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New Look to the Class of 2011
October 8, 2009
SWFLHoops.com Scouting
With the departure of former #1 Darius Perkins, who left Dunbar High School to transfer to Chaminade-Madonna Prep and play for his father, their became a vacancy in the top spot in the Southwest Florida Class of 2011 player rankings. Instead of just removing Darius from the rankings and bumping everyone up a spot, we took some time to mull it over and ask for the opinions of some of other scouts around the state that have seen all three of the guys who had been sitting behind Perkins in the previous rankings and most of the other guys throughout the rest of the previous 2011 top ten. After rounding up some very good opinions, and comparing those to ours, it turned out that at the top all that was needed was to bump up everyone one spot with North Port High School forward Kasey Wilson taking over as the new #1 in the class of 2011 in Southwest Florida. However, the decisions were not made easy, thanks in part to the high level of talent in this class and the overall depth of that talent.
We'll start by saying that the top of the new class of 2011 rankings are very close and could have gone in any direction with the choice for who took the top spot and with the spots thereafter.
The new #1, Kasey Wilson, is a 6'6" forward prospect who has, to this point, primarily been a low post threat who used his outstanding athleticism to put up big numbers as a sophomore and on the travel ball scene. However, he has been putting in a lot of hours on his game in the months since July, refining his skill level from the wing including shooting, ball-handling, and lateral quickness, as well as adding muscle to his frame. The results are beginning to show, as evident by his standout performance at the Dodge Florida Shootout where he was labeled as the best player at the event by everybody in attendance. The work has not been unnoticed by college either, as he has had several mid to high major division 1 schools coming through the North Port High School gymnasium to watch him work out and currently holds offers from recent March Madness staple Virginia Commonwealth University and Ohio University. Their are talks that a couple SEC schools are close to pulling the trigger on him as well.
In the second spot, Fort Myers HS combo guard Evin Graham has grown in size since last high school season as well as ability and confidence. Standing somewhere around 6'3-6'4 inches tall now, Graham has used the momentum from a solid sophomore campaign by standing out on the spring/summer travel basketball scene with SWFL Select's 16-Under squad and during the fall period individual showcase events. Graham more than held his own on the travel circuit, constantly putting up 20 plus point efforts and showing he can stand out even against the state and country's best guards. His success has garnered the attention of numerous division 1 schools vying for his services and currently holds an offer from The Citadel, a d1 school in South Carolina. He has added about 10-15 pounds of muscle since last high school season and improved his consistency shooting the ball a great deal as well. He continues to improve into October as well. Eric Bossi, a well known national recruiting analyst, mentioned Graham in a recap of the Nike Team Florida Event held in September on Scout.com by saying, "A long and lean shooter from Fort Myers, Graham cemented his spot as one of the state’s top perimeter marksmen." With weapons around him this coming season, Graham looks to be the catalyst for a talented bunch hoping to make a deep run into the playoffs for the first time in a few years. He definitely has the tools and potential to move up into the #1 spot at any time if he continues to get stronger, more confident, and possibly keep growing height wise.
Coming in at a very close third position is Immokalee High's Jernell Hughes. The 6'2" bouncy guard has all the makings of being a great college prospect and could compete this coming season for the title of area leading scorer. As a sophomore, Hughes put up big numbers on many occasions even with defenses keying on him, as his team as a whole lacked an adequate amount of weapons to relieve the pressure. To follow up a solid sophomore season, Hughes joined Evin Graham in the backcourt for SWFL Select's 16-Under travel team and more than held his own against the best guards the state and nation has to offer and in doing so grabbed the attention of multiple division 1 institutions. He recently received a scholarship offer from Liberty University in Virginia, a division 1 school, and the same school that former SWFL Hoops All-SWFL 1st teamer and class of 2009 Evangelical Christian School graduate Joel Vander Pol accepted a scholarship offer from this past year. Look for Jernell to only continue to improve as he gains more strength to go with his elite athleticism and scoring ability, and continue to be a threat to move up in the rankings.
