2010 SWFLHoops.com Summer Showcase
June 7, 2010
BY: Rick Staudt (Florida editor for Hoop Scoop Online)
The First Annual SWFL Hoops Summer Showcase took place this past Saturday in Fort Myers at Evangelical Christian School. The event showcased a broad spectrum of talent from this part of the state and each class was represented well.
The players were stretched in both a static and dynamic fashion before moving onto drill stations. The station work included single and two-ball dribbling drills, defensive close out and contest, post defense, shooting off the catch from the perimeter, one-on-one moves attacking the rim, and a shooting analysis thru the use of “Noah”. “Noah is an advance video device that records the arc of a player’s shot. It has been determined that a shot with an arc of 45 degrees is the most accurate. The player’s learned what their shot arc was and how to improve it. From there it was on to five-on-five games.
In the 2011 Class, no player stood out more than 6’4 Dauntae Johnson from North Port. While he was clearly stronger and athletically gifted than the other attendees, Johnson plays the game pretty darn well. He can score in a variety of ways. Johnson is most dangerous in transition but he hit a couple of step back threes and complemented those with drives to the hoop that included plenty of hang time. With his strength, he has no problem scoring in traffic around the rim. While he needs to improve his dribble against tight pressure, he is good enough to grab the defensive rebound and lead the break on his own. Johnson gets up quickly on the glass, has a nose for the ball, and has no problem fighting bigger players for the basketball.
This was our first time seeing 5’11 Reggie Smalls from Bradenton Southeast. The first thing to notice about him is his sculpted physique, which makes him stronger than most of the point guards he will face in the 2011 class. Smalls has the speed and quickness to push the ball in transition and also breakdown the defense and get the ball into the paint. He also uses these physical gifts to excel on defense against taller guards. Smalls is a good ball-handler and passer. He does a good job of feeding the post or finding open men on the move when attacking the basket. Offensively his outside jumper is a bit streaky but he must be respected from the arc on in.
Brandon Lentz from South Fort Myers is somewhat of a “tweener” right now. At 6’6, the 2011 product has spent most of his time at the big forward spot but working on his perimeter skills to move out to the three. Despite being slight of frame, Lentz proved to be pretty tough when it comes to playing inside. He was more than willing to bang inside and didn’t back down from anyone. Lentz didn’t work the post much on the offensive end but on the few occasions he did he showed off some scoring tools. He preferred to work more facing the basket and while his shot from the perimeter wasn’t always on, Lentz did hit a three and had a nice baseline drive for a bucket which showed promise. He has good feet and hands as he runs the floor well and catches tough passes in traffic when cutting thru the lane to the hoop.
It didn’t take long for 5’10 Eric Litvin of North Port to take control of his team. A member of the class of 2011 kept his teammates involved, whether by feeding the post, finding the open man on the break, or kicking out to three point shooters on penetrating the defense. Litvin struggled shooting from behind the arc in the game we saw but his form is good and it is only one part of his game. He proved effective getting to the basket, either scoring with a floater or a twisting layup. Litvin put in work at the defensive end as well. He is aggressive guarding the ball and is alert for any weak passes in his area.
Another solid player from the 2011 class was Stephon Crawford, a 6’1 guard from South Fort Myers. He is one of those players that a coach can count on to do the little things that win games. Offensively, he is solid with the basketball, makes good decisions, and knows what a good shot is for him. Crawford can knock down a three when open but is best in the open floor. At the defensive end, he moves his feet well to guard the ball-handler and does a good job of playing the passing lanes and providing help-side defense.
In the 2012 class, we were impressed by the play of 6’5 Brian Cobb of Lakewood Ranch. He backs down from no one in the lane and gives as much as he gets in terms of physical contact. Cobb scores well inside, has good hands and footwork, and will get up on the offensive glass as many times as it takes to get the ball and get a basket. Rebounding is truly his forte and once he secures the ball no one is taking it away. He is adept at throwing deep outlet passes on target to get the break going and had a couple of nice passes out of the post for assists. We’re not sure which was the bigger surprise: his knocking down of a couple of threes or the couple of times he grabbed a rebound and took it the length of the floor for a finish. Either way, both were good things.
While his skill work needs refinement, 6’3 Jamal Gaines from Sarasota Booker has some athletic gifts that are not teachable. The 2012 product has long arms, is quick off of his feet, and is swift up and down the floor. The lefty was at his best in the open court where he can have room to operate and finish plays when the defense is not set.
