March Recruiting Rewind: South Florida

<p>The bridge between the high school season and AAU basketball is still a busy time. That fact is exemplified here in South Florida. You can expect things to heat up, literally and figuratively, over the next several months.</p> <p>For now, let’s take a look at some recent prospect news...</p> <p>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="709215" first="Marvel" last="Allen"] decommitted from LSU after the firing of head coach Will Wade. The 6-foot-4 guard announced his decision on March 19th. As expected, schools are back in contact with the five-star guard out of Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian Academy. Miami, Maryland and UNLV have been the latest. Before committing to the Tigers, Allen’s final list included Alabama, Kansas, Memphis and Ole Miss. He averaged 13.8 points and four rebounds per game this season. For now, Allen will run with The Skill Factory (GA) this summer.</p> <p>2022 Khimani Hopkinson has seen his recruitment heat up lately. The 6-foot-7, 205-pound forward has earned offers from Keiser University, Saint Thomas University and Lincoln University (PA). The latter is a D-2 program in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). Hopkinson averaged 10.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for Dillard.  His natural size and movement has clearly drawn attention. Along with those attributes, his shot making ability continues to improve. Hopkinson could really develop into a three level scorer. He previously played at Elite Academy.</p> <p>2025 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1301731" first="Malachi" last="Martis"] earned an offer from St. John’s. The 6-foot-5 guard played on a <em>loaded </em>Calvary Christian Academy team this season. Therefore, his stats and playing time were limited. Martis scored a season-high eight points against Killian. Clearly, his potential caught the attention of the Red Storm. Martis is a prospect to watch.</p> <p>2023 guard [player_tooltip player_id="709228" first="Carl" last="Cherenfant"] (Calvary Christian Academy) took official visits to Kansas State and Memphis this month. The four-star shooting guard also holds offers from Virginia Tech, USF, Kansas State, LSU, Appalachian State, Western Kentucky and Iona. Cherenfant averaged 11.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Class 4A state champions. He scored 16 points in the title victory over Andrew Jackson. </p> <p>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="814905" first="Malik" last="Reneau"] (Montverde Academy) decommited from Florida. This comes as little surprise after the dismissal of head coach Mike White. White has since accepted the head coaching job at Georgia. Reneau was Florida’s highest-ranked commit in the 2022 class. He previously played at Hialeah Mater Academy Charter.  </p> <p>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="814984" first="Rickey" last="Ballard"] (Westminster Academy) committed to Lynn University. The 6-foot-7 wing averaged eight points, six boards, 1.5 steals and one block per game for the Lions. Ballard should make an instant impact with Lynn due to his athleticism and subsequent court versatility. Ballard can slash off the perimeter and defend multiple positions. Watch out for him off backdoor cuts as well. </p> <p>For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</p>