Although the drop off from the top 3 to number four is bigger than the difference between positions one and three, the margin is still very slim and that only highlights the depth of talent this group of 2011 prospects is. The fourth position of our top ten goes to a player that we feel may have the most intangibles of any player in the class, and that is Daniel Magley from Bradenton Christian School. Magley is not as big of a guard as Graham, at only about 6'1", and he is not a superior athlete like Hughes, but he where he excels and stands out is in his understanding of the game. He has a knack for just knowing where to be on the court, at either end, to consistently make a positive play for his team. He is a solid shooter from deep, a very consistent shooter from the mid-range, can handle it as good as a point guard, passes it well enough, and moves without the ball better than most of the college players you'll see nowadays. Magley isn't flashy, he just makes the right play when it needs to be made. He will scrap for rebounds, hustle, and enjoys the challenge of guarding the opponents best wing player, bigger or smaller. At the end of the day, he is a guy who just helps his team win and because of that, combined with a great deal of skill throughout his game, he will find himself on a bench somewhere at the next level.
The fifth spot was a tough one to choose as well, mainly because the guy we chose to occupy it, well, we have not seen on the hardwood since last high school season. His name is Quenton Bundrage, a 6'2" super athletic guard from Bradenton Manatee High School. As a sophomore last year, he was one of the main reasons Manatee competed at such a high level in new head coach Shawn Campbell's first season at the helm. The instant we saw him in person his athleticism and skill level jumped out and you could tell he was something special. He has range past the arc, can put it on the floor to get into the lane, finishes well at and above the rim, and his quickness allows him to be a threat to get a steal at any time on the defensive end. However, he has also turned into a top prospect on the football field as a wide receiver, just more evidence of his athleticism, and so with his football team doing so well it may be December before we get a chance to see if he has improved or dedicated himself more to the gridiron. For now, we will give him the benefit of the doubt and leave him in the spot he had held since this past year.
The 6-10 spots are maybe even more unstable than the top 5 as there are more than ten players in this class worth ranking, which may entice us to expand the rankings in the future.
However, the number 6 spot goes to a kid who just keeps improving and growing at the same time in 6'5" forward Kent Coyne from Community School of Naples. When we first saw Kent he was a skinny kid with decent size that could really only shoot the ball but it was obvious he had some potential. Well, Kent has continued to work on his game, add strength, has gotten a couple inches taller, and improved his overall confidence to where he is now starting to really turn some potential into production. He is still a solid three point threat but he has become a good defender inside, a solid rebounder, and continues to get better at creating his own offense. He competed very well this past offseason on the travel circuit alongside Graham and Hughes, proving he was more than capable of banging with the big guys and then stepping out to cause mismatch problems for them on the offensive end. If he continues to grow and improve his skill level, his potential will continue to grow as well. Look for him to put up solid numbers this season alongside the class of 2010 #1 guy Mitch Woods, as they will be counted on to supply a lot of the offense for the Seahawks.
At number 7 comes Bishop Verot's 6'3" Nate Howard, a very athletic and skilled guard that could be ready to burst onto the local scene in a big way this season. As a sophomore with the Vikings he had his moments, scoring more than 20 points in a game on multiple occasions. With the graduation of Brennen Melvin, who signed with Fordham University last fall, Howard should get more touches and opportunities to be a threat. He is super athletic as we mentioned before, and has range past the arc. His ballhandling is solid but at times he would get a bit out of control on the move last year. If he improves since last season and becomes more consistent, Howard could be one of the better ones to come out of Verot when it is all said and done, but it is up to him to continue to improve.
The number 8 guy, is Venice's Clay Burton. A 6'5" forward who brings his lunch pale to the gym each time he walks through the doors. However, do not let the blue collar work ethic fool you, he has some skill to go along with it as he has a good stroke from deep and can finish in the paint consistently. At about 230 pounds already and chiseled, he is a nightmare for most guys on the high school level under the basket on both ends of the floor and on the glass. Very good athleticism runs in the family as well, as his older brother, Trey, is one of the top quarterback prospects in the country and will play for the University of Florida starting in the spring. Clay is a big time prospect on the gridiron in his own right though, which may become a factor in his progression with hoops but as of now, he is one of the better players in his class due to his superior size and strength, and a good skill set to boot. Look for him to play a huge role in any success Venice will have this year in trying to get back to the Regional Finals.
The 9th spot is filled by 6'4" wing Dauntae Johnson from North Port HS, who a lot of people have heard about since he was in the 8th grade. He was bigger, faster, and more athletic than most kids at that stage and he dominated as would be expected. However, over time other players have caught up to him in some of those areas and evened the playing field just a bit. Now, it will be up to Dauntae to take his game to the next level and bring his skill level up to match his freakish athleticism. A highlight reel waiting to happen, he also has some abilities to do damage from the wing whether it be with the shot or slashing. Consistency is the main area he needs to work on to capitalize on such raw abilities. He will be playing for his third school in as many years this coming season, and hopefully his last, which should allow for him to settle in and focus on improving his game instead of always learning a new system. He has always shown flashes of being great, and if he can produce more and more of those moments, the opportunities will come in bunches in the future.
