#ThrowBackThursday: #FLDreamMLK Standout Players; Part 2
The #FLDreamMLK Classic had a lot of talented players on display. As we take a look back to the event, here’s part 2 of some of those talented players I was able to see… Alex Alvarez (6’4/SG/‘23/Saint Brendan HS) Instagram: alexalvarez744…
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Continue ReadingThe #FLDreamMLK Classic had a lot of talented players on display. As we take a look back to the event, here’s part 2 of some of those talented players I was able to see…
Alex Alvarez (6’4/SG/‘23/Saint Brendan HS)
Instagram: alexalvarez744
Alex really shot the rock well and is a player that defenses must always be aware of. He is a senior guard who scores from beyond the arc and can space the floor. When he is on the court, teams have to account for him and can offer little to no help off him, which gives his teammates gaps to penetrate in. When you look at Alex’s overall game, you see that creating his shot as a spot-up shooter and getting himself into isolation sets is what he does best. He provides senior leadership and helps keep his squad moving in the right direction.
Terry J. DrakeHe is a senior guard who scores from beyond the arc and can space the floor.
Jayden Joseph Jayden Joseph 6'2" | PG West Oaks | 2026 State FL (6’2/PG/‘26/Chaminade Madonna)
Instagram: jaydennjoseph
Jayden was one of the young fellas making his debut on one of the biggest stages in Florida during the year. He is young but was one of the smoothest guards throughout the classic. He played both ends of the floor and was very active on the defensive end, as he got several steals as a result of his active hands. He really showed what he had in the toolkit when he was out in transition as he pushed it hard and got buckets or assisted on buckets in the open floor. As a freshman, he is still learning how to play the PG spot and be a true floor general, but he showed that he is capable of running a team, and his development at the lead guard spot is going to be worth watching over the next year or two.
Terry J. DrakeHe is young but was one of the smoothest guards throughout the classic.
Joseph Gayle Joseph Gayle 6'4" | CG Fort Pierce Central | 2025 State FL (6’4/PG/’25/Fort Pierce Central HS)
Instagram: _josephgayle_
Twitter: @josephgayle10
Joseph was one of the most athletic PGs in the classic. He has good positional size and brings a lot of energy and effort to the floor. He is a good rebounding guard and likes to push the pace in transition. He plays at different speeds yet under control. He contributes with playmaking and scoring while at the same time facilitates the offense. He is a sophomore who commands the offense and ensures that his squad is playing in the flow, which his coach wants. I know I have mentioned his athleticism, but his athleticism at the lead guard spot is one of the things that separated him from many of the PGs in the classic. He has nice passing and set-up ability while at the same time can keep the defense honest with his shooting ability. Looking forward to tracking his progression over the next couple of years.
Saeed Moghaddam (6’6/C/‘25/American Heritage)
Instagram: thesaeedmoghaddam
Twitter: @saeedmoghaddam0
Saeed was one of the promising post players I saw throughout the classic, and it was not just his skill set that intrigued me; it was the fact that he is a sophomore impacting the game in the way he did. Even though individual stats were not being calculated, he had a monster game on the boards against Calvary Christian, and it is safe to say he had double-digit boards. I liked his ability to step out in space, face up, and attack off the bounce. He is strong off the bounce as he knows how to use his body well as he attacks the rim. He was a vital source of production as he poured in 22pts in the match-up against Calvary Christian.
Nicholas Frazier (6’1/SG/’23/Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS)
Instagram: cashed_out_nick
Twitter: @nfrazier86
Nicholas finds his way in this article as he is a lethal shooter from beyond the arc. He scored 9pts with all coming by the trey ball. He scored from deep early until Riviera made adjustments which took Nicholas away from being able to sit behind the arc locked and loaded. He has to continue to work on moving without the ball and creating his shot off the bounce, but make no mistake about it; you cannot leave him open behind the arc because, as they say, when he shoots…Lay-Up!
Matthew Mairena (5’10/CG/‘23/Miami Palmetto Senior HS)
Instagram: mm1shifty
Twitter: @mm1shifty
Matthew is a gritty guard that brings a level of toughness and tenacity to both ends of the floor. He is a downhill attacking guard that constantly got two feet in the paint and either finished with a crafty move or a floater. He also showed his ability to find his teammates for easy shot attempts after he collapsed the defense. He has a middle game off the bounce and can also knock down the trey ball. His experience played a huge key for his squad as he handled pressure situations and kept his team together in potential momentum-turning moments. In the 72-64 win over Belen Jesuit, he looked to get his teammates involved early, then looked for his own as he dropped 17pts in the 2nd half and finished the game with 22pts.