Next Up: South Florida

<p>Over the course of the past several months, South Florida has seen some of its biggest stars move on due to graduation or transfer. Part of the latter is the uncertainty of a fall/winter season with Covid-19. While it is certainly damaging to the area, the cupboard is far from bare.</p> <p>Witnessing the bigger name talents last season opened up my attention to plenty of other players. As I explained above, an array of circumstances pushes some of these kids into a bigger limelight.</p> <p>Let’s get into this list...</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="818731" first="Kameron" last="Johnson"]</strong> - <em>Doral Academy</em></p> <p>I went down to Coral Gables last season to see the Firebirds play the Cavaliers. While much of my attention was drawn to 2020 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="716858" first="Devin" last="Carter"]</strong>, I came away impressed with a few of his teammates. The first was 2021 forward [player_tooltip player_id="818731" first="Kameron" last="Johnson"]. Johnson is a creative shot-maker around the interior with his 6-foot-6 frame. Across 24 games, Johnson averaged 10.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting 53% from the field as a junior. Against <strong>Mater Academy Charter</strong>, Johnson scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The Lions won 25 games last season and were one of the best teams in the region. Johnson should have a ton of confidence as a team leader as a senior.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955591" first="Justin" last="Johnson"]</strong> - <em>Doral Academy</em></p> <p>Many teams would regress with a talent like [player_tooltip player_id="716858" first="Devin" last="Carter"] moving on. The 2020 star is taking a post-grad at <strong>Brewster</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> and is committed to <strong>South Carolina</strong>. However, Doral Academy has the pieces to hold steady with 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="955591" first="Justin" last="Johnson"]. The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 12.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in his inaugural high school campaign. Johnson was a reliable scorer for Doral Academy with 17 double-figure games. With Carter out much of the season due to injury, Johnson played valuable minutes that should carry him into his sophomore campaign.</p> <p><strong>Caelum Ethridge</strong> - <em>University School</em></p> <p>I have documented the reinforcements the Sharks have gained with players like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="827896" first="Roger" last="McFarlane"]</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="814897" first="Jett" last="Howard"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="712107" first="Taylor" last="Hendricks"]</strong> moving on. One player I would like to revert back to is Ethridge. The 2022 guard has put on some serious muscle over the course of this summer. Ethridge looks like a completely different kid from the one I saw the last few years at U-School. The current junior can now match that size with his 6-foot-3 frame. Ethridge is a good spot-up shooter, but now I believe he can implement his off-season work into being a more well-rounded prospect. Specifically, I think his interior shooting and ability to sustain contact on drives to the basket will show. Ethridge already brings a crafty handle into his scoring ability.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955774" first="Kolby" last="King"]</strong> - <em>Blanche Ely</em></p> <p>King is another player who impressed me when I initially came to witness 2020 <strong>Dudley Blackwell</strong> against <strong>Stranahan</strong>. The 2022 point guard was the best player on the floor for his team that night in Pompano Beach. King showed tremendous heart against the Dragons and was relentless on the glass with 11 rebounds. The 6-footer averaged 12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game last season. While his statistical value is evident, I don’t think you can quantify his play just by the numbers. As I said above, King is going to create extra possessions and opportunities for his teammates. Moreover, I trust his decision making when he is on the floor. King should be a lock to average 15/5/5 as a junior.</p> <p><strong>Ryan Sanchez</strong> - <em>Mater Academy Charter</em></p> <p>With 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="814905" first="Malik" last="Reneau"] off to <strong>Montverde Academy</strong>, Sanchez holds a big responsibility in keeping the Lions on their winning ways this season. Mater Academy Charter finished with a 25-5 record before bowing out to <strong>Dillard</strong> in the state playoffs. Sanchez scored 15 points against the Panthers, one of eight games in which he reached that mark or better.The 2021 point guard averaged 10.9 points as a junior and scored over 300 total points. Sanchez tends to show up in big moments, recording a 15-point effort against <strong>South Miami</strong> and a 23-point performance against <strong>Doral Academy</strong> late last season. The current senior has a great opportunity to improve his numbers as a team leader this season.</p> <p><em><strong>For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Twitter or follow him on twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</strong></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>