Jordan’s Favorite Sun Bash Standouts (Part 1)

<p>Nothing beats my annual trip to Tampa to watch the best player’s in Florida duke it out at the Sun Bash, run by none other than my good friend and mentor Jake Perper. While there were a ton of gifted players in the building for all 3 days, I was only able to get a look at a few teams over the second day due to some previous engagements. Nevertheless, I walked out with seeing some fantastic talent and I am excited to get to highlight them in this two-part article series. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1055578" first="Asa" last="Newell"], 6-8, 2024, Choctawatchee</strong></p> <p>Newell is one of Florida’s brightest young prospects, and he was the focus of collegiate scouting reports for most of the event. In the game I caught against Bishop Snyder, it was wholly evident why coaches travelled from all over the state to get a glimpse. Newell has fantastic touch on the offensive end and has light feet around the basket, which pairs well with his size inside. He’s an above average jump shooter and hits wide open threes, which is a skill that is more than necessary to possess at the D1 level. It’s not perfect, but his shooting splits are pretty damn good for a young guy just getting his feet wet in his sophomore season. By far the most dominant factor of his game was his shot blocking. His length and athleticism got him 3 big time blocks in his contest against Bishop Snyder and was the cornerstone of his value on the floor. Choctaw as a program needs to develop a more reliable offensive arsenal for Newell’s game to be taken to the next level, however, his athleticism and skillset are well on their way to making him a huge prospect for D1 programs.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="956766" first="Moise" last="Balungu"], 6-2, 2022, Bishop Snyder</strong></p> <p>Balungu was the star of the show for Bishop Snyder. There’s a reason he is one of my absolute favorite players in the class of 2022. His biggest asset to himself is his physicality and strength. Balungu is one of Florida’s strongest guards, with his broad shoulders and incredible physical stature giving him a necessary advantage over his opponents. He gets downhill like a truck as a result of his size, and he has the springs in his legs to leave defenders completely clueless about how to stop him. He also draws fouls at a very high rate as a result of his ability to get downhill. Defensively, his strength makes him a solid option but he isn’t super agile or quick enough to make his defender have to work extremely hard. Overall, I think Balungu is one of Florida’s most underrated guys and could definitely be a unit on a high D2 or low D1 program.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="956920" first="Elijah" last="Johnson"], 6-6, 2022, Choctawatchee</strong></p> <p>Johnson was the leading scorer for Choctaw in his outing against the Cardinals. His 10 points came from his big man play down low and his incredible size. Johnson is one of the largest players in the state of Florida at his size. His lineman-like build enables him to get easy looks down low or be fouled in the process. Johnson can also shoot free throws at a decent rate and can even extend his range to the 3-point line. Defensively he is a bit slow, and he lacks some of the explosiveness to be an elite level defender. With some additional conditioning, I think Johnson could make some waves at a collegiate program considering his skillset and how developed his soft skills are.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1065438" first="Trent" last="Scott"], 6-4, 2022, Alonso, Morehead State commit</strong></p> <p>Jesus, this kid can finish around the rim. His athleticism and touch around the rim made him an immediate offensive threat. Big men were forced to roll over and attempt to stop him from coming downhill, but with a much smaller East Lake team against him, we was either fouled or was able to get the bucket at the rim. He finished with a game high 23 points and did a lot of damage at the free throw line (despite missing a few there). Scott also had one of the nastiest poster dunks of the year in this game as an exclamation mark on a massive Alonso win that cemented his name as one of the best point guards in the entire state. </p> <p><strong>Jacob Tegeler-Hudgins, 6-2, 2022, Alonso</strong></p> <p>Hudgins was one of the better shooters of the Sun Bash, which is a difficult title to garner considering how many great shooters were at this tournament. One of the things that put Jacob above his fellow shooters at this tournament was his build. His physical strength enabled him to fight off defenders and gave his pump fake more efficacy, enabling him to fly by defenders and make the right pass. Overall, his biggest attribute was his perimeter threat, finishing with 21 points on 5-7 shooting from deep. He will bode as a great second/third option for Alonso as they look poised to make a deep run in the state tournament this year.</p>