Regional Semifinals Standouts

It’s roundup time again as semifinal games close. There are elite matchups across the board, so each of the games below offers prospects that can make a difference at the next level. Without further ado, here are prospects from 4 of Florida’s classifications 1A and 2A excluded. You can find here coverage of 6A. Bishop Snyder - 3A At 6’5 [player_tooltip player_id="1065412" first="Trent" last="Walker"] does things you need an off guard to do while showing flashes that could lane him as a combo guard in our final rankings. Walker earned 3 assists while being the third guard in a talented backcourt. His ability to thread the needle with bounce passes and get the ball to shooters off the drive and kick hint at him being a better playmaker with more touches. He did most of scoring off the ball with cuts and hitting a three off the catch. As any bigger guard should, Walker grabs rebounds well for his position. [player_tooltip player_id="956766" first="Moise" last="Balungu"] was hard to stop at the paint. The muscular 6’4 guard scored as a cutter, in transition, and as a driver. He’s a mismatch at both guard spots thanks to his strength. The floater and hook shot Balungu made show touch around the rim. The unsigned senior dominated 18 points in the paint. [player_tooltip player_id="546242" first="Jalen" last="Gilmore"] stood out with his court vision. Gilmore’s team high 5 assist all came from him finding guys when defenses collapsed. The 6’3 point guard found his offense with finishes at the rim, floaters, and pull up jumpers. If you’re looking for a point guard, the film from this game will make your search much easier. Jakaree Eley produced in limited minutes as the fourth guard. The sophomore’s speed was showcased with coast to coast finishes. Eley finished well against contact. He knocked down a corner three on his lone attempt from deep. With three guards graduating, Eley will look at a much larger role next season. Providence - 3A [player_tooltip player_id="1055748" first="Jaylen" last="Robinson"]’s motor and physicality continue to put us on notice. He finished well at the rim through contact. At 6’6 he scores out of the dunk spot and mid post with straight line drives and right hand hooks. Robinson rebounds well despite his size for the position. The aforementioned motor and physicality are present on the defensive end where a block, charge, and awareness help him make an impact. [player_tooltip player_id="1060164" first="Mason" last="Lee"] is a long 6’6 forward. He scored off the bounce as he beat closeouts and found an open shooter for an assist. Lee has deep range beyond the line, hitting two college distance threes off the catch. The 2023 prospect shows a toughness on the defensive end. [player_tooltip player_id="955768" first="Raheem" last="Taplin"] knocked down a pair of threes off the catch. The 6’4 can also take smaller guards off the dribble. [player_tooltip player_id="1052381" first="Chris" last="Arias"]’ size and passing are fueling his upside. he’s leading his team in assist as 6’5 sophomore. He can find guys all around the court showcasing passing creativity as a live dribble passer and out of the pick and roll. Arias can shoot off the catch, hit floaters, and create early offense. The Villages - 4A [player_tooltip player_id="709259" first="Sam" last="Walters"] had a complete game on both sides of the ball. You could tell from the tip he knew how much this game meant and was in takeover mode. Walters has great mobility for a 6’9 forward, allowing him to slide his feet with small guards and rotate over for a game high 5 blocks. Offensively he showed a consistent face up game, various ways to get his shot beyond the three point line, and ability to get to the line. He’s looking strong as he finishes through contact from a strong group of forwards. He takes everyone off the dribble at this level and can hit pull ups in the midrange. Gian Rolon had his jumper rolling in this one. The 6’4 senior knocked down a three off the catch, a two dribble pull up, and was perfect from the line. He used his length for deflections in the passing lane. Satellite - 4A Oliver Pasque is an Eckerd basketball commit with the shooting to make an impact on day 1. Pasque can hit pull ups going either direction, made floaters over the 6’9 [player_tooltip player_id="709259" first="Sam" last="Walters"], and hit four of 9 threes. He’s a solid playmaker that consistently found the open man. The 2022 prospect turned up the defensive intensity in the second half, blowing up passing lane after passing lane. Toughness, shotmaking, and size are the theme of the 2022 Eckerd recruiting class. Diego Fernandez Torres made plays and hit big shots all game long. The 5’8 senior rained in four threes on eight attempts. Torres runs well off screens and has great shot preparation. His quickness translates to transition and the half court. He