2011 – Paul Gombwer, 6’6 Forward, Florida Rams Black – Gombwer is a very physical and aggressive forward from Montrose Christian. He is a blue collar player, who is not afraid to sacrifice his body and do the dirty work. Paul is a glue guy that teams need because he sets hard screens, rebounds the ball very well, and defends with passion. He is not a skilled offensive player, but what he lacks in skill, he makes up for by doing the little things that most players don’t want to do. Gombwer is a winner, and every team should have someone like him.

2012 – Samad Hinds, 6’4 Guard, Florida Rams – Samad was impressive this weekend for the Florida Rams. He shot the ball with a ton of confidence from the perimeter, and slashed to the basket for athletic finishes. Hinds did a good job using his athleticism to score the ball in transition and rebound from the guard position. Samad is the type of player that will greatly improve playing at Monsignor Pace, under the year-round tutelage of Mark Liberman and his staff.

2012 – Joell James, 6’9 Center, Florida Rams – Dwyer High School has a gem in Joell James. He is very athletic, and uses his athleticism to block shots and rebound well out of area. Joell doesn’t have a great shooting touch, as he tended to miss strong off the backboard or the back of the rim this weekend. James mostly scored on dump downs, and offensive rebounds, and it is clear that James is still raw offensively, but there is no denying the upside of this high major prospect.

2012 – Charles Johnson, 6’2 Point Guard, Tampa Titans – Johnson has good size and strength for the point guard position. The Brandon High School product displayed a very smooth and patient game this weekend. He was able to push the ball and play up-tempo, but he never looked as if he was in a rush. He used his size and strength to finish at the rim and create for his teammates. Charles also did a good job of not over penetrating and utilizing his pull-up jump shot.

2011 – Fred Landers, 6’5 Forward, South Florida Elite – There is only one word that needs to be used to describe the Dillard High School product: BEAST! Landers may be the most skilled post player in the state of Florida. While he is undersized, he has an array of crafty, skilled post moves in his repertoire. He used hooks, turnaround jumpers, shot fake finishes, double shot fake finishes, shot fake step throughs, double pivots, and the list goes on and on. Fred displayed his athleticism by catching lobs, making transition dunks and blocking shots. His perimeter shot and game are not as advanced as his post game, and he would certainly help his recruitment by correcting some of the flaws in his shooting stroke, but there is no need for Landers to get away from his biggest strength as a player and that is being a BEAST on the block.

2011 – Terrell Merritt, 6’1 Point Guard, Florida Rams – Merritt was the fastest guard with the ball in his hands at the showcase. He has a rare ability for high school guards: the ability to change directions while dribbling full speed and not slowing down. He used his speed to create easy transition buckets and assists. He seems to be back at 100% from his injury during the high school season, where he broke his foot playing for Orlando Christian Prep. Merritt is a streaky three point shooter, but when he is hitting his perimeter jump shots, he is very hard to guard. With Terrell’s speed and length, he really could become a lock-down defender, and terrorize apposing guards defensively from baseline to baseline.

2012 – Devontae Morgan, 6’2 Combo Guard, Florida Rams – Morgan has been playing off the ball for most of his career, but this weekend he was playing the point for the Florida Rams 16U program, and he was playing it well. If Devontae can move to the point full-time for Tampa Prep, his stock will rise with college coaches. Morgan is very athletic, and is currently more of slasher than a shooter at this stage of his career. He has solid mechanics on his shooting stroke, but if he tweaked his mechanics and added a lot of reps, his shooting ability would greatly improve. Devontae has a good frame to add weight, and his body looks like he had been spending a lot of time in the weight room in the off season.

2013 – Malik Price-Martin, 6’8 Forward, Florida Rams – Malik was the jewel of the event at the Adidas Sunshine Showcase. He has great size and wing span, with a frame that can support additional muscle mass. Martin is a very good athlete, with a great stroke and ball handling skills for his size and age. He has the potential to become a full-time wing player, but he needs to play lower, and pound the ball harder to tighten his handle against smaller defenders. He did a good job using his length and athleticism to block and alter several shots at the 16U level. Martin is a no-brainer high major prospect at this stage in his career. If he gets stronger, his handle becomes tighter, and he continues to develop his triple threat and scoring moves, Malik can become scary good.

2011 – Andre Nation, 6’3 Wing, Tampa Titans – Nation is an athletic wiry wing player that does a good job of finishing at the rim in transition and half court. Andre used his athleticism for acrobatic layups, dunks and blocks. He knocked down some three’s, but he needs to develop some consistancy and a quicker release for the next level. Nation’s game would truly expand if he becomes a better shooter, works on his ball handling, and spends the summer in the weight room. Andre has the tools to become a very good defender and a scoring wing.

2011 – Xavier Owens, 6’4 Wing, Tampa Titans – Owens is a very athletic and strong wing player. He plays a lot in the post at Wharton High School because of his size and athleticism, but he was able to play his national position this weekend for the Tampa Titans. Owens used his explosiveness to come down the lane and dunk in the half court set. Xavier hit a few pull up jump shots, but we did not see him knock down any threes this weekend. He has good shooting mechanics, but his thumb on his guide hand, and not extending his shooting arm effect his ability to make perimeter shots. Owens rebounds the ball very well from the wing position, and displayed good court vision and unselfishness this weekend.

This article was written by Ryan Pannone. Ryan is the head coach of Oldsmar Christian School in Oldsmar, FL. Ryan coaches the boys senior high basketball team and has been a coach since 2006. He is very involved in off season summer leagues, tournaments, and camps throughout the state of Florida.

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