Season Preview: Class 6A 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 6A for this season:</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>The reigning Class 6A Champions are the Dwyer Panthers who won their fourth state title in school history, defeating Ponte Vedra 51-40 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Edgewater</strong>: The Eagles are coming off a 17-11 record last season where they were led by Sam Houston State commit [player_tooltip player_id='1163384' first='Erik' last='Taylor'] who is now at The Rock, as well as 6-7 junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1620353' first='Myles' last='Mayfield']. This year's squad is a little different as they added 6-1 senior combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1055709' first='Zion' last='Mitchell'] (Transfer from The Master's Academy) and 6-3 junior wing Malachi Washington has continued to evolve his game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ponte Vedra</strong>: The Sharks are coming off a 23-7 record last season reaching the state championship game, before coming up just short against Dwyer. The Sharks will be led this season by 6-1 senior sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='1859283' first='Sam' last='Ritchie'], 6-6 senior power forward Tyler Cowan, 6-9 sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='1633086' first='Trace' last='Westercamp'] and 6-5 sophomore combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1633068' first='Maddox' last='Palmer']. The Sharks are destined and have the talent to make a deep playoff run this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lakeland</strong>: The Dreadnaughts reached the Regional Final last season before coming up just short against Wekiva. The Dreadnaughts have an interesting backcourt that features 6-4 junior guard Tre Jackson and 6-2 senior guard Anthony Wilcox. Another name to watch for this season will be 6-0 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1055775' first='Derajah' last='Hardy'] who plays a strong and physical game in the backcourt. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Thomas Aquinas</strong>: The Raiders are young and hungry looking for the program's first basketball state title since 2001 where they will be led by 6-2 sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1660055' first='Drake' last='Sandi'] and 6-0 senior combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1055756' first='Matthaios' last='Andreopoulos']. Another name to watch for this season will be 6-6 sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2299661' first='Zane' last='Elliott'] who makes a havoc in the paint as well as continuing to gain consistency when shooting from beyond the arc. The sleeper prospect on this year's roster is 5-11 sophomore combo guard Ayden "AJ" Ambrose who does a great job at scoring around the rim through traffic, and has displayed great court vision.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pembroke Pines Charter</strong>: The Jaguars are looking to get back into the state championship where they haven't been in four years. This year's team has a ton of talent in the backcourt led by 6-7 senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1306091' first='Jeremy' last='Elyzee'] and 6-8 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1722577' first='Josh' last='Harris'] (North Florida commit). A new name you are going to want to keep your eyes on this season is 6-1 freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='2125476' first='Derek' last='Rocha'] who has played an advanced game displaying a great feel and is continuing to get better. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Other Notable Contenders: Dwyer, Martin County, Oakleaf, Southridge (Miami), Wekiva</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->