Team Preview: Mater Lakes Academy

<p>Throughout this month, I will be highlighting selected teams across South Florida. This article takes me to Mater Lakes Academy in <strong>Hialeah. </strong>The Bears finished 12-10 a season ago under <strong>Lance Tejada</strong>. The program is now led by <strong>Eric Rodriguez</strong> and has a host of new players. You can essentially throw out last season’s mark.</p> <p>Players to watch:</p> <p>2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1055719" first="Christian" last="Reid"] is the clear standout. The 6-foot-5 guard/forward averaged 15.4 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 58 percent from the field for SLAM! Miami. Reid has a big frame (200+ pounds) for a sophomore. He uses his size well in the halfcourt and attacks the rim. Reid has plenty of athleticism to score off the dribble. The factor of the two make him unique at this stage. On defense, he averaged nearly two steals and two blocks per game. I like his mindset as a two-way player. Reid is ranked No. 17 in our class rankings.</p> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id="1301710" first="Anthony" last="Knowles"] has already shown a ton of promise. The SLAM! transfer averaged 11.2 points and 2.6 assists across nine games. Knowles has a ton of athleticism and bounce to play above the rim. He also can shoot the ball a bit after knocking down 37 percent of his 3-point attempts. I like his length and ability to create separation. Knowles’ diverse scoring ability could make him very dangerous. </p> <p>I believe both 2024’s [player_tooltip player_id="1163362" first="Ralph" last="Blanc"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1163360" first="Ian" last="Pascal"] are with this team. Blanc is a 6-foot-5 forward that averaged 4.1 points per game. He has some length and could grow into a regular three or four. Pascal is 6-foot-3 and averaged 8.9 points per game. He's got some quickness and ability to score from multiple areas. Overall, the Bears have young depth to build around.</p> <p>I don't see chemistry being a major issue here given the amount of transfers right from SLAM!. These kids have played with each other. Also, Eric Rodriguez is a great coach. I would add that Mater Lakes Academy is a nice school with solid facilities. It's a nice place to play and get an education.</p> <p><em><strong>For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</strong></em></p>