Top Performers: City of Palms Classic (Day 1 – Part 1)
The City of Palms Classic started up on Monday with five matchups at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida.
Here are the results
Fort Myers 72, Canterbury 60
Mountain Brook 66, Woodrow Wilson 51
Villages 81, Lehigh 61
Olive Branch 79, Charlotte 63
Oak Hill 92, Riverview 73
Now a look at the top performers that I saw on Day 1 (Part 1).
ICYMI: Part 2 written Pat Lammer
Trendon Watford (Alabama Mountain Brook)
It was a really nice day for 2019 6'9" forward Trendon Watford. The Mountain Brook senior led his side with 31 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field in a win over D.C. Woodrow Wilson. He routinely got to the free throw line shooting 11-of-13 from the line and most impressively went 4-of-6 from deep. There are endless reasons why the big and athletic Watford is a high D1 prospect. His top four include Memphis, Indiana, LSU and Alabama.
Cole Anthony & Cam Thomas (Oak Hill)
A pair of 6'3" guards were the workers for Oak Hill in the nightcap win over Riverview. 2019 guard Cole Anthony proved why he's the No. 2 overall senior (ranked by Prep Hoops) with his 25 point performance. He was weaving through the Rams defense almost seamlessly and controlling the tempo with his pure speed. As for Cam Thomas, the 2020 guard did his part and more with his shooting touch and high IQ play finishing with 23 points. Certainly 2019 6'6" forward Christian Brown, he was a human highlight reel with his slams, ending with 14 points
Tre Mann (The Villages)
The first half was quiet for the most part for 2019 6'4" guard Tre Mann as Lehigh applied endless pressure with double teams and zones defensively. The UF commit made it happen in the second half, finishing with 27 points which 11 free throws in total and 11 points in the third quarter alone. Mann just returned to 100 percent last week and he's right on track for success.
Note: 2019 starters Terry Ivery (15 points) and Peyton Williams (10 points) each made plays early and often in the victory.
Javian McCollum & Michael Roberts (Fort Myers)
College coaches need to be well aware of 2021 6'0" guard Javian McCollum. The sophomore finished with 25 points, leading the charge offensively, being vocal and running the offense with ease. He is known for shooting touch, but McCollum is quickly developing into a mature and all-around player. He is a pleasure to watch create and score. 2019 6'2" forward Michael Roberts was active all game with 16 points. He does a lot of the dirty work for his group.
Simon Wilbar, Alan Cedeno & Chase Garrett (Canterbury)
Canterbury's trio of 2019 6'9" forward Simon Wilbar, 2021 guards Alan Cedeno and Chase Garrett did all they could in the loss to Fort Myers. Wilbar finished with a team-high 20 points using his keen jumper and scrapping on the boards. Sophomores Cedeno and Garrett each had 16 points. Garrett constantly gets inside on attacks while Cedeno is a shooter by nature and a skilled one at that.
Tre Carroll & Ahmad Johnson (Charlotte)
Following up a tough nosed win on Saturday over Boyd Anderson (at Lehigh), Charlotte had another hard opponent to face on Monday in Olive Branch. 2021 6'7" guard/forward Tre Carroll was highly efficient for the Tarpons with 19 points and 11 rebounds. He finished 9-of-12 shooting from the field and really paced the Charlotte offense. Carroll proved to be more than a shooter with his slashing and attacking. I like how 2019 6'3" guard Ahmad Johnson continued to fight despite a down first half as he ended with 18 points.
