Gateway Charter: SWFL’s Cinderella Story

<!-- wp:image {"id":1725922,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Gateway.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/Gateway.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1725922" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Generally when I write it's on several players that stand out in a county or region, but this is one story of high school hoops that must be shared. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Head Coach RJ Jones in his 4th season at Gateway and as a head coach. Jones has completely turned this program around. When most people saw Gateway Charter on their schedule it was considered an easy W.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oh how things have changed for the 22/23 season. Now With the addition of Senior guard 6'3 [player_tooltip player_id='1642817' first='Jahmari' last='Johnson'], Senior Guard 6'0 [player_tooltip player_id='1164272' first='Jaden' last='Arzola']  and 6'7 wing Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1620356' first='Patrick' last='Johnson'] the Griffins were poised to be a force to be reckoned with in Lee county. Paired with Coach Jone's up-tempo style of play pushed by their returning Junior Guard 6'0 Gabe Timmons, on paper they looked like one of the best teams in Lee County. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not only are they now the best team in Lee boasting the strongest strength of schedule in the county and one of the toughest in SWFL, they're now on a 10 game winning streak going into the new year with an impressive 12-1 record.&nbsp;&nbsp;Here are the keys to their success.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>23 6'3  [player_tooltip player_id='1642817' first='Jahmari' last='Johnson'] Guard </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson burst onto the scene for the 22/23 relatively unknown. He's now proving to be one of the best guards in SWFL. Jahmari is the Griffin's leading scorer, racking up several 30 point outings. The 6'3 senior is boasting an impressive 24 PPG, 7 Reb and 2.4 asst.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's a relentless attacker finishing at the rim through contact, a capable outside shooter and one of Lee counties better on-ball defenders.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is no question Jahmari is Lee county's&nbsp;&nbsp;best player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>25 6'7 [player_tooltip player_id='1620356' first='Patrick' last='Johnson'] Forward </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gateway's sophomore paint presence has earned his stripes this season. The underclassmen is averaging a double-double off his 14 PPG and 12 Reb. Those are impressive numbers for any player let alone a sophomore.&nbsp;&nbsp;Patrick is a lob threat, a rim protector and a rebounding machine doing a lot of the dirty work for this talented Gateway squad. What's scary is , I don't believe [player_tooltip player_id='1620356' first='Patrick' last='Johnson'] has come close to reaching his ceiling, I expect big things in the years to come for the 6'7 forward.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>23 6'0 [player_tooltip player_id='1164272' first='Jaden' last='Arzola'] Guard</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>&nbsp;Arzola shooting just shy of 40% from behind the arc has provided the balanced scoring the Griffin's need to continue their winning season. His season was highlighted by a 32 point outing boasting 8 3's.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24 6'1 Gabe Timmons Guard </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Timmons sets the tone for Gateway's offense, an up-tempo PG with a solid handle and a knack for finding the open guy. Gabe does everything you want from a lead guard, he takes care of the ball, runs the offense, is able to hit the 3 and get the paint touches needed to open up the offense.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->