Battle @ The Villages: Florida Standouts

<p>One of the highest quality tournaments in Central Florida, the Battle @ The Villages has made its return in 2021. The tournament has traditionally featured some of the best teams from all around the state, and this year was no different! Due to COVID, only 2 Florida teams participated: Orlando Christian Prep and home team The Villages.</p> <p>Here were the Florida standouts:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="546193" first="AJ" last="Brown"], W, 6-5, 2022, Orlando Christian Prep, Ohio commit</strong></p> <p>If you were wondering, you don’t commit to go D1 by being a scrub. Brown absolutely balled out against a tough Concord Academy squad that refused to go away. Brown had a game high 27 points with only one three point field goal, an impressive feat from a guy who is well known as a reliable shooter. The first thing you notice about Brown is his incredible strength. He’s built wild a NFL wide receiver and uses his muscle to get through defenders on his way downhill. His body control is incredible and he can use crafty footwork and body control to move around defenders around the paint to finish. Brown somehow manages to find the gaps in every defense and use his imposing frame to get into them and punish defenders. Add this to his solid defense and quiet bounce, and you’ve put together one of the absolute best players in the state.</p> <p><strong>Ven Allen Lubin, F, 6-8, Orlando Christian Prep, Notre Dame commit</strong></p> <p>Lubin had a rough start to the competition against Concord Academy, but eventually caught his stride and showed us just why he’s been one of Florida’s top prospects since his freshman year. He finished with a quiet 20 points in the contest. A high flyer, Lubin had some beyond impressive plays above the rim, including some great finishes from passes by [player_tooltip player_id="1055774" first="Isaiah" last="Brown"]. Ven flashed his full offensive arsenal: put up shots, offensive rebound second chances, a few elbow middies, and even a triple to add to the mix. On defense, him and fellow big man [player_tooltip player_id="709236" first="Jayden" last="Hastings"] made life hell for the Concord offense and forced them to push the ball out solely to the perimeter (which they didn’t really mind). Lubin is off to South Bend next season, where he will try to adjust his unique play style to Division 1 basketball.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="709259" first="Sam" last="Walters"], F, 6-9, The Villages Charter School</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="709259" first="Sam" last="Walters"] was one of the most impressive offensive players at this tournament by a large margin. He can do a bit of everything: shoot the basketball, post up, go to the basket, you name it. He is incredibly comfortable with going to his left hand in the post or getting downhill on the left side. His right hand could use some work, but with a scoring machine as efficient as his left hand, it’s understandable why he goes to it so much. At 6-9, he used his size to get easy buckets on a much smaller Lincoln Park team. He’s a surprisingly good ball handler and definitely has the skills to be a high level D1 guy. The team runs the offense around him, which they should, which will give him an advantage for college coaches who want to see exactly what he can do. </p> <p><strong>Ja’Quez Oliver, F, 6-1, The Villages Charter School</strong></p> <p>Oliver is not a "hooper" like the other guys on this list. Oliver is clearly a football player, something that’s apparent from the moment he steps on the floor. But what he may lack in the soft skills, he makes up for in the heart and determination he has every time he steps on the floor. A strong forward with the will to put the ball in the basket, Oliver was going at any defender who got in his way. He had 14 points, with many of those coming against much larger defenders or in the big moments where the lights were shining the brightest. Oliver is built like a football guy and plays like a football guy, making him a menace on the floor. He’s not a collegiate level basketball guy, but he’s definitely an athlete whose effort merits his recognition on this list. </p>