2025-26 SWFL Standouts: Sophomores

The 2025-26 regular season has officially come to an end, providing us many players and teams who have staked their case for as the premiere talent in SWFL. Today we will examine 5 Sophomores who had standout regular seasons and have also granted their teams the luxury of partaking in postseason festivities.    While he did not play Varsity as a first-year student, Jio Legros was one of SWFL's premiere breakout candidates heading into the 2025-26 season. An expectation he has very well lived up to. As an every-game starter for the Seahawks, Legros averaged 11.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. More impressively, Jio has been an excellent on-ball defender for the Seahawks, using his length and size to guard opposing teams' best guards/wings on a night-to-night basis. With a year of experience and another offseason to develop, continue to keep an eye out for Jio Legros as one of SWFL's best talents.     The Oasis Sharks finished the season with 20-plus wins for the second time in school history, in large part due to the contributions of [player_tooltip player_id='2816723' first='Carlos' last='Barbara']. Barbara is a true floor general who looks to get all his teammates involved, placing well-timed passes to shooters and cutters. At 5'8, Barbara is also able to finish around the rim in traffic against larger defenders using a layup package that blends both finesse and power finishes. Yet, perhaps the most underrated part of his game is Carlos' ability to rebound (3.3/game), eliminating the need for an outlet pass and creating opportunities for easy baskets in transition.     The Bishop Verot Viking surged post winter break claiming wins versus numerous teams that were ranked higher than them heading into their matchups. At the forefront of this surge was Julius Calixte, who led the Vikings with his aggressiveness on offense end. In need of rim pressure, Julius stepped up his scoring, finishing with over 10/game to cap the regular season, while also providing a strong 7 rebounds/game. As a gifted passer, Calixte showed great maturity over the course of this season, adapting his game to what his team needed and ultimately leading the Vikings to back-to-back district titles.     The Everglades City Gators are one of SWFL's most underrated teams, and their standout sophomore, Jamere Osceola, is one of the areas most underrated players. Osceola is a 5'11 guard who looks to push the pace whenever he gets the chance, attacking downhill and finishing or generating easy points at the line. Jamere excels at the line, knocking down free throws at over an 80% clip, while also shooting the three ball at a near 40% clip on the season. Osceola possesses a great mixture of finishing and shooting, with no overreliance on one facet of his game, making him a difficult matchup for any guard in the region.     The Palmetto Ridge Bears recently claimed their 4th consecutive district title, an honor that was sparked heavily by the play of EJ McCray. EJ is an aggressive slasher who looks to put pressure on the rim whenever possible. McCray excels at getting to the rim, using a variety of spin moves and dribble pickups to create opportunities for both himself and others. Additionally, McCray has a great counter to his efforts at the rim with a solid 8–15-foot game, making defenders second guess when committing to the drive. As the Bears roll into regionals vs. Parrish Community, watch for a high-energy matchup between EJ and Parrish's highly touted guards.

The 2025-26 regular season has officially come to an end, providing us many players and teams who have staked their case for as the premiere talent in SWFL. Today we will examine 5 Sophomores who had standout regular seasons and have also granted their teams the luxury of partaking in postseason festivities.