Skills Center Elite is quickly establishing themselves

Director of Basketball Operations and Skills Center Elite 17U head coach John Arroyo has worked very hard behind the scenes to give his players a program to succeed in. Arroyo recently opened up the team's own gym which includes a brand new floor with logos, stands, scoreboards, chairs and a scorer's table. The plan is for Skills Center Elite to host the annual May Day Hoopfest with several other games being played nearby at Tampa Catholic like in past years. Having a gym of their own will give Skills Center Elite ample time to hold practices and get training sessions in. Here is a look at the roster: Thierry Moliere (Jesuit), Trey Sibert (Tampa Prep), Tyrick Brascom (Tampa Bay Tech), Larry Daniels (Tampa Bay Tech), JaMarcus Robertson (Tampa Bay Tech), Denari Garrett (Sickles), Tahj Lalanne (Sickles), Christian Schach (Tampa Prep), Austin Meloche (Calvary Christian), Myles Cowart (Hillsborough) and Zach O'Callaghan (Crystal River). ---Moliere is set to take over the backcourt at Jesuit next season. He's getting stronger and better as an attacker. ---Sibert and Schach are the Tampa Prep representatives. Sibert is a very good inside presence who plays lock down defense while Schach is a knockdown shooter. ---Brascom, Daniels and Robertson are the trio of Tampa Bay Tech players. Brascom is a nifty ballhandler and top-end scorer. Daniels is growing into his comfort level and Robertson is a high energy player. ---Garrett and Lalanne are on the squad from the Class 8A title Sickles team. Garrett has really taken the next step and he isn't done growing and filling out in his upper body. Lalanne is a good leader and court leader. ---Meloche is a very talented outside shooter much like Schach. Cowart is gaining confidence and is a lengthy player who goes to the basket often. ---O'Callaghan is entering just his second season of basketball ever. He stands at 6'8" and learned how to shoot from Youtube videos, Arroyo told me. A baseball player first, O'Callaghan gives Skills Center a true big. What's next? Arroyo has his 11th grade group playing in eight tournaments this summer. The first one is this weekend in Apopka for the Each 1 Teach 1 Invitational. Then, they'll have trips to New Jersey, Georgia later this month before the May Day Hoopfest on May 5-7. After that, they'll go to the Bob Gibbons Classic in Atlanta in May. July holds the Under Armour Finals in Atlanta, the Great American Shootout in Dallas and the Fab 48 in Las Vegas. As a coach, Arroyo constantly tells his team to make each other better and to create and then attack. The practices are high-tempo and constant sprints and drills. The Skills Center Elite is a very well run program which helps these kids get better as individuals on and off the court. Practice tape Brascom finds Cowart Schach on the attack