Southwest Florida Standout Underclassmen

High School basketball season is officially underway and with that comes a clean slate for every player and team. Today we will examine 5 underclassmen who have started off their 25-26 campaign on a good note and who look to hold that momentum over the remainder of the season.    Through his first five games, Corban Copeland is averaging a productive ten points, 2.5 steals and 4 assists per game. Only a freshman, Copeland has showcased great poise and a competitive fire to go compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere. Corban also has a great shot from beyond the arc, which is where a vast number of his shots come from. Although he may be shooting only 30% on threes to start the year, don't be surprised if this number ends around 40%, as he is a very efficient shooter who has the volume to certainly get it done.     As a freshman EJ McCray featured sparingly for Palmetto Ridge; however, the same cannot be said based on the start of his sophomore season. McCray has quickly become one of Palmetto Ridge's leading contributors, averaging double-digit points, while being top 5 in every major statistical category for the Bears. EJ's offensive game has shown clear improvement from last season, a true testament to his work this past offseason. With his relentless intensity on defense and his development of a complete offensive game, look out for McCray to be one of SWFL's best emerging talents.     Although he is relatively new to the SWFL area, Donovan Diaz has made his presence known through the start of his junior year. Diaz is an effective scorer capable of scoring at all three levels but thrives most from shooting beyond the arc. Donovin has a quick release capable of getting his shot off both off the dribble and in catch-and-shoot scenarios. With his ECS team looking to get on track in December, be on the lookout for Diaz as he gets more comfortable in an ECS uniform.     Kristian Joseph (KJ) has had an extremely strong start to the season, operating as the Dunbar Tigers' primary shot creator. At 6'0, Kristian is an athletic guard with a quick twitch who utilizes his speed and shiftiness well to create opportunities off the bounce. KJ excels at creating separation and getting to his spots with a midrange jumper to make him an effective scoring threat on any given night. KJ has already boasted a 31-point outing vs Venice, and with such a high usage rate, expect more performances like this out of Kristian over the course of this season.     Although more of a traditional combo guard, Jayden Milne is the type of player who is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win. With a plethora of guard talent, Milne has operated in his Barron Collier offense as more of a screener and big, using his gravity to generate open looks for his squad. Opposing teams who do decide to leave Milne open will be in for an extremely long day, as he is a tremendous shooter from beyond the arc capable of knocking down threes in bunches. With his smooth stroke and his willingness to do the little things, expect Jayden to continue to contribute to winning for his Barron Collier side this season.

High School basketball season is officially underway and with that comes a clean slate for every player and team. Today we will examine 5 underclassmen who have started off their 25-26 campaign on a good note and who look to hold that momentum over the remainder of the season.