SWFL HOOPS 2008-2009 ALL-SWFL SELECTIONS

Brennen Melvin, Bishop Verot HS (G, 6-foot-4, 195, Sr.)
  • 2008-09 Stats: 16.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 51 3pt Made)
  • Brennen Melvin was asked to do a lot for the Vikings this year, and well, he did just that.  Coming off of a season that saw Bishop Verot fall short of their lofty expectations, losing to St. Pete Catholic in just the Regional Quarterfinals, with a big and senior led group, Brennen was looked at as the go-to-guy from day 1 of this past offseason.  Having been the leading scorer for that team last year and leading assist man, it was expected the sharp-shooting big guard would improve on those numbers this season, and he did.  However, there probably weren't many that would have expected him to get into the weight room so much, add about 20 pounds or so of muscle and proceed to use that added weight to gobble up nearly 10 rebounds per game from a guard position.  At 6'4", he is not your typical southwest Florida guard, but his ability to do contribute in so many facets of the Viking's attack was outstanding.  Not to mention, he regularly was asked to guard the opposing team's best perimeter player or in some cases even post players, and has been called by head coach Matt Herting "the best defender he has ever coached", and Herting is not new to the scene.  Take all of that into account, and combine that with the fact that he led, along with senior big man and 2nd team selection Etienne Effenberg, to the first state Final Four in school history.  Bishop Verot finished 23-9 and 5th in our Final Team Rankings.  The senior guard has now been a part of 4 straight district titles in his career, now holds the school's all-time records for career assists and rebounds, and broke the school's single season record for total rebounds. Melvin is currently receiving college interest from some Division 1 schools as well as Division 2s, but is still weighing his options. 


(Final Rankings - as of 3/12/09)
1. Venice Indians (27-4)
2. Riverview Rams (Sarasota) (23-6)
3. Bradenton Christian Panthers (25-6)
4. Sarasota Christian Blazers (22-6)
5. Bishop Verot Vikings (23-9)
6. Fort Myers Green Wave (20-9)
7. Community School Seahawks (23-5)
8. Barron Collier Cougars (18-9)
9. Lely Trojans (Naples) (19-8)
10. Ida Baker Bulldogs (18-11)
11. Dunbar Tigers (14-11)
12. Lehigh Lightning (19-6)
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First Team











Brennen Melvin, Bishop Verot (G, 6-foot-4, 195, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • 2008-09 Stats: 16.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 4.5 RPG, 51 3PT Made, 39% 3PT, 50% FG
  • Notes: "Player of the Year" (see above for more info)

Shaun Noriega, North Port HS (SG, 6-foot-4, 195, Sr.) **Signed to South Florida
  • 2008-09 Stats: 20 PPG, 79 3pt Made
  • Coming into the season the goal for the SWFL Hoops Preseason Player of the Year, Shaun Noriega, and his teammates was to win a district title and make a run in the state playoffs.  Well, they were only able to grab the district runner-up spot and failed to advance past the Regional Quarterfinals of the state playoffs.  However, Noriega still was able to show on many occasions why the University of South Florida pulled the trigger and signed him in the early signing period.  His shooting ability from deep combined with his height, strength and athleticism allow him to get his shot off no matter how he is being guarded.  Going into the season being probably everyone's guess for player of the year for this area, but he missed out slightly in the final choices to Melvin, however he has been selected as the Offensive Player of the Year for his efforts despite facing defenses geared completely around stopping him on a nightly basis.

Joel Vander Pol, Evangelical Christian (F, 6-foot-11, 220, Sr.) **Signed to Liberty
  • 2008-09 Stats: 21.9 PPG, 14.1 RPG, 7.7 BPG, 23 3PT Made
  • Joel followed up his early signing to Liberty University, which is a NCAA Division 1 school playing out of the Big South Conference, by putting up huge numbers.  Of course, Joel would have liked to go out with a bang by taking his team back to the Regional Quarterfinals and possibly have won his first district title but with such young guards it was just too tall of a task to accomplish, even for the 6'11" forward.  With the style of play Liberty has, Vander Pol was a perfect fit with a ton of upside in their eyes.  He showed this year that he has a very good ability to step beyond the arc and knock down jumpers as well as put it on the floor on occasion but his strength and key contribution right away for the Flames will be his ability to block and alter shots on the interior and help out on the boards.  Liberty loves to push the ball, shoot the three a ton, and expects their bigs to keep up with the pace.  Joel can do just that, as his ability to run the floor for his size was a huge selling point for Liberty head coach Richie McKay.  Besides being named First-Team, Vander Pol takes home our award for Defensive Player of the Year, thanks to finishing second in the state and fifth in the nation with 7.7 blocks per game, according to maxpreps.com. 

