p>2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1055703" first="Toney" last="Collins"] could be an X-Factor. The 6-foot-4 guard has size and transferred from <strong>Park Vista</strong>. He might be asked to play inside this season for the Lancers. Therefore, he likely brings a lot of toughness at an area in need. Collins will be eligible in <strong>January</strong>. Lot of potential here.</p> <p>Rivera is key for the Lancers with his experience and production. Any jump in his play should really help this roster. Players like Exis, Resto, and Collins are prospects that just need to gain experience, but have potential. I think the latter will come to form as the season moves along.</p> <p><em><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></em></p>