For a while, the hottest player in the gym was 6’2 Jordan Smith of Palmetto. In the span of about three minutes he knocked down two threes, scored on two drives to the hoop, and knocked down a couple of mid-range jumpers off the dribble. Smith can play both guard spots but right now he is better off the basketball. He is sufficiently athletic enough to guard taller wings and smaller points.
One of the more steady players in the 2012 class was 5’7 guard Isaac Aponte from Island Coast. He consistently looked to push the pace both via the dribble and pass. He was generous with passes to his teammates and looked to them buckets at every opportunity. Aponte also proved to be effective on the defensive end with three swipes to his credit. His jumper needs some work as he failed to connect on the four he took in the game we saw.
6’1 Eddie Ryerson of Naples Barron Collier is a member of the 2012 class and somewhat unorthodox. He has long arms and plays with great energy and therefore gets a lot done. His lefty jumper has a low arc and is somewhat streaky but he proved to be a reliable mid-range shooter and moves well without the basketball. He dropped a couple of nice dimes on the break and was quick to any loose ball in his area. Ryerson runs the floor well and finishes well at the rim.
While maybe not the best in the class of 2013, 6’9 Rudy Zahorchak of Fort Myers certainly has the highest upside. Slight of build, it doesn’t deter him from posting up and traded elbows on the block. Zahorchak showed off a decent jump hook for a player just finishing his freshman year and also stepped out and knocked down a fifteen foot jumper. He runs the court well for a player his size and age and is pretty good at staying on his feet and not biting on pump fakes inside. Another three years of strength or skill work should make him quite the commodity as a senior.
While not the swiftest player at the event, 6’8 Austin Williamson from First Baptist in Naples knows how to use what he has. What the 2013 product has is a wide, strong frame and a good pair of hands. He posts up strong and looks to drop step toward the hoop at every opportunity. Williamson blocks out well and carves out space to get most of the rebounds that come in his area. As he matures and develops his body, he most likely will gain agility and athleticism.
Troy Thomas of Naples may be in the class of 2013 but he doesn’t play like it. The 6’1 guard put together a very healthy stat sheet in the game we viewed. He handled the ball cleanly, got the ball into the post, found teammates for buckets in transition and scored from mid-range and in. Active on the glass and on defense, Thomas gave 100% effort every time he stepped on the court.
The fastest gun in the west (Florida area) might just belong to 5’10 Mitch Fundingsland of Fort Myers. The 2013 guard isn’t a gunner but has the quickest release we can recall seeing. What’s more, it is very accurate from well behind the arc. Mitch is also a solid ball-handler that can drive, draw and dish when he gets into the lane and also score in traffic. He’s also very fast with the basketball and likes the game uptempo. He’ll make some bad passes due to playing too fast but the reward is worth the risk.
Jean Thelus is a 6’0 athletic slasher from Fort Myers in the 2013 class. Currently, he is able to get by on his physical gifts of high-level run/jump athleticism, length, and lateral quickness. Thelus had some loud finishes on the break but also a couple of scores in traffic that displayed nice body control and touch. His shot has good form but lacks consistency. As he matures and finds he can no longer get by on his physical gifts, it will be important for him to have more effective perimeter offensive skills.
OTHER PLAYERS NOTES
Rodney Castor, a 5’9 guard in the class of 2013 from Fort Myers had some nice finishes on the break and handed out some nice passes for assists.
6’3 Travis Smith from Naples Barron Collier did a good job on the glass and successfully battled bigger players inside. He is in the class of 2011.
North Port’s A.J. Williams, a 5’8 guard in the class of 2013, played a smart ball game. He’s got a solid body, played tough at the defensive end and was effective at scoring near the basket.
6’5 Cole Wright from Fort Myers Evangelical Christian is a strong post scorer in the 2012 class. He scores well once in position and knocked down a few shots from mid-range.
A member of the 2010 Class, 6’2 East Lee County product Derick Yepes was versatility personified. He rebounded, dropped dimes, scored on the break, and hit jumpers from a variety of distances.
Another 2010 product, 5’10 Peter Cooper from Lehigh, was very good at pushing the pace, getting into the lane and breaking down the defense. He either scored in traffic or passed off to teammates for points.
6’3 Jason Morris from Island Coast proved to be productive. The 2011 wing rebounded, ran the floor for scores, and dropped in shots out to the arc.
Our thanks to Aaron Seybert and the rest of the SWFL Hoops staff for their hospitality and a great day of hoops!!
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