leads his team in assists with 4.6 a game. [player_tooltip player_id="829507" first="Brayden" last="Bell"]’s season has been riddled with quality assist numbers for a guard coming off the bench. He gets passes through tight windows. Bell racked up 7 assists hitting his teammates right in the numbers. Caden Tuttle made the easy play time and time again. He scored as cutter and finisher. He’s a physical player who consistently draws fouls. Joseph Coston is a project. The 6’9 big man set hard screens, can finish around the rim, and affect shots with his size. He’ll need to work on his reaction. Osceola - 7A Christian Combs 10 points from a three off the catch, a pair of drives that showcase his speed, and a turnaround jumper on the baseline. Combs uses his speed to attack closeouts and get downhill. [player_tooltip player_id="812619" first="Sean" last="Combs"] was the premier in this matchup. The junior hit three threes off the catch in line for a 21 point performance. He’s a good athlete that can finish at the rim and make defensive plays in transition. Combs creates offense for himself by breaking down his defender for paint touches. He gets others involved with his outlet passing and kick outs. Wellington - 7A Brenden Williams’s low handle and speed led to plays. The senior scored in transition, hit threes off the catch, and draws fouls. He can blow by defenders in the halfcourt for scoring opportunities at the rim and with his pull up. Terell Edwards is a solid post presence for Wellington. The 6’6 forward is a tenacious rebounder on both sides of the ball. As a defender, he’s disciplined. Edwards uses his length to affect shots and rotates over to block shots. When he’s roaming on defense, he can be a disruptive defender. He’s a good roller to the basket that plays with physicality and can hit right handed hooks out the post. The unsigned senior is mobile and has the ball skills to do moves on straight line drives. Sean Standifer is a freshman to watch. His size and length pop on the screen. He’s more of a role on this team but produced in limited minutes. He gets out in passing lanes, hits threes off the catch, and makes long skip passes. Jones - 5A [player_tooltip player_id="1055715" first="Calvin" last="Liptrot"] had a productive day on both ends. Liptrot doesn’t need many dribbles to get his shot off. He repeatedly on one dribble pull ups and knocked down two threes off the catch. The 6’1 sophomore is part of a pesky defensive guard group. He was active on defense, recording a steal, block, and several deflections. [player_tooltip player_id="1060200" first="Jalon" last="Cole"] played an unselfish game. The 6’4 guard had 5 assists and routinely moved the ball to advance the offense. He took opportunities to score himself, resulting in a transition score, several tough finishes at the rim, and threes from the left wing and corner. The 2023 prospect has a nice blend of skills to go along with quality size for either guard spot. Rodricco Henderson is a quick playmaker. He has a tight creative handle that allows him to get downhill where he can draw fouls and find open teammates. Henderson made his impact on the defensive end as he collected several steals in Jones’ disciplined 3/4 press. Keishaun Robinson had a great day in the paint. He scored around the rim with various finishes. Robinson can get downhill with little space and draw fouls in drives. He had off ball finishes on offensive rebounds and knew where to be on teammates’ drives. He’s a solid on-ball defender that poked the rock away loose for several steals. Jesuit - 5A The tape from this game is going to be used as a marker for Nate Boakye’s leap. The speed and overall athleticism the 5’9 point guard showcased made him the best playmaker on the court. He has a knack for accurate skip passes. He’d finish the game with 15 points and 7 assists. His constant downhill attack manipulated defense, giving Boakye the windows needed to make difficult passes turn into offense. The 2024 prospect shot 5 for 11 in the paint. Boakye torched an attentive defense, turning the ball over just three times while generating most of the team’s offense. Chris Molliere is a physical combo guard. He was a perfect 2 for 2 beyond the line while using his physicality on both ends. Molliere is a forceful downhill driver that can make plays as a scorer and distributor. Patrick Ruffner was Jones’ defensive focus early. It took him a minute to get going, but Boakye found him for finishes around the basket. He knocked down all three of his free throws, making an assist from the high post. Ruffner’s real impact came on the defensive end where the 6’7 forward’s timing and length helped him block 5 shots. Elias Lopez makes shots in big games. Lopez hit floaters, scored in transition, and hit four threes off the catch to end the game with 16 points. He was highly efficient beyond the line on eight attempts from deep.