Windermere Open Gym (Standouts)

<p>Yesterday I made the trip over to Windermere high for an open gym that included seniors from all over Orlando. Players from Windermere High, Evans, West Orange, Ocoee, Wekiva, and Olympia all ran together in a pickup game in front of college coaches. Coaches from Southeastern, Warner, St. Leo and Sage College (NY) were all in attendance getting a look at local talent. These are some of the players who stood out:</p> <p>C Sam Alexis 6-9 Apopka</p> <p>This was my first time ever watching Alexis play in person. As a Junior he played on Junior Varsity and it’s hard to believe, but sometimes it takes big men a little more time to grow into their bodies and develop. Local high school coaches in attendance were also blown away with how good Alexis looked compared to last season. He had several dunks, blocked shots, rebounded well and showed off some great foot work on post moves. The most impressive part of his performance was his soft touch from the mid range, and he even sank a few 3-pointers. It’s rumored that Alexis will attend prep school next year, and I would not be the least bit surprised if he ended up at a Division I or Division II school in the near future.</p> <p>CG Jammaric Hammond 6-1 Wekiva</p> <p>This was the first time I had seen Hammond play since a tournament last November and I was very impressed with his progress. He looked significantly stronger, and he displayed great leadership and IQ on the court always talking on defense and directing the offense. He played hard defensively and made the most 3-pointers out of anyone in the gym. On offense he read the defense well for some nice assists, and got to the basket often. In a generation full of selfish guards it was refreshing to see Hammond feed the 6-9 Alexis in the post, understanding the importance of exploiting mismatches. After this open gym I left completely confident that Hammond will find a home at the next level.</p> <p>F Chris Nurse 6-5 Windermere, G [player_tooltip player_id="1065426" first="Miles" last="Hall"] 6-3</p> <p>Nurse is another player who I found out was significantly better than I had previously thought. He was impressive around the rim finishing with either hand on a wide variety of post moves. The combo forward handled the ball well grabbing rebounds and dribbling the length of the floor, and he attacked the basket off the bounce often finishing through contact. He also had a solid night shooting the ball from both the midrange and from deep. What makes Nurse so intriguing is his versatility especially on defense. He has the  ability to body up in the post with bigger guys, and is quick enough laterally to get low and keep little guards in front of him. With [player_tooltip player_id="709255" first="Sean" last="Stewart"] demanding heavy attention from defenses this season, expect to see Nurse thrive in the other post position. Recruiting wise he is drawing attention from NAIA schools and I could see him having a solid career at that level.</p> <p>Hall was also solid handling the ball, and got to the rim often as a slasher. He has a hitch in his shot, but that didn’t stop it from going in at a respectable rate. He has great length at both guard positons, and really understands the game. Thus far he has drawn interest from Division III schools, and with outstanding grades and test scores he will be a popular name at that level over the next few months.</p> <p>PF Clodner Pierre 6-6, G Joshua Meo 6-3 (Olympia)</p> <p>I’ve been saying it for a while now and I’m sticking to it: Pierre is going to be a breakout player in Orlando this season. The past few years he has been in the rotation and has often been in the starting lineup at Olympia. He rarely looked for his own offense as an underclassmen, but his confidence level seems at an all time high heading into his senior year. Last night he made many hustle plays battling for second chance points and ran the floor hard  in transition. He finished on a few post moves, and showed that he is quick enough to defend little guards out on the perimeter. Thus far Pierre is under the radar, but I could see him finding a spot at the next level.</p> <p>I love the energy and intensity that Meo brings every time he steps on the floor. He is always talking on offense and defense, and encouraging the players around him. The wing shot the ball particularly well both off the catch, and dribble and also had some strong finished around the rim. With [player_tooltip player_id="818881" first="Tyeree" last="Bryan"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1069191" first="Jacari" last="White"] graduated and playing at Division I Junior Colleges,  Meo is a likely candidate to help fill the scoring void at Olympia.</p> <p>PG [player_tooltip player_id="955607" first="Jyshaun" last="Melvin"] 5-9 Evans</p> <p>The Evans guard flew around the gym finishing in transition and sinking threes. Melvin had an off  shooting night (which doesn’t happen often) but he still made several impressive passes, and had a few moves going at the rim that made my jaw drop. He has bulked up quite a bit since the end of his junior year, and will be a top Point Guard yet again in Orlando…..Teammate Aviree Anderson also had a few impressive plays driving to the basket, and he sank a couple 3-pointers.</p>