The last spot in our top ten goes to a glue guy, 5'9" point guard D'Monte "DJ" Scott from Charlotte High School. He does not stand out at first glance or on paper, but if you ever get a chance to watch him play you will know why he is mentioned among the elite in this area. Everyone even knows his weaknesses, that he is not known as a great shooter and he has a tendency to be left hand dominant. However, the task is still to try and stop him from getting to where he wants to go and doing what he wants to do with the ball, and few have been able to do that with success. He has an energy on the court that seems to always make his team better when he is logging minutes, and it all comes down to his attitude. He has improved in recent months though, working on his main weaknesses, and has gotten into the best shape we've seen him in for a couple years. With a deep and talented Charlotte Tarpon bunch eager to improve on a .500 season a year ago, look for Scott to be one of the catalysts in their success.
As of now our player rankings only cover a range of ten guys, however there are more than ten that deserve mention and here are a few of them and a little about them in no particular order.
Jarvis Davis, a 6'4" wing from Golden Gate HS, proclaimed himself as one of the best athletes in the state last year by winning the state high-jump title. On the court his game is slashing to the hoop and finishing well above the rim. He has range to the arc as well but needs to add weight and improve his ballhandling to really take his game to the next level as an all-around threat on the hardwood, but until then still be prepared for a couple highlight plays a game when watching this youngster.
Matt Yance, a 6'5" wing from Fort Myers HS, is a deadly three point threat with great size and a solid all-around skill set. He is still improving defensively and with his ballhandling but he is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on and one that has already gained some attention around the state in the past.
Alex Mut, a 6'4" wing from Charlotte HS, is a guy with solid skills but even better athleticism and an insane motor. He can knock down shots, rebound in and out of his area, and finishes awkwardly at time but consistently around the hoop. He is a big time wide receiver for the football team and that may be where he gets his college money from eventually, but he is definitely one of the players worth mentioned in this class.
Jonas Petitdo, a 6'1" guard from Cypress Lake HS, was a guy we overlooked for too long coming into this past summer. We had not gotten much of a chance to see him in person but when we did at the Fort Myers Shootout we saw he needs to be talked about. He has good length, can handle the rock, and can score in bunches as evident by him scoring in double figures in 18 of his team's 23 games last season and leading his team in scoring on the season. Still on the slim side, if he ever adds 10-15 pounds he could be an even more dynamic scorer on the high school level and probably beyond.
Jamaris Brown, a 5'8" point guard from Lehigh HS, is a scoring guard supreme. Standing small in stature, he just finds a way to put the ball in the basket. He scored 14 or more points in 13 of his team's 25 games, including outbursts of 25 and 30 points in a couple games. The most interesting part is that he is not really a great three point threat just yet. He does most of his work from inside the arc, whether it be mid-range jumpers, floaters, knifing his way to the basket in through traffic, or on the break for easy buckets. His quickness allows him to get a bunch of chances for steals and easy baskets on the break. Good handles, an adequate passer, and his quickness makes him tough to defend on every possession.
Bruce Joseph, a 6'0" guard from East Lee County HS, has a good all-around game and put up solid numbers during his sophomore campaign. He was the second leading scorer for his team last season and scored more than 15 points on four occasions, including a 30 point outburst against Gateway Charter. He has range and a strong frame allowing him to get into the lane. If he can become a more efficient shooter he should only increase his numbers during his junior season.
Nemanja Rmus, 6'5" forward from Sarasota Riverview HS, is a post with brute strength and a very good back to the basket game in the paint. He uses that strength and good footwork to put himself in position to score or to be effective on the glass. As he continues to work on his face up game and quickness, look for him to be a serious headache for post defenders this season for Riverview opponents.
There are more guys in this class that can play and we would have you here all day talking about them but we had to cut it off somewhere. As we enter the high school season in about a month we are sure a couple guys will have improved and put themselves right in the mix for guys worth mentioning. Until then, feel free to tastefully express your opinion on the new rankings on the Message Board. As with most everything on the site, the rankings are opinions and everyone has one so we look forward to hearing your feedback.
We will be breaking down and updating all of the rankings in the near future and next up will be the Class of 2010 so stayed tune, as the season is right around the corner and season previews are also on the slate before we get going with 2009-10.
Thanks for everyone's continued support of what we do and the time we put into helping put SWFL hoops on the radar.