Mark DuBois, Sarasota Christian (F, 6-foot-6, 210, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • 2008-09 Stats: 17.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG
  • DuBois is rather unknown to many fans outside of those his high school team played in front of this year and last so this choice for only that reason will come as a surprise.  For any players, coaches, or fans who had the pleasure of seeing DuBois and his Blazer teammates this season they will probably stand by this pick because of his ability to score, rebound, defend, and play hard at all times.  Mark is a very active player on both ends of the court who can do multiple good things with the basketball in his hands whether it be creating his own shot, attacking the basket with athleticism, or score in the post with a high skill set.  He plays with his heart on his sleeve so to most opposing fans he may come off wrong for his reaction to different plays, good or bad, throughout the game, but you can just chalk it up to being a passionate basketball player and person in general.  He led his Sarasota Christian team to a 22-6 record overall, including a District Championship and an appearance in the Class 1A Regional Semifinal.   Mark is currently receiving a lot of attention from higher level NCAA Division 2 schools and could possibly be a guy who picks up some late interest at the lower Division 1 level if it is the right fit.

Matt Conway, Sarasota Riverview (F, 6-foot-7, 190, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • 2008-09 Stats: TBA
  • Matt finished his only season with Riverview on a good but somewhat sour note.  No doubt Conway and his Riverview teammates were hoping to get deeper into the 6A Regional Playoffs but they ran into Sickles and the #3 rated player in the class of 2009 nationally, John Henson, in the Regional Quarterfinals.  However, they were able to get the District 6A-8 Runner-Up spot and finished #2 in our Final Team Rankings.  All season long it was Conway's consistency shooting the ball, scoring inside, and rebounding the ball that kept the Rams among the top teams in Southwest Florida and in Class 6A as a whole.  Matt gave the Riverview the added scoring punch and skill inside that they were missing a season ago, when he was playing for county and district rival Sarasota High.  At 6'7" and with good length, Conway showed he can defend on the inside but also had the quickness to match up on the wing as well when called upon to do so, however the Rams tend to play a lot of zone defense limiting the need a bit.  Conway also has great vertical athleticism, and threw down numerous big time jams this past season.  Within Riverview's offense the purpose is to get the best shot available each time down the court, and rarely allows for any one guy to put up huge numbers, but is very effective in producing wins.  Therefore, his numbers are not going to jump off the screen, but for a forward to score 15-20 points within a motion type offense built for backdoor looks to guards on each possession, that may be equal to him averaging 20 or more in a more open type of offense.  Similar to Melvin, Conway is currently receiving heavy interest from some low division 1 schools and high division 2 schools as well, but still remains open and is weighing his options.

Mitch Woods, Community School of Naples (PG, 6-foot-4, 190, Jr.)
  • 2008-09 Stats: 17.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.2 SPG, 55% FG, 39% 3pt FG
  • Everyone knew entering 2008-09 that if Community School was going to be anywhere near as good as they were last year, that junior guard Mitch Woods would have to come into his own and lead this team similar to the way Kyle Petersen, now at Akron, did last year.  Well, Woods did not disapoint and showed why multiple Florida scouting sources, including SWFL Hoops, had him rated so high despite not putting up gaudy numbers early in his high school career.  Mitch led the Seahawks to a 23-5 overall record, a district title, and a spot in the Elite 8 of class 2A, just one round short of where CSN was eliminated last season.  At 6'4", around 190 pounds, and with good athleticism he can pretty much get wherever he wants to on the court against a defender.  What makes him so attractive for the next level is that he is a point guard with such great size.  This season however, on top of handling a lot of the playmaker duties, he also showed he can score the ball as well.  He scored 20 or more points in twelve games this past season, while being very efficient, shooting 55% from the field.  Three -point shooting consistency and turnovers are the two areas he should look to improve on over the offseason, but he showed this season that he can hit the deep shot at times with decent consistency, hitting on 39% of his 66 three-point attempts.  A big plus for him is his ability to help out on the glass, averaging over 6 rebounds per game, while also adding in 4.6 assists as well when in the playmaking role.  Look out for Woods in 2009-10, as he could be the favorite to take player of the year honors if he continues to improve, but has a host of other talented underclassmen right there with him.  For now, he is a First-Team selection and takes home the Most Improved Player award along with Etienne Effenberg from Bishop Verot, for his ability to step into a huge role and take it in stride.

