Season Preview: Class 1A State Title Favorites

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Florida High School Basketball practices officially got underway this week. Two months ago, Prep Hoops Florida took a deep dive into the way-too-early preseason rankings. Now we can provide more accurate in-depth analysis for teams to watch for this upcoming season. Here are some of the state title favorites in Class 1A for this season:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class 1A Reigning Champions are the Williston Red Devils who won their first state title in school history, defeating Chipley 58-49 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hawthorne</strong>: The Hornets reached the Final Four for the second consecutive season last year where they were led by 6'5 junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1450208' first='CJ' last='Ingram'] who averaged 21.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore. The Hornets could make a destined run back to the state championships again this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Williston</strong>: The Red Devils are the clear-cut favorites in Class 1A to repeat as state champions this season. The Red Devils will once again be led by 6'6 senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1830234' first='Kyler' last='Lamb'], 6'2 senior guard Reggie White and 6'3 sophomore combo guard Deandre Harvey. The Red Devils have a veteran-led backcourt that has experience winning big-time games. Another name to keep an eye on this season will be 6'5 senior wing Javon Brown who brings a big presence with his length and shot blocking abilities. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chipley:</strong> The Tigers finished the 2022-2023 season with a 21-7 record and reached the State Championship game, before coming up short losing 58-49 to Williston. The Tigers will look to be led by 6-2 senior combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='2197821' first='Kyler' last='Bryant'] and 6-1 senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1295967' first='Izayah' last='Eldridge'] this season. Also keep an eye on 6-9 senior forward Albert "Ace" McKinnie who transferred from Bay High School over the summer where he can apply solid rim protection. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hilliard</strong>: The Red Flashes finished the 2022-2023 season with a 20-5 record and reached the Regional Semifinals before losing to Hawthorne. They can make a ton of noise this season as they will be led by 6-2 junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1879669' first='CJ' last='Hall'] and 5-6 freshman guard Dennis "DJ" Alderman in the backcourt. Also keep an eye on 6-6 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2134660' first='Kevin' last='Thomas'] Jr. who averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season as a junior. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Notable Contenders in Class 1A</strong>: Jay, Madison County, Newberry, Paxton, Wildwood</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->