Season Preview: Class 4A State Title Favorites

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Florida High School Basketball practices officially got underway last 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 4A for this season:</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>The reigning Class 4A Champions were the Mater Lakes Academy Bears who won their first state title in school history, with a 77-41 thumping win over The Villages Charter at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Broward Prep</strong>: The Eagles are coming off a 22-8 season last year where they reached the Regional Finals before losing to eventual state champ Mater Lakes Academy. The Eagles are led by 6-8 senior power forward [player_tooltip player_id='1858994' first='Enrico' last='Borio'] (Jacksonville commit), 6-4 senior shooting guard Ryan Weiss, 6-8 senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1620360' first='Pavle' last='Djeric'] and 6-5 senior combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='2197493' first='Raul' last='Perez']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Villages Charter</strong>: The Buffalo are coming off a 23-9 season last year where they were led by Alabama signee Sam Walters who finished his career just short of a state championship. This year's squad reloaded with talent as they landed 6-7 sophomore shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='1659514' first='Brisun' last='Hammermeister'] to pair up with 6-8 sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='1659513' first='Christopher' last='Washington Jr.'] and 6-7 sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='1542328' first='Kymani' last='Weathers']. The Buffalo do retain their best playmaker in 6-4 senior combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1055807' first='Ben' last='Koubek'] who can be lethal when it comes to shooting from beyond the arc.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mater Lakes Academy</strong>: The Bears are coming off their first state championship in school history a year ago, while retaining their top two leading scorers. Keep an eye on 6-5 senior small forward [player_tooltip player_id='1055719' first='Christian' last='Reid'] (14.1 points and 10.1 rebounds) per game as a junior last season and 6-0 junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1301710' first='Anthony' last='Knowles'] (13.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists) per game as a sophomore. The Bears also added a key playmaker in 6-1 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1055700' first='Braylon' last='Burbridge'] and 6-9 junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2147098' first='Teo' last='Martinez'] who adds size as well as rim protection on both ends of the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gibbs</strong>: The Gladiators are hungry for a state title and have reached the semifinal round in each of the last two seasons. The Gladiators retain 6-1 junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1450211' first='Jacob' last='Daniels'] who led the team in scoring, averaging 16.8 points per game as a sophomore. Also keep an eye on 6-2 freshman guard ONeal Delancy who already holds an offer from South Florida as his game continues to get better every time he steps onto the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ribault</strong>: The Trojans are coming off a 25-5 record last season and reached the Semifinals before losing to 4A runner-up The Villages Charter. Keep an eye on 6-0 senior combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1055784' first='Caleb' last='G. Williams'] and 5-9 junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1578310' first='Kaleb' last='McDuffie'] in the backcourt this season. Another name to keep an eye on this season will be 6-3 junior combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1559175' first='Jamian' last='Jackson'] who is a high-flying finisher around the rim as well as an excellent rebounder. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Other Notable Contenders: Cardinal Gibbons, Lake Highland Prep, Paxon, Santa Fe</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->