Second Team
  • Brian Landers, Barron Collier (SG, 6-foot-2, 175, Sr.) **Unsigned

Third Team
  • Trey Burton, Venice (F/G, 6-foot-3, 210, Jr.) **Florida commit (football)
  • Jason Humphrey, Barron Collier (F, 6-foot-5, 190, Sr.) **Unsigned   

Fourth Team
  • Joel Hill, Cape Coral (F/G, 6-foot-3, 190, Jr.)
  • Spence Purnell, Bradenton Christian (F, 6-foot-3, 200, Sr.) **Stetson (preferred walk-on)

Fifth Team
  • Derek Robbins, Sarasota Riverview (G, 6-foot-2, 180, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Sharod Morse, Lehigh (PG, 5-foot-11, 155, Sr.) **Unsigned

Honorable Mention: (alphabetical order)
  • Adrian Richards, Bradenton Southeast (G, 6-foot, Jr.)
  • Anchelo Coulanges, Cypress Lake (F, 6-foot-2, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Anthony Ruth, Desoto (SG, 6-foot-4, 170, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Casey Bobelis, Braden River (F, 6-foot-6, 175, Jr.)
  • Chad Lawrence, Port Charlotte (F, 6-foot-2, 175, Jr.)
  • Chamon Thomas, Riverdale (F, 6-foot-5, 180, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Chase Miller, Sarasota Christian (G, 6-foot, 165, Jr.)
  • Clay Burton, Venice (F, 6-foot-4, 220, Soph)
  • Daniel Magley, Bradenton Christian (G, 6-foot-2, 165, Soph)
  • Danilo Rupena, Palmetto Ridge (PG, 5-foot-8, 175, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Denzel Hagan, Riverdale (PG, 5-foot-10, 155, Jr.)
  • Gabe Rodriguez, Ida Baker (G, 5-foot-10, 155, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Jacquard Hagan, Bishop Verot (G, 5-foot-11, 165, Jr.)
  • Jake Carlton, Lakewood Ranch (G, 6-foot-3, 200, Jr.)
  • Jamaris Brown, Lehigh (G, 5-foot-8, 150, Soph.)
  • Jarvis Davis, Golden Gate (F/G, 6-foot-3, 175, Soph)
  • Joey Earle, South Fort Myers (F, 6-foot-4, 200, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Joe "JoJo" Wood, Bradenton Christian (G, 5-foot-9, 160, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • John Bowers, Sarasota Riverview (PG, 6-foot, 175, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • John Florveus, Dunbar (C, 6-foot-10, 210, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Jonathan Ocasio, Charlotte (F, 6-foot-5, 205, Jr.)
  • Jordan Leach, Naples (G, 6-foot, 155, Jr.)
  • Jordan Negrin, Bradenton Christian (PG, 5-foot-8, 145, Jr.)
  • Kameron Beach, Mariner (G, 6-foot-2, 175, Jr.)
  • Kyle Jutras, Venice (PG, 5-foot-10, 160, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Leon Davis, Lehigh (F, 6-foot-4, 175, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Matt Gonzalez, Gulf Coast (G, 5-11, 170, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Max McCabe, Community School (G, 6-foot-5, 160, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Mike Malaise, North Fort Myers (G, 6-foot-2, 175, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Mike McGahey, Gulf Coast (G, 6-foot-3, 180, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Nick Diaz, Lakewood Ranch (F, 6-foot-5, 200, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Quenton Bundrage, Manatee (G, 6-foot-2, Soph)
  • Ricardo Barsesa, Mariner (G, 5-foot-10, Jr.)
  • Tre Boston, North Fort Myers (G, 6-foot-1, 175, Jr.)
  • Tyler Terrell, Palmetto Ridge (G, 6-foot-2, 180, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Willie McNeal, Braden River (G, 5-foot-11, Sr.) **W. Kentucky (football)
  • Xavier Battle, Ida Baker (PG, 5-foot-10, 160, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Yusel Cardentey, Golden Gate (PG, 5-foot-11, Sr.) **Unsigned
  • Zach Hornsby, Naples Lely (G/F, 6-foot-4, 160, Jr.)

Player of the Year:
Final 08-09' Team Rankings
More SWFL Team Rankings
SWFL District Standings
All-SWFL Teams
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2008-09 AWARD WINNERS
Coach of the Year: (tie)
  Phil Helmuth, Sarasota Christian
  • Helmuth led the Blazers to a 22-6 record and their first wins over district rival Bradenton Christian during his tenure, including a win in the 1A-12 District Championship game to take home the title. Sarasota Christian also had victories over 5A schools such as Venice, North Port, Charlotte, and Lakewood Ranch.  The Blazers fell just one game short of advancing to the Elite 8, losing to Bradenton Christian in the Regional Semifinal in the fourth match-up of the season between the two teams.  I would say job well done for a small school that had been playing in the shadows of the recent success of Bradenton Christian, but this year stepped out and was on the verge of a potential Final Four berth for the first time ever.
  • Record: 22-6 (3-1 in 1A-12 district play)
  • Regional Semifinalists, District Champs
  Steve Cavallaro, Venice
  • When Steve Cavallaro took over the job at Venice High School a few years back, the Indians had not reach postseason play in over a decade and had not won a district title in 36 years.  Well, this season Coach Cavallaro and Venice reached the postseason for the third straight year, tallied the most wins and best overall record in school history (27-4), won the District Championship that had been so elusive, and capped it off by reaching the Elite 8 in Class 5A, defeating perennial power St. Pete Lakewood in the process.  The style the Indians play is a bit "old school" in that they rely on hard nosed defense, patience, discipline on offense, and usually keep it to a low-scoring affair but it works and this year it worked better than any other in school history.
  • Record: 27-4 (13-1 in 5A-12 district play)
  • Regional Finalists, District Champs

Offensive Player of the Year:
  Shaun Noriega, North Port HS
  • Noriega's 20 points per game don't necessarily jump off the page when you think of the expectations had coming into the season as one of the best offensive players in many years in SWFL and after averaging 24.1 points per game in 2007-08. But keep in mind, basically every defense he faced this season usually sent their best defender and sometimes two guys to guard him throughout the game, all while playing one of the tougher schedules of any of the area teams.  He dropped in 79 three point field goals which led the area for the second year in a row.  He averaged 3.6 three point field goals per game over the last two weeks of the season.  Most importantly, he showed why he was recruited and signed to University of South Florida when it counted, albeit it in a loss, when he poured in 31 points on 10 of 12 field goals, 4 for 4 treys, and hit 7 of 8 free throws in a one point loss to an athletic Boca Ciega team in the Regional Quarterfinals. 

Defensive Player of the Year:
  Joel Vander Pol, Evan. Christian
  • Averaged 7.7 blocks per game and 9.8 defensive rebounds per game as well.  Add to that he had three games where he blocked more than 10 shots, and fourteen games where he pulled down more than 10 defensive rebounds, including six games with more than 14 and a season-high of 17 boards on the defensive end.  Vander Pol was one of the states top shot blockers, and based on MaxPreps.com, he was the second best shot blocker in Florida and ranked 5th in the country in blocks per game.  Vander Pol has a ton of upside with his length and ability to block shots, but look for him to improve even more on the defensive end at Liberty University as he learns how to alter shots while staying out of foul trouble even more.

Most Improved Player (tie)
  Mitch Woods, Community School
  • Woods was talented last year so this award is not solely based on improving his individual skills but more so based on how he stepped into a larger role with the graduation of Class 2A Player of the Year, Kyle Petersen.  Woods increased his points per game from 9.5 to 17.9, rebounds from 4.5 to 6.3, increased his assists by .4 a game, maintained his steals per game, and made 18 more three pointers. Add to that his FG% went up from 45% to 55% and his 3pt shooting increased from 30 to 39%.  Stats aside, he only fell one game short of leading the Seahawks back to the Final Four and the team finished with a slightly better record at 23-5 compared to 23-7 a season ago.
  Etienne Effenberg, Bishop Verot
  • Effenberg, like Woods, takes home a piece of this award not so much based on skill improvement but more upon his ability to step into a larger role.  A season ago the Vikings had a ton of senior height, including two division 1 signees who were 6'8 and another senior that was 6'6.  So Effenberg did what he could but was no more than a role player.  This season, when called upon he answered.  In the first game of the season, albeit in a loss to Barron Collier, the 6'6 senior poured in 30 points and 12 rebounds.  In 2007-08 Effenberg averaged 6.8 points and 4 rebounds per game.  This season he upped those numbers to 19.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while helping his team to a 23-9 record and the first trip to the Final Four in school history.

Newcomer of the Year:
  Darius Perkins, Dunbar
  • Perkins transferred into Dunbar High School before the 2008-09 school year from Monsignor Pace in Miami, where he was part of the class 4A state championship team a season ago.  Perkins was already a highly touted prospect, having already received attention from schools such as University of Miami, Georgia Tech, VCU, USF, and more.  He joined a Dunbar team that had also reached the state Final Four in 07-08 in class 3A, but Perkins along with a couple other key transfers were thought to be the pieces that could take the Tigers to that next level.  Well, Perkins had a solid year, including averaging over 20 points per game in the prestigious City of Palms Classic, even drawing the praise of North Carolina head man Roy Williams, who walked away with some interest in the shooting guard.  However, as a team the Tigers struggled to gel together and were unable to capture a district title and were bumped out of the playoffs against Berkeley Prep in the Regional Quarterfinals.  However, look for the team to get better as a group this offseason and come back fighting in 2009-10.
Shaun Noriega,
North Port
Joel Vander Pol,
Evangelical Chr.
Matt Conway,
Riverview
Mark DuBois,
Sarasota Christian
Mitch Woods